Mayo and Dublin set up dream final

Dublin and Mayo wins, sets up dream final

The TG4 Semi-finals were held in very blustery conditions
at O’Moore Park Portlaoise on Saturday last. In 2 totally
contrasting games Mayo and Dublin wins set up a mouth watering
final which should attract a huge crowd to headquarters
on Sunday October the 5th.

Mayo 1-11 Galway 1-9. A.E.T
This was a game of a lot of pulling and dragging, which
was not helped, by an over fussy referee who awarded over
100 frees during the course of the game Galway played with
the elements during the opening half and showed that they
were not in awe of the more illustrious opponents, who were
odds on favourites to reach their 5th decider in a row.
They were not inhibited either by the fact that they had
lost heavily to Mayo during their 2 previous championship
encounters, during the Summer.

Mayo gave their chances a huge boost when centre back Yvonne
Byrne blasted a penalty to the net after Cora Staunton was
adjudged to have been fouled in the square, with just five
minutes gone on the clock. Undaunted Galway fought back
and by the short whistle they had jumped into a 1-4 to 1-0
lead thanks to some fine play their goal coming from Niamh
Fahy. Patricia Gleeson and Anette Clarke had a definite
edge at midfield, their no 10 Lisa Cohill wandered all over
the field like Cora Staunton and her work rate over the
entire game was superb.

The expected comeback by Mayo was very slow to materialise
and in fact it was Galway who started the half better as
they fired over 2 points. Their undoing was that they did
not score until the end of the first period of extra time.
Mayo chipped away at their lead and it took the free taking
expertise of Cora Staunton to drag Mayo out of hole, in
all she struck over 7 points, 5 coming from frees, two coming
from Christine Heffernan and the other by Diane O’Hora who
was making a return to the team.

Before the end of normal time Galway missed some clear cut
chances which could have sealed the game, the alertness
of Mayo keeper Denise Horan kept them in the game. Extra
time saw both teams leg weary but Mayo against the elements
carried the game to Galway and scored 4 points to Galways
one, they proved they had heart because they came at Mayo
against the wind and they missed 2 scoreable frees, when
they hit the post they did reduce the gap to just a point
, before Chistina Hefferan whose late point squared the
game and Gave them the insurance point they needed. It was
heartbreaking for them to be just 2 points adrift in the
end.

Finbarr Egan and his team will thank their lucky stars that
they got out of this one while Galway manager PJ Fahy will
be disappointed that the game slipped away, he and his team
will be consoled by the fact that they came so close to
reaching their first decider after winning the Junior crown
just a year ago.

Scorers:
Mayo: Cora Staunton 0-7 Yvonne Byrne 1-0 Christine Heffernan
0-2 Dianne O’Hora 0-1 Anette Gallagher 0-1
Galway: Geraldine Connealy 0-5 Niamh Fahy 1-2 Lorna
Joyce, 0-1 Anette Clarke 0-1

Mayo: Denise Horan Nuala O’Shea, Helena Lohan capt.
Mary T Garvey, Jackie Moran, Yvonne Byrne, Claire 0’Hara,
Claire Egan, Edel Biggins, Emma Mullins, Christine Heffernan,
Michelle McGing, Ciara McDermott, Marcella Heffernan, Cora
Staunton, Linda Connolly, Martha carter, Orla Casby, Paula
Fitzgerald, Anette Gallagher, Caroline McGing. Sharon McGing,
Trina McNicholas, Edel Reilly, Patricia Moran, Joyce O’Hara,
Diane O’Hora, Maeve Ann O’Reilly, Deirdre Ryan.

