LONGFORD SLASHERS AND Mullihahone of Tipperary will contest the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland intermediate club championship final at Croke Park.
Reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) and Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) will face off in the historic senior showpiece at HQ on Saturday, 10 December, with Slashers and Mullinahone doing battle beforehand.
The currentaccount.ie All-Ireland junior club championship final will be played the following day, venue TBC. It will be a Cork-Galway showdown, after Naomh Abán and Salthill-Knocknacarra came through their respective semi-final battles today.
Here’s a run-through the games:
Longford Slashers 1-11
Charlestown 0-10
Kate Shannon popped up with 1-2 to help Longford Slashers through to their first-ever All-Ireland intermediate club championship final after victory over Charlestown this afternoon.
Shannon’s all-important goal in the 39th minute made the difference in a game where Slashers had plenty of goal opportunities.
Deirdre Doherty was magnificent once again for Charlestown, kicking all 10 of her team’s scores. However, she was unable to stop Slashers from making history on home soil.
The hosts wasted no time in putting their foot down, with wing-back Orla Nevin blazing a shot narrowly over the bar after only 14 seconds.
Kate Shannon doubled their lead in the fifth minute before Charlestown got off the mark through a Doherty free.
Some dogged Slashers defending made life difficult for Charlestown, who struggled to make any headway up front.
The home side added further scores through a Grace Shannon free, Jessica Barry (two) before captain Aisling Cosgrave shot them four points in front.
In total, the hosts missed three goal chances and should have been out of reach by half-time.
Indeed, Slashers could have hit the net twice in a minute when Kara Shannon drew a save from Julia Gawalkiewicz after a big ball in from Jessica Barry.
A bad kick-out from Gawalkiewicz straight to Kyana Lee nearly ended up in the net when Aisling Cosgrave’s chip attempt bounced narrowly wide.
What should have been an 11-point lead was narrowed back to two by Charlestown’s inspirational full-forward Doherty, who brought the curtain down on the first half with a massive point off her left boot.
The second half began brightly for Slashers, with Grace Shannon and Jessica Barry sharing three points.
Doherty had the scores back at three before Charlestown midfielder Katie Gavin saw yellow for a high challenge. Slashers punished her dismissal when Kate Shannon crashed in a goal a minute later to put the Longford champions six points up.
Despite losing Mayo panellist Ella Brennan to a yellow in the 50th minute, Charlestown were still able to edge their way back within four points. However, it simply wasn’t enough to stop a Longford Slashers side who now look forward to an All-Ireland final.
Scorers for Longford Slashers: Kate Shannon 1-2 (1f), J Barry 0-4 (3f), G Shannon 0-2, Kara Shannon, O Nevin, A Cosgrave 0-1 each
Scorers for Charlestown: D Doherty 0-10 (6f).
LONGFORD SLASHERS: E Casey; L Kenny, E Reilly, G Kenny; O Nevin, E O’Brien, C Farrell; A O’Brien, A Cosgrove; L Nolan, G Shannon, K Lee; Kate Shannon, J Barry, Kara Shannon. Subs: J Glennon for Lee (54), G O’Donnell for Farrell (62).
CHARLESTOWN: J Gawalkiewicz; C Murphy, L O’Donnell, H Johnson; E Brennan, N Meehan, E O’Donnell; K Gavin, C Durkan; S Mahon, C Doherty, N McGovern; K O’Donohue, D Doherty, J O’Donnell. Subs: L O’Toole for Gavin (57), E Walsh for Murphy (57) M Casey of E O’Donnell (60).
Mullinahone 2-6
Derrygonnelly 1-7
(After extra-time)
Lorraine O’Shea scored a late goal in the second half of extra-time to book Mullinahone a place in the All-Ireland intermediate club championship final after victory over Derrygonnelly in John Locke Park, Callan, Kilkenny.
The sides were nip for tuck right throughout the game. Derrygonnelly got off to a nervy start and Mullinahone made the most of it, with two frees from Lorraine O’Shea giving the Tipperary champions an early advantage.
Eimear Smyth tagged on a free with 22 minutes played to get Derrygonnelly up and running. She later chipped in with a great score from distance after a dazzling run to level the sides.
Derrygonnelly, brimming with confidence, then struck for the net, late in the half. Eimear Smyth drove up the pitch from deep and she flicked the ball across to her sister Bronagh Smyth who fired low to the bottom corner, to give the Ulster champions a 1-2 to 0-2 lead at half time.
Their lead was short-lived though and just two minutes into the second half, Mullinahone captain Molly Walsh palmed the ball into the back of the Derrygonnelly net to level the game.
Eimear Smyth, Lorraine O’Shea and Lauren Dowling then traded scores for their sides and the game was level heading into added-time.
Derrygonnelly did have two late chances, but two successive frees from Eimear Smyth deflected off the post, sending the game into extra-time.
