VHi Munster Ladies Football Junior Club Championship Semi-Final

VHi Munster Ladies Football Junior Club Championship Semi-Final Venue: Glin, Co. Limerick. Coolmeen (Clare) 1 – 7 Dromcollogher/Broadford (Limerick) 0 – 7

Coolmeen ladies capped a great weekend for Clare teams
in Munster with a thrilling and hard earned victory over Limerick
champions Drom/Broadford on Sunday. Similar to last weekend’s county
final Coolmeen entered this game as outsiders but they paid scant
regard to this as they did their parish and county proud with this
great win. Coolmeen are now just sixty minutes away from a Munster
championship title and hopefully all of Clare will row in behind
them in their final game next weekend.

This semi-final match was the proverbial game of two halves with
the stiff wind that prevailed at the Glin GAA grounds the main reason
behind this. The Limerick champions had the wind in their favour
in the first half and despite going behind to a Marie Hough free
on seven minutes they soon began to rack up the scores with their
excellent forward Clodagh Reidy notching six points in all. Another
Drom-Broadford point on the stroke of half time from Susan Costello
left the score at the break 0 – 7 to 0 – 1 in the Limerick side’s
favour. Things were not looking good for Coolmeen at this stage
even though they would be wind assisted for the second half.

In fairness to Coolmeen they stuck to their task and threw everything
at their opponents in the second period. An opening point from Aoife
McMahon was followed a minute later by the games most significant
score a great goal from Sinéad Moloney. Thus in just seven
minutes the Drom-Broadford lead had been cut to just two points.
Still it was another eight minutes before Coolmeen scored again
with another Moloney point. The equaliser came a minute later from
a great Sinéad Eustace free. Coolmeen were now firing on
all cylinders and when Niamh Greene kicked them ahead on forty eight
minutes there was no looking back for the west Clare side. Sinéad
Moloney put two between the sides on fifty six minutes while deep
in to injury point county star Grace Lynch kicked the insurance
point. Great credit is due to Tommy Hough and his team for this
win and the manner in which they achieved it. Their never say die
attitude and no little footballing skill saw them earn this deserved
victory.

Coolmeen had great displays from Laura Handrahan, Eimear Greene,
Lisa Farrell, Ciara Cleary, Sinéad Eustace, Grace Lynch,
Sinéad Moloney, Aoife McMahon and Valerie McMahon.

Coolmeen: Laura Handrahan, Eimear Greene, Fiona Mcmahon, Eimear
McMahon, Ciara Cleary, Valerie Mcmahon, Lisa Farrell, Niamh Greene
(0-1), Sinéad Eustace (0-1), Sinéad Moloney (1-2),
Grace Lynch (0-1), Martina Hehir, Marie Hough (0-1), Edel Meaney,
Aoife McMahon (0-1).

Subs Used: Fiona Conway, Josephine Fennessy, Ailish O’Rourke

Referee: Paddy White (Kerry)

Dr. Paul McKenna

PRO Clare Ladies Board