Galway: Una Carroll, Marie O’Connell, Ruth Stephens,
Fiona Wynne, Aoibheann Daly, Michelle Burke, Emer Flaherty,
Anette Clarke, Patricia Gleeson, Lisa Cohill, Gillian Joyce,
Geraldine Conneally, Rebecca McPhilbin, Lorna Joyce, Niamh
Fahy. Johanna Connolly, Fiona Gilmore, Emma O’Malley, Emma
Curley, Michelle McGlynn. Deirdre Fallon. Marita Fahy, Catriona
Kyne, Edel Concannon, Philomena Flaherty, Ann Maire Geraghty,
Deirdre Heverin, Jenny Molloy, Helen Carroll, Michelle Delaney.

Great 2nd Half earn the Dubs the spoils.
Dublin 0-13 Kerry 0-8 In this open game of football expertly
handled by referee Eugene O’Hare Dublin put in a great 2nd
half performance to shatter Kerry’s dream of All-Ireland
glory. While Kerry led at the short whistle aided by the
breeze and superb points from Geraldine O’Shea and Kacey
O’Driscoll, which saw them 7-3 ahead at the break it was
all Dublin in the 2nd period.

Dublin did give evidence in the first half with their surging
runs and effective hand passing that they they would be
a threat in the 2nd half and so it proved. Within a minute
player of the match Angie McNally had fired over a point
and as quickly as the 8th minute they had drawn level. Kerry
were now in dire straights and even the sending off of Orla
Colreavy fro a 2nd bookable offence mid way through the
2nd half did not affect the issue. Before her dismissal
Orla and her half back colleagues Niamh Hurely and Martina
Farrell was their strongest line. They were simply magnificent
defending and going forward as well.

They could also afford the luxury of a missed penalty, when
fine Kerry keeper Andrea O’Donoghue saved. Dublin kept their
momentum going to the end and their victory and the manner
in which it was achieved will have impressed all.

Kerry kept trying till the end but the superior Dublin side
fully deserved this victory.

Scorers Dublin: Angie McNally 0-6, Karen Hopkins
0-2 Mary Nevis 0-2 Bernie Findlay 0-1 Gamma Fay 0-1 and
Elaine Kelly 0-1
Kerry scorers: Geraldine O’Shea 0-4 Casey O’Driscoll
0-3 Noreen Feeley
Dublin: Cliodhna O’Connor, Sorcha Farrelly, Louis
Keegan, Maria Kavanagh, Niamh Hurley, Martina Farrell capt,
Orla Colreavy, Angie McNally, Niamh McEvoy, Bernie Finlay,
Gemma Fay, Karen Hopkins, Mary Nevin, Louis Kelly, Ashling
McCormack, Emma Redmond, Tonya Allen, Caroline Ann Griffin,
Elaine Kelly, Lorraine Roche, Sorcha Timmons, Orla Smith,
Elaine Murphy, Anne Marie Cahill, Sarah Denvir, Sinead Ahern,
Viviennne Naughton, Dearbhla Crowe, Lorna Hillerry, Siobhan
McGrath
Kerry: Andrea O’Donoghue Laura Ross, Grainne Ni Fhlatharta,
Jackie Murnane, Katie Gleason, Caroline Kelly, Sarah O’Connor,
Mairead Finnegan, Edel O’Connell, Katie Kenneally, Kacey
O’Driscoll, Noreen Feeley, Patrice Dennehy, Geraldine O’Shea,
Deirdre Corridon. Louise McCarthy, Deirdre O’Sullivan, Shari
Delaney, Rhiona Ni Chinneide, Denise Shanahan, Neasa Ni
Shuilleabhain, Jenny Johnson, Anne-Marie O’Shea, Evelyn
O’Connell, Deirdre Fenton, Catherine Sexton.

TG4 Junior Championship
Kildare scored a comprehensive 5-18 to 1-8 win over Tipperary
in the the TG4 Junior Semi-final at Portarlington on Saturday
evening. While on Sunday Donegal reached their 2nd Junior
final in a row when they defeated Sligo 3-9 to 1-7. The
Donegal-Kildare final should also be a thriller as a curtain
raiser tothe Senior Final at Croke Park on October the 5th

Fr Liam Kelleher PR0 Tel 087-8516984