Cork Senior League Final Stalemate

Cork Senior League Final Stalemate  By Fr Liam Kelleher

 

Mourenabbey 1-12 Donoughmore 2-9.

It may have been deep into December when players should be enjoying, a well earned rest but the Senior footballers of Moureabbey and Donoughmore served up another see saw encounter at Donoughmore last Saturday in the league final. While the conditions on the day were as good as you can get at this time of the year, the quality of the game did not match the expectations.

This was really a game of attrition for Donoughmore having lost in the first round of the championship, to their rivals and  were behind in the ill fated league encounter, when it was abandoned near the end  earlier in the year. Losing their Co Title  for the lst time in 11 years, when Inch defeated them in the knockout stages of the championship, rankled as well, and they were determined to end the season with a trophy,  albeit the league shield.

Mourneabbey on the other hand went into the game with little to prove, they achieved their year long ambition of winning the All-Ireland intermediate title, in exciting fashion and they could really have done without this game,  with most of their players involved in the minor championship and Colleges competitions. Obviously they were not there to make up numbers and the game was played with championship fervour. Nevertheless it nearer reached the explosive heights of in terms of pure football like the previous games. There was too much niggly stuff and too many interruptions  to mark it as a game to be remembered and perhaps in the end a draw was just about a fair result. Donoughmore will be more pleased  because 4 of their top players were missing on the day. Juliet Murphy, Sarah O’Connell, Ruth Ann Buckley and Vera Sheehan.

Early Statement.

They made an early statement of their intentions in the opening half  playing into what is generally accepted as the scoring goal in Lackabawn. Aisling O’Connor did most damage in  building up an interval lead of  1-6 to 0-4.Miss O’Connor wa rampant in notching 1-3 while Mourneabbey total of 0-4,  came from Jenny McCarthy frees. Mourneabbey were quickly into their stride in the 2nd half and with Ciara O’Sullivan and Sile O’Callaghan getting more into the game they made an early inroad into the Donoughmore lead  when Laura Harrington fired home a goal, two frees from Jenny McCarthy saw them square the match. Points from Siobhan Forde and Kathleen O’Brien put them in the driving seat. Donoughmore are resolute fighters and against the odds, Ailing Barrett got a point back and that could easily have been a goal as she blazed over when one and one with the keeper. Aisling O’Connor again came to the rescue with  another cracking goal after Yvonne Twomey had missed a good chance. Then Rena Buckley cut through the Mourneabbey defence,  appeared to be pulled down 4 metres out, but the ref deemed she had over carried and controversially  awarded a free out. Encouraged by this let off, Moureabbey fought back to tie the game with points from Jenny McCarthy, Laura Harrington and Ciara O’Sullivan.

Donoughmore scorers. Aisling O’Connor 2-3. Rena Buckley 0-4 Noelle Buckley 0-1 Gemma O’Connor 0-1. Mourneabbey Jenny McCarthy 0-8 (0-7 frees) Laura Harrington 0-1 Kathleen O’Brien 0-1 Siobhan Forde 0-1. Ciara O’Sullivan 0-1

Mourenabbey: Emma Forde Eimear Harrington, Cathy Ann Stack, Rebecca Larkin, Ciara Harrington, Catherine Coakley,  Patricia Murphy  Sile O’Callaghan, Ciara O’Sullivan, Siobhan Forde, Laura Harington, Jenny McCarthy, Roisin O’Sullivan, Kathleen O’Brien, Eva O’Donoghue,  Sandra Conroy. Aoife Daly

Donoughmore. Tracy Rodgers, Aoife O’Connor, Eimear Walsh, Aisling Greene,  Rosey  O’Mahony Linda Barrett, Aisling  Barrett, Gemma O’Connor Rena Buckley,  Catriona Moran Ann Marie O’Shea,  Noelle Buckley Aisling O’Connor, Louise Murphy