Mourneabbey win in comprehensive fashion

Cork Ladies Junior A Football Championship Final

Mourneabbey
4-13 Kildorrery 0-05

Few neutrals could have predicted the comprehensive manner in
which Mourneabbey defeated Kildorrery to collect a first Junior
A title in the history of the club. The match, played in Shanballymore,
never quite lived up to expectation. In truth Kildorrery were
never allowed to settle by a rampant Mourneabbey outfit. Driven
forward by the very impressive Catherine Coakely & Sandra Conroy,
Mourneabbey just had too much craft for a game Kildorrery outfit.
Indeed Kildorrery will look back on this game in the knowledge
that they allowed the Mourneabbey backs too much freedom to work
the ball forward thus creating scoring chances.

Mourneabbey thrived on the open spaces and their short passing
game worked to perfection. Kildorrery opened the scoring with
a pointed free from Niamh Hickey but after this it was all Mourneabbey.
Jenny Luddy & Siobhan Forde was dominant at midfield and playing
a slick running game put the Kildorrery backs under severe pressure.
They were not helped when a nasty collarbone injury denied them
the services of full back Caroline Coughlan thus forcing a defensive
reshuffle. Excellent goalkeeping by Orla Murphy and defending
from Tara Kinsella denied Jenny Luddy certain goals but the inevitable
could not be denied. Mourneabbey raced into a 6 point lead despite
playing against a sharp breeze courtesy of two well taken Kathleen
O’Brien & Jenny Luddy goals. At half time the score read Mourneabbey
2.04 Kildorrery 0.02.

The expected Kildorrery second half revival never materialised
despite the efforts of Gillian O’Brien, Jean O’Donovan & Eleanor
Twohig. Mourneabbey were just irresistible going forward and their
forwards displayed unerring accuracy particularly Eva O’Donoghue
who played a real captain’s role. Mourneabbey now go forward to
represent Cork in the Munster Junior club championship.

Player of the Match: Sandra Conroy ( Mourneabbey)
Mourneabbey: W Walsh C Coakley C A Stack E Harrington S
Conroy P Murphy R O’Sullivan M Rea (0.01) J Luddy (1.03) S O Callaghan
(0.01) K O’Brien ( 1.03) L Harrington E O’Donoghue ( 2.02 (0.01
f) S Forde (0.01) C O’Sullivan (0.02)
Subs: R Larkin for E Harrington (Inj 24th min) L Behan
for M Rea (49th) P Stack for L Harrington (54th) C Twomey for
K O’Brien (54th) A O’Shea for S Conroy (54th)
Kildorrery: O Murphy T Kinsella C Coughlan N Hennessy E
O’Gorman J O’Donovan L Hanley E Twohig M Noonan C Hanley (0.01)
T O’Callaghan R Twohig N Hickey (0.01 (f) G O’Brien (0.01) J Hennessy
(0.01 (f)
Subs: N Baker (0.01) for C Coughlan (Inj 21st min) V McCormack
for R Twohig (47th min) N walsh for T O’Callaghan (50th min) A
Hennessy for E O’Gorman (52nd) B McCarthy for N Hickey (54th min)

Referee: G Buckley ( Grenagh)

Terry O’Brien ( Asst Pro Cork Ladies Football) terryobrien1@eircom.net