Sports
Ward’s strike helps champs complete the four-in-a-row
Kilkerrin/Clonberne 1-12
Claregalway 1-9
A competitive joust went down to the wire last Saturday before Kilkerrin/Clonberne emerged with their fourth County Senior Ladies Football title on the trot.
Nicola Ward’s goal just before half-time shifted the tie in favour of Martin Boyle’s charges and they kept ahead of a determined Claregalway challenge.
Jimmy Gavin’s Claregalway team were county finalists last year and had beaten their opponents recently in the Connacht League. After starting brightly, they refused to yield after Ward’s goal and Charlotte Cooney’s major six minutes into added time kept their chances alive.
Kilkerrin/Clonberne came in as strong favourites for their sixth championship in total and threatened early when Ward was put through after just 31 seconds only to slice the ball to the right and wide. It proved to be a frustrating opening period for last year’s All-Ireland semi-finalists who struggled to gain momentum and they were also guilty of five first half wides.
The incessant blowing for technical fouls also disrupted the overall rhythm of the final with 33 frees awarded in the opening 30 minutes but Claregalway used the breaks well. Andrea Trill’s placed ball opened their account in the second minute before Olivia Divilly levelled afterwards.
Claregalway were enjoying possession but needed to add to their tally. Two goal chances went abegging when Cooney set up Deirdre Brennan for the first before a move involving Karen Dowd and Cooney saw Trill denied. Kilkerrin/Clonberne keeper Lisa Murphy showed bravery with two crucial blocks even if she needed treatment following the latter save.
Trill did put Claregalway 0-2 to 0-1 ahead on 11 minutes and added another when Aisling Murphy was fouled. But Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s threat was always lurking and Louise Ward set up Karen Finnegan only for keeper Ruth Horkan to produce the crucial touch.
Another Claregalway attack produced a fine Murphy score on 19 minutes to make it 0-4 to 0-1 but, even with the wind, they didn’t point again until added time. Annette Clarke found the target on 27 minutes but the former All-Ireland winning captain made a bigger impact in the 30th minute when she spotted Nicola Ward advancing and the centre back made no mistake for a 1-2 to 0-4 lead.
Divilly added a point before Brennan ended Claregalway’s drough,t leaving the score 1-3 to 0-5. But the champions stretched their cushion in the opening two minutes of the second period with Divilly and Lisa Gannon raising white flags.
The commitment from both teams was total as players threw themselves into tackles and Clarke’s afternoon came to a premature end on 34 minutes following a knee injury. It unsettled Kilkerrin/Clonberne who took two minutes to decide her replacement and they didn’t get their next score until a Divilly free on 44 minutes.
That left it 1-6 to 0-6 as Deirdre Brennan sent over a Claregalway placed ball but the wing forward was also denied by the woodwork in the 37th minute.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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