AFTER YEARS OF hurt and heartbreak, Emyvale are Monaghan ladies senior club football champions for the very first time.
Donaghmoyne had reigned supreme in the Farney county for 21 consecutive years. Emyvale lost 10 of those finals, while there were other semi-final defeats in the 15-year period they have competed in the senior ranks.
On Sunday, the North Monaghan club finally got their hands on the Pauline Devlin Cup after beating Magheracloone, who had sensationally dethroned Donaghmoyne.
Always the bridesmaid, now the bride.
History, at last.
“I still don’t think it really has sunk in,” Emyvale captain Eimear McAnespie tells The 42.
“We went up to senior in 2009 and have been runners-up 10 times. It just shows the resilience in us girls. We’ve kept fighting, we’ve kept coming back year after year. There’s been so many [people] that have said, ‘How did you keep doing it?’ We knew that we had it in us.
“It was just pure hard work. There were girls that had babies at the start of this year, and were playing on Sunday — that just goes to show how much it meant to us. Years of heartbreak, but thankfully we got over the line.
“It’s just absolutely insane. Up there with the best day of my life, definitely. After those 10 runners-up [finishes], it’s all worth it now.”
The end of Donaghmoyne’s 22-in-a-row bid sent shockwaves around the county. McAnespie was following the semi-final score updates on X, ahead of their own clash with Emmet Óg the next day, and it all “felt surreal”.
Emyvale sensed an opportunity, but they knew they had two big hurdles to clear first.
“Whenever we heard Magheracloone won, I think everyone in the whole community was just like, ‘God, there’s going to be new champions for the first time ever in 21 years,’” McAnespie says.
“Donaghmoyne, as I said in my speech on Sunday, they’re the kingpins of ladies football, setting the benchmark for young and old across Monaghan, Ulster and Ireland. Their 21 years of success will forever go down in history. It’s amazing and no doubt Donaghmoyne’s gonna be back again. They’re a fantastic team.”
So too are Magheracloone, she says. Emyvale ran out 5-12 to 1-6 winners at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones, but McAnespie insists the scoreline didn’t reflect the game.
The aftermath was special. The McAnespie family are stepped in the club, and Monaghan football in general. Eimear’s twin sisters, former inter-county stars Ciara and Aoife, were also playing. Their mother is three-time All-Star and ‘Laochra Gael’ Brenda, while their brother, Ryan, has also represented the Farney county.
One lovely moment was captured, as their 87-year-old grandfather, Brendan Mohan, embraced Eimear before she lifted the cup.
“I think I’ve looked at that photo about 100 times! They went to present me with the trophy, and I just caught my Granda with the corner of my eye. He was absolutely buzzing.
“It’s days like that that we do it for. They’ve been around for so long, and he hasn’t seen any of us lift that trophy.
“It’s amazing doing it with a group of girls, but having your two sisters beside you makes it that little extra bit special. Actually a few years ago all five of us [sisters] and Mammy were playing!”
Brenda had a spectator role on this occasion, and cheered them on all the way. “Oh my goodness, she was in her element. I’m so happy to know I’ve done it for her. She’s been there from the very start as well, and hasn’t done it so just absolutely delighted.
“Herself and Dad are our number one supporters. They’re at every match, obviously our number one critics as well! After games, we’d all call into the home house and hear the whole run-through of the game. They were so, so proud after Sunday’s game, and they just thought it was an absolutely excellent performance all over.”
The celebrations ran long into the night — and the early parts of the week, in the village — but the focus is returning to football. Kieran Campbell and Darren Swift’s side face Donaghmoyne in a league semi-final this weekend. Who else?
Their Ulster opener against defending champions Clann Éireann of Armagh follows thereafter.
“We won the reserve league at the start of the year, now we’ve won the senior championship, so we will definitely push on. It’d be amazing to win all three,” McAnespie concludes.
“We just can’t wait to keep pushing on and hopefully do Monaghan proud in Ulster too.”
“That Leinster failed to score a try and only twice came within obvious striking distance – through Jamie Heaslip in the first half and Zane Kirchner in the second – might be cause for concern, but O’Connor felt that was simply the nature of this game.”
Yep. That’s been the nature of a lot of Leinster games this season.
Such a contrast to the quarter final against Cardiff 3 years ago when leinster carved them apart with their backplay. Yesterday they looked so toothless and lateral in attack. O’Connor really is destroying Leinster.
Can joe take charge of leinster for 1 game?
Maybe 2?
Delusional I’m afraid. No expectation for semi if it’s against Toulon.If Joe Schmidt was leading them i’d give us a good chance.
