Staunton fires Mayo to Victory

Cora Staunton was in imperious form as she guided Mayo to a resounding win over Tyrone in their TG4 All Ireland Championship Qualifier at the weekend.

Mayo……. 4-15

Tyrone……… 0-03

 

CORA Staunton bagged 2-10 as Mayo cruised past Tyrone in this afternoon’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football championship qualifier in Ballinamore.

The Carnacon star hit 1-15 in defeat against Galway in the Connacht final and was in free-scoring form again as the Red Hands were sent tumbling out of the 2015 championship.

Staunton claimed 2-7 from play as Mayo bounced back from their Connacht final heartbreak to revive their championship hopes.

Staunton was on target with her opening point within three minutes and she netted in the seventh minute after Fiona McHale provided the assist with a defence-splitting pass.

9-time Allstar Staunton crashed the ball into the bottom corner of the Tyrone net to leave her side 1-1 to the good.

She added two frees inside sixteen minutes and four more from play before the half-time whistle sounded, with fellow Carnacon stalwart McHale and half-forward Fiona Doherty providing instrumental assistance to manufacture scores.

Emma Doherty attempted to inject some signs of life into the Tyrone attack with a score on 28 minutes but with three wides already registered, that proved to be their only score of the first half.

The second half proved to be merely a resumption of the first with Staunton collecting a second goal.

McHale and Aoife Brennan also netted as Mayo turned up the heat to burn off Tyrone.

Tyrone’s first score of the second half arrived 20 minutes in, when sub Zoe Laughran raised a white flag.

An uncharacteristically quiet Gemma Begley scored her side’s first free in the closing stages but missed another just before full-time as the game petered out to an inevitable conclusion.

Niamh Kelly, Martha Carter and Yvonne Byrne all chipped in with a point each and former All-Star Claire Byrne made a triumphant return for Mayo in the concluding stages after a lengthy absence through injury.

Meanwhile, Tyrone captain Neamh Woods was stretchered off with an apparent neck injury on 27 minutes which caused a brief delay in play.

 

Although they were notably rampant, Mayo recorded nine wides throughout the game and will need to work on that in time ahead of their next outing, against Munster champions Kerry.

 

Scorers for Mayo: C Staunton (2-10 3f) F McHale (1-01) A Brennan (1-01) N Kelly (0-01), M Carter (0-01), Y Byrne (0-01).

 

Scorers for Tyrone: E Hegarty (0-01), Z Loughran (0-01), G Begley (0-01 1f).

 

MAYO: A Tarpey, M Corbett, S Tierney, M Carter, O Conlon, D Hughes, R Kearns, H Lohan, F McHale, F Doherty, Y Byrne, N Kelly, A Brennan, C Staunton, L McManamon.

 

Subs: N O’Malley for K McManamon (50), R O’Malley for A Brennan (57), J O’Malley for R Kearns (62), L Muldoon for A Tarpey (66), C Egan for N Kelly (67).

 

TYRONE: S Lynch, C Muldoon, C Hunter, K Quinn, M Donnelly, S Quinn, A McShane, N O’Neil, N Woods, E Hegarty, C Donnelly, A McShane, J Donnelly, G Begley, G Rafferty.

 

Subs: Z Laughran for M McGuigan (43), D McNamee for C Muldoon (52 mins) C McCracken for G Rafferty (53),  E O’Kane for N Woods (57), N Carland for K Quinn (66).

 

Referee: K Delahunty (Tipperary)