Girls take the Junior Championship
Pictures from Peter Hickey at http://gaapics.zenfolio.com/
Report from Dublin Ladies GAA - Stephen Findlater
St Sylvesters 6-9 St Maurs 4-6
Tesco Junior A Championship final
Living
up to the 2010 Junior A final epic was always going to take some going
but the 2011 vintage is likely to live on just as long in the memory as
Fingal neighbours St Sylvesters and St Maurs served up a shoot-out for the ages.
Having
fallen 7-9 to 5-9 a year ago to Raheny, the Malahide women came back
with a vengeance, aided by an inspirational 4-6 from Dublin star Sinead
Aherne, to over-turn the painful memories in some style.
They scarcely had it their own way, though, as the ever-graceful Olivia Leonard and Jane Butterly regularly pegged Syls back to within three points, the formers pair of goals making it a roller-coaster finish.
But a late surge carried the night with Kim White - one of a number of the Syls U-16 side that won their Division Two title on Sunday evening - flying forward to finally close out the tie.
It
left Aimee Hazley the honour of raising the championship trophy but,
speaking afterwards, she was quick to praise the Rush opposition who
played their part in making this a thrilling night at Lawless Memorial
Park in Swords.
"It just happened on the night for us," she said. "We
were in this position twelve months ago and, more or less, it was about
the same score when Raheny beat us and it was heart-breaking.
"But there has to be a winner on the night. Maurs are a great young side, like a lot of our own girls but it is a really good win for Sylvesters and we have a great amount of girls coming up."
For
Hazley, as well as midfield partner Sinead Treacy, it was a second
trophy in two weeks as they were part of the Irish Aussie Rules side who
claimed the inaugural womens International Cup down under.
Both could also play a strong role in the Aisling McGing Senior B championship final in a fortnights time with Dublin, too, making this an extra-special moment for the pair but the importance of club is always close to Hazleys heart.
"Being out in Australia and winning a world championship, thats something else. But to come back home, where it all began and where the heart is; thats
how we get the breaks that we get. We have Dublin in two weeks for the
All-Ireland against Cork and, please God, we can get another trophy in
the bag. May luck stay on our side but, like I say, it starts here with
Sylvesters."
The Malahide women got off to a dream start when Ahernes
deflected left foot effort handed them an early goal and when she added
another powerful major, despite the close attentions of Gemma Thorne,
the writing looked on the wall at 2-2 to no score with just nine minutes
gone.
But Maurs worked their way back into the tie, Leonard registering a pair of frees which sandwiched a Butterly point.
Aherne calmly stroked home a penalty but Butterlys opportunism showed Maurs also had a goal threat in them and, while Niamh McEvoys thunderbolt left ten in the difference at the break, belief was high that they could threaten.
Only for some superb Syls defence, Niamh Harney to the fore, were they not closer and they started the comeback trail early in the second half.
Pulling the strings in midfield, the McGuinnesss Shauna and Eadaoin laid on a razor-sharp attack which saw Leonards shot blocked superbly by Lisa McIntyre but only fell as far as Butterly to poach another goal.
And they were in range when Roisin OMahonys
penalty bounced kindly back to Leonard who rebounded, allied to an
earlier pair of points, to make it 4-6 to 3-6 with 20 minutes left.
Sylvesters
response was immediate, Treacy picking out an inviting ball for Aherne
and the All-Star showed some delightful ground skills to round the last
defender and fire home.
Amid a scramble, Leonard punched in her
second goal, en route to a personal total of 2-5, and the game was back
in the melting pot.
But Syls
finished the stronger. McEvoy - who only returned from a stint in the
US football and camogie championships at 6am on the morning of the match
- showed her light feet to flit into space off Ahernes shoulder to point.
Luck, meanwhile, was deserting Maurs as Leonard cracked the bar while Walls smothered Niamh Conways rebound.
Ahernes
raw pace causes problems at all levels and it helped set her up for an
insurance point from a free before sub Diane McIlhagga smacked the bar
once more.
It proved a sighter for the corner-forward as she popped
over her second effort for 5-9 to 4-6 on the hour before White got an
injury-time goal to add an extra gloss to the scoreboard.
Tesco Player of the Match was awarded to Sinead Aherne
St Sylvesters:
L McIntyre, N Gallagher, M Walls, N Harney, L Harrold, C Lynch, K
White, S Tracey, A Hazley, M Flanagan, N McEvoy, O Harney, N Owens, S
Aherne, L Ryan
Subs: A McDonnell, N Lawlor, M Killen, D McIlhagga, O Moynihan, C Hickey, E Sullivan, E Lynch, E Treacy, L Hughes, L Murphy, A OFlynn
St Maurs: R Jones, R OMahony, G Thorne, S OBrien,
N Tynan, G McGuckian, S Brogan, S McGuinness, E McGuinness, L Harford, C
Drumm, N Conway, R McGuinness, O Leonard, J Butterly
Subs: F Towers, N Gilligan, D Ryan, H Flynn, K Browne, A Kelly, C Hegarty, M Moran, C Leonard
Report thanks to Stephen Findlater
More pics from the final can be viewed here - GAApics.com