I’m sick of reading Leinster fans moaning about MOC. The guy won the league last year, got to a Heineken QF and now this year the champions cup semis. As BOD said on TV yesterday. “He’s doing allright”. You guys are, to quote John Inverdale, lookin at Joe Schmidt era through rose c*n+ed glasses. In case you missed the six nations, Ireland under Joe didn’t play a whole lot of champagne rugby and not many complained. Leinster yesterday were more entertaining than Ireland v France. Also if you take the likes of Sexton, BOD, Necewa, Darcy, Elsom, Leo, Shaggy, Thorn and for most of season, SOB and Healey out of any squad they will struggle to maintain same levels. This Leinster squad is nowhere near as good as Heineken winners but they are doing allright. Leinster fans need to get real and enjoy where they are. Other fans only dream of winning leagues and Euro semis
Just like Munster under McGahan, Leinster’s problem is how they are doing the basics, not the flash stuff:
> Slow line speed in defence and gaps in close;
> Slow kick chase (& poor organisation)
> Passive defensive rucking
> Limited options in attack (making them easier to defend against)
> Ineffective kicking
Leinster made the breakthrough with high intensity rugby (and not champagne rugby). The minute before half time they showed how effective they could be in defence if they took this approach.
I would prefer to see Kurt McQuilkin back in the set up than Joe S, as Joe is doing quite a good job for Ireland.
There are lots of Irish coaches who could improve Leinster (Bradley would be my preference). But I think Shaun Edwards would probably make the quickest improvement.
Alan.
We may have lost a few of our talismen in the past couple of years, but there is a genuine gripe to be had. We could accept a dip in performance, but we’ve all seen how well THESE players are capable of playing. They set their own standards which we came to expect, now they’ve dropped them under MOC and seem to be just making excuses for him. Joe’s régime was built on honesty, and now there’s a lack of honesty which the supporters find distasteful.
You guys do understand that you are in a semi final right?
It’s remarkable that some fans will only be happy when their team reached their unrealistic expectations
Leinster are not as strong as a couple of seasons ago but c’est la vie its the way of things
It’s your only
job as a supporter to support them.
Then again
I’ve been a connacht supporter for the last few years so maybe I have a different perspective…
Don’t get leinster fans wrong we’re delighted to be in the semi’s but you can’t deny were lucky to be here, arguably the easiest pool and we scraped through it scoring the least amount of tries of any of the quarter finalists, we’ve lost players such as sexton, BOD, isa etc. so obviously we aren’t going to be as good as we were a few seasons ago but we still expect better than what we’re seeing, yes we’re in a semi final but there’s also a very realistic chance we won’t get into the playoffs of the rabo which simply isn’t good enough.
Reg would you accept if Conaught finished bottom of the pro 12 or would you not expect to get better year on year.
I will not accept Leinster playing poorly with no plan for the future and a seriously lack of any attacking ability in the backline.
For all the huha regarding Luke coming back we still can’t score a try with our Backline.
Mark as you said we have lost seriously great players over the past few seasons but is it not the coaches job to one plan for continuity and replace from outside if he needs to.
MOC had spent a vast amount of money replacing those players.
We signed a current aus secondrow
A current springbok to replace Isa
and a top rugby league player to play 13 not to mention The vast amount spent on a temporary deal for a winger who hardly played a game for us.
None of these players can be considered a success do far but who’s fault is that? Personally I believe it’s the coach Job to get the best from his team.
We have the best academy by a long way in our league if not Europe ( if you consider the schools system that feeds it).
He has not done his job simple as that.
Did Sean o’brien carry any ball today? If he did he didn’t do enough and that appears to be tactical….
Good win, but baths mistakes helped and a hiding awaits in the semi if the performance is similar
Sometimes he can have equal use my having 2 players mark him in defence. Plus he did an awful lot of heavy clearing out today at ruck time.
The face on Heaslip in the top picture…bemused looking to say the least.
What was the plan in the second half? Kick the ball away aimlessly and hope the opposition aren’t good enough to make you pay?
I fear it would take something like Toulon getting an early red card for Leinster to have a realistic chance in the semi
Funny enough john that was the tactic the last time we faced them, everytime we got the ball we kicked it away.
I would argue that Leinster will have a good chance because we are in a semi final with nothing to lose and with our backs to the wall. Sort of like Ireland vs All Blacks. We have a few weeks to learn from our mistakes against Bath also. Tighten up defence etc.
Here’s for hoping… We can beat Toulon, but not on the back of today’s performance. No penetration & purpose in attack. Thankfully we’ve Madigans boot.
Toulon are favourites, Leinster have to eliminate f*uckups to have a chance
Great win, as all wins at this stage of a major competition usually are, how you do it becomes incidental the win is the only answer.
All points from scrum penalties.it’s a step in the right direction albeit a small one
I think part of the problem lies with the headline. If our coach thinks that we did a “pretty good job” then we are in trouble. We played against a really poor pack at home with a big crowd in support and were hanging on at the end. We should have put 20 points on them and anything less was an underperformance.
You can’t expect to win with the old men at half back.
There’s no reason whatsoever to play Gopperth as madigan takes all the kicks from hand and tee and we could shore up our midfield with darcy at 12.
We need someone somewhere on the pitch that can defend.
We’re are the try’s gone that was such apart of Leinster game ? Same players different coach . Let’s hope they bring back their attacking game for the semi , well done on result today guys