Emma Burns, Aoibhe O’Shea and Lynne Carroll got on the scoresheet in the first half of extra-time, with Derrygonnelly leading by one point, 1-6 to 1-5, at the break.
Derrygonnelly continued to dominate in the second half of extra-time but the momentum eventually swung back in Mullinahone’s favour and they finished the stronger, with a late 1-1 from Lorraine O’Shea sealing the Munster champions a place in the Croke Park decider.
Scorers for Mullinahone: L O’Shea 1-4 (3f), M Walsh 1-0, L Dowling 0-1, A O’Shea 0-1.
Scorers for Derrygonnelly: E Smyth 0-5 (3f), B Smyth 1-0, E Burns 0-1, L Carroll 0-1.
MULLINAHONE: A Browning; E Horan, G Horan, A O’Brien; E Cody, M Walsh, J Brett; N Shelly, L Dowling; D Gaule, L O’Shea, A O’Shea; C Gunn, M Kenneally, K Egan. Subs: L White for Gaule (53).
DERRYGONNELLY: M Maguire; N Smyth, A Gordon, C Leonard; B Bannon, D Duffy, E Cassidy; E Burns, R Wallace; N Jones, SJ Jones, A Jones; K Elliott, B Smyth, E Smyth. Subs: E Cassidy for Elliott (46), Lynne Carroll for N Jones (60).
Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).
🏆2022 @currentacc_ie All-Ireland Club Finals
— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) November 27, 2022
Sat December 10 @CrokePark
Inter: @LDSlashersGAA v @mullinahonegaa - 3pm
Senior: @LadiesDmoyne v @KClgfa - 5pm
Sun Dec 11 TBC
Junior: @NaomhAbanGAA v @skgaa #LGFAClub @ConnachtLGFA @LeinsterLGFA @MunsterLGFA @UlsterLadies pic.twitter.com/iKNoW0f3Ao
Allanagh Hoare scored 0-3 from play as Naomh Abán marched on following their 0-12 to 0-7 win over Castleblaney Faughs at Páirc Íosagáin, Ballyvourney.
Grace Murphy also chipped in with 0-3 from frees for the Munster champions, who go on to face Salthill-Knocknacarra in the decider on Sunday, 11 December, venue TBC.
It was Kate Thompson who stepped up with the winning score two minutes from time as the Galwegians edged out O’Dwyers of Dublin on a scoreline of 1-7 to 1-6 at the Prairie in Salthill.
It was a day of contrasting weather conditions as blue skies and the sun greeted the teams during the opening 30 minutes before the clouds burst, the wind intensified, and the rain drenched the players.
Salthill-Knocknacarra kicked 19 wides over the hour and they will need to address that before the decider.
Scorers for Naomh Abán: G Murphy (3f), A Hoare 0-3 each, L McDonagh (1f), A Maher 0-2 each, A McDonagh, G Lucey 0-1 each.
Scorers for Castleblaney Faughs: J McQuillan 0-3 (3f), A Donnelly 0-2, H Hughes, O Maguire 0-1 each.
NAOMH ABÁN: L Hughes; U Twohig, M Dineen, A Creedon; E Kelly, R Corkery, M E Kelliher; A McDonagh, G Lucey; A Hoare, E Murphy, C Phelan; A Maher, L McDonagh, G Murphy. Subs: J Kelly for E Murphy (56), C Murphy for Kelliher (57).
CASTLEBLANEY FAUGHS: R Treanor; L Connolly, S Brady, A Leonard; H Hughes, E Heavin, S McKenna; E Ruddin, O Maguire; G Hanratty, A McCooey, S Moloney; A Connolly, J McQuillan, C Farrell. Subs: A Donnelly for Moloney (33), A Donaghy for Hanratty (43).
Referee: Patrick Smith (Waterford).
Scorers for Salthill-Knocknacarra: L O’Donnell 1-1, L Kelly 0-3 (1f), K Thompson 0-3.
Scorers for O’Dwyers: S Richardson 1-1, E Kearney 0-2, A Kelly 0-2, K McCabe 0-1.
SALTHILL-KNOCKNACARRA: L Carroll; O De Bairead, E Madden, A Mullen; S Donnellan, S Divilly, R Reddington; Z Rather, A Finnerty; L Kelly, L O’Donnell, K Thompson; D O’Connell, A Manley, A Nash. Subs: E Joyce for Nash (44).
O’DWYERS: N Kirby; A Breathnach, E Byrne, A Gibbons; C Johnston, L Marry, H O’Rourke; E Kearney, A Curran; I McLean, A Kelly, J Kehoe; C Munson, S Richardson, K McCabe.
Referee: Mel Kenny (Mayo).
- reporting by Oisín McGovern, Mark McGoldrick, Anthony Newman and Darren Kelly for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association.
