Goals from Cafferky sisters help Mayo cruise to impressive victory

TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

Mayo 2-15

Kildare 0-5

 By Oisin McGovern

 GOALS from the Cafferky sisters wrapped up an impressive victory for Mayo which sends them into the quarter-finals of the TG4 All-Ireland SFC.

A dominant Mayo first half was more than enough to compensate for an average second half where Kildare shot four points and threatened the Mayo goal on several occasions — but were denied each time by the outstanding goalkeeper Laura Brennan.

Sunny Ballina provided the ideal setting for Diane O’Hora’s homecoming as Kildare manager. But the former All-Ireland winning Mayo player simply hadn’t the calibre of players to match Liam McHale’s charges.

Both halves ended with goals from a Cafferky — Lisa in the first half, Sinéad in the second. But, in truth, the outcome was clear from the 18th minute when Mayo raced into a 0-7 0-1 lead.

Maria Cannon led the way on the scoreboard, but Mayo had several other impressive performers, such as the tireless Erin Murray, Aoife Geraghty, Fionnuala McLaughlin and Ciara Durkan.

Kildare had to be content with one fine point from full-forward Aoife Rattigan in a first half where the Lilywhites simply weren’t allowed to play on their terms.

Time and again, the guests were turned over by a goal-hungry Mayo team, who finally raised a green flag when Sinéad Walsh sent a good kick-pass to Maria Cannon, who fed Lisa Cafferky who finished expertly.

A further Cannon free in injury time left Mayo 1-10 to 0-1 to the good at half-time.

Their performance regressed in the balmy mid-day sun as Kildare made three half-time changes and found a new lease of life.

The visitors went for goal on several occasions, only to be denied at the last second by a string of impressive stops from Mayo’s Laura Brennan.

Kildare got four points in the second half with two apiece from Neasy Dooley and Róisín Byrne before Mayo picked up the intensity again in the final quarter.

The game ended in ideal fashion for the hosts when Aoife Staunton fed fellow sub Sinéad Cafferky for a goal that wrapped up an impressive win.

Scorers – Mayo: M Cannon 0-6 (5f), L Cafferky 1-1, A Gough 0-3, S Cafferky 1-0, S Walsh, F McLaughlin 0-2 each, C Durkan 0-1.

Kildare: R Byrne (1f), N Dooley (1f) 0-2 each, A Rattigan 0-1.

MAYO: L Brennan; S Lally, N O’Malley, K Sullivan; E Ronayne, C Durkan, D Caldwell; A Geraghty, E Murray; F McLaughlin, A Gough, F McHale; S Walsh, M Cannon, L Cafferky. Subs: A Staunton for McHale (37), S Cafferky for L Cafferky (53), M Sheridan for Gough (55), C Henry for Sullivan (55).

KILDARE: A Dunlea; F Troute, A Clifford, A Reynolds; L Gilbert, R Sargent, L Murtagh; G Clifford, C Sulivan; T Duggan, N Dooley, L Doran; E Dowling, A Rattigan, R Byrne. Subs: E O’Toole for G Clifford (HT), N Farrelly for Sullivan (HT), L Shaw for Doran (HT), H Tyrrell for Rattigan (37), Z Brierty for Duggan (39).

Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).