All-Ireland champions of 2004 dominate ladies football side

THE Tribeswomen’s historic LGFA All-Ireland senior winning team of 2004 – not surprisingly – dominates the Connacht & City Tribune readers’ all-time Greatest Galway Ladies Football XV.

In all, 36 players were nominated for positions on the Greatest XV, with 10 of the 2004 team which defeated Dublin in Galway’s one and only All-Ireland final win voted by readers among Galway’s greatest ever players.

Goalkeeper Una Carroll, defender Emer Flaherty and Irish international soccer star Niamh Fahey featured on every team submitted while 2004 All-Ireland winning All-Ireland captain Annette Clarke was selected in all bar one.

There were several other players of the 2004 side who featured in over 90% of the teams submitted, namely defender Ruth Stephens, wing-forward Lisa Coohill and sharpshooter Lorna Joyce. Aoibheann Daly also polled extremely well to claim a place in the half-back line.

While all of the above were All-Star winners, and frontrunners to feature, the Galway LGFA public were in no doubt that two other players from that side made invaluable contributions to Galway LGFA.

Versatile defender Marie O’Connell, who lined out at corner-back in the 2004 final, held off the challenge of five other defenders – Rebecca McPhilbin, Fiona Wynne and All-Stars Bernadette Stankard, Mary Mullery and Claire Geraghty – to seize a spot.

In attack, Geraldine Conneally, corner-forward in the 2004 decider, also held off stiff competition to secure a berth on Galway’s Greatest LFGA XV. 2004 wing-forward Niamh Duggan was her closest challenger while strong claims were also made by Edel Concannon, Gillian Joyce and present-day star Roisin Leonard.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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