No complaints from Clonbur as Kerry champs too strong

Castleisland Desmonds 2-11

Clonbur 1-6

ALTHOUGH the scoreboard gave a false sense of one-sidedness to this All-Ireland Club intermediate ladies football final, there can be no denying that the better side won on the day. Castleisland Desmonds took the lead against Clonbur in the first minute and did not relinquish for the next hour.

Heading into the game, Clonbur manager Martin Joyce acknowledged that his players would have to hit top form to overcome the Kerry champions, and while his side may be slightly disappointed with their overall performance, they showed plenty of determination to fight their way back into a contest that threatened to slip away from them.

Trailing by eight points early in the second half, Clonbur rallied to reduce that gap to three heading into the final quarter but they could not push on and 1-1 from Desmonds in injury time put an unfair slant on the final score. A feverish intensity in the tackle was the cornerstone of the Castleisland team and when coupled with some clinical finishing, the Kerry side formed formidable opposition.

As mentioned, it was Castleisland who started the better, 0-3 to no score ahead after seven minutes. The playing conditions played a prominent part in the early exchanges. While the playing surface was in good condition for the penultimate day of November, it must be said that the grass was far too long for an All-Ireland final which is the pinnacle of these players’ year.

On multiple occasions, players from both sides attempted to hop the ball only for it to fail to return to their possession and while those in the stand offered plenty of ‘advice’ on the issue, acting on such counsel under severe pressure is a different matter.

Clonbur’s Aisling Doherty was one such player who had a half-chance for a goal snuffed out by the turf rather than the opposition defenders but her side were on the scoreboard soon after when Mairéad Joyce skillfully converted a 40m free.

Castleisland, however, were in no mood to let their opponent’s build up a head of steam. Lorna Joyce, who was operating far deeper than the number 14 position on her back, was surrounded and dispossed by a pack of Castleisland players before the Kerry side patiently worked the ball into position for Leanne Mangan to fire over from long-range. It was a superb score that demonstrated Castleisland’s intensity, composure and clinical edge.

Desmonds were in full-flow at this stage and three frees from full-forward Mangan put them six points to the good, 0-7 to 0-1, after 20 minutes. The Kerry side may have thought the job was close to finished at this stage as they kicked one or two uncharacteristic wides in the following minutes.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.