Cork 5-14
Kerry 2-17
By Anthony Newman
A FOUR-GOAL FIRST-HALF blitz saw Cork retain their TG4 Munster Senior Championship title at Mallow.
Two green flags from Libby Coppinger, along with efforts from Kaire Quirke and Ciara O’Sullivan, saw Cork in a commanding lead at half time and they needed it all after a brilliant fightback by Kerry in in the second half.
The Kingdom will also rue two missed penalties in the second half which cost them dearly in the end.
Doireann O’Sullivan opened the scoring for Cork in the first minute and she added a second from a free a minute later.
Kerry had the chance to take the lead when Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh played a superb ball to Hannah O’Donoghue but Meabh O’Sullivan saved superbly to deny her a goal.
Eimear Kiely increased Cork’s lead before they got the first goal of the final. Orlaith Cahalane played in Coppinger to give Ciara Butler no chance of saving. O’Sullivan raised another white flag, before Anna Galvin got Kerry off the mark, to make it 1-4 to 0-1 after seven minutes.
O’Sullivan added another from a free before Cork got their second goal. Cahalane and O’Sullivan were involved again for Coppinger to make it 2-5 to 0-1.
Aishling O’Connell got Kerry’s second point and Niamh Ní Chonchúir added another for them as they started to settle and come more into the game.
Ciara O’Sullivan and Lorraine Scanlon exchanged points to make it 2-6 to 0-4 after 20 minutes. Some last ditch defending by Kerry denied Cork another goal, before Cahalane raised a white flag to extend her side’s lead.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh scored from before Cork scored their third goal of the first half. Katie Quirke picked up the ball and found Ciara O’Sullivan to find the back of the net to see Cork lead 3-8 to 0-6.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh and Doireann O’Sullivan both raised white flags, but Cork weren’t letting up and just before half-time Quirke got their fourth goal to see the Rebels lead by 4-10 to 0-7 at the break.
Ní Mhuircheartaigh opened the scoring on the re-start before Kerry were awarded a penalty for a tackle on Anna Galvin. But Ní Mhuircheartaigh put it wide, having sent the keeper the wrong way.
Credit to Ní Mhuircheartaigh she didn’t let it upset her as she slotted over the next two points as the Kingdom were now dominating.
They got the goal they deserved in the 39th minute when O’Donoghue scored to make it 1-11 to 4-10.
Cork got a much-needed score when a long ball in was caught by Cahalane and she raised her side’s fifth green flag to increase their lead to 5-10 to 1-13.
With 51 minutes gone Kerry were awarded another penalty, for a tackle on O’Leary but O’Sullivan denied Ní Mhuircheartaigh with a superb save.
Fiadhna Tagney got a late goal for Kerry but by then the game was beyond them as Cork ran out deserving winners by 5-14 to 2-16.
Scorers for Cork: D O’Sullivan 0-11 (6f), L Coppinger 2-0, O Cahalane, C O’Sullivan 1-1 each, K Quirke 1-0, E Kiely 0-1.
Scorers for Kerry: L Ní Mhuircheartaigh 0-6 (4f), H O’Donoghue 1-2, F Tangney 1-0, D O’Leary 0-3, A O’Connell 0-2, A Galvin, L Scanlon, N Ní Chonchúir, L Galvin 0-1 each.
CORK: M O’Sullivan; A Ryan, E Meaney, R Phelan; M Duggan, S Kelly, S Leahy; A Healy, H Looney; L Coppinger, D O’Sullivan, E Kiely; O Cahalane, K Quirke, C O’Sullivan.
Subs: L O’Mahony for S Leahy, E Cleary for A Ryan (both 48), L Fitzgerald for L Coppinger (54), D Kiely for O Cahalane (56), D Kiniry for R Phelan (59).
KERRY: C Butler; E Lynch, K Cronin, A Dillane; A O’Connell, E Costello, C Murphy; L Scanlon, C Lynch; N Carmody, N Ní Chonchúir, A Galvin; H O’Donoghue, D O’Leary, L Ní Mhuircheartaigh.
Subs: L Galvin for A Dillane (20), A Harrington for N Carmody (48), S O’Shea for N Ní Mhuircheartaigh (54), N Broderick for A O’Connell (57).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
***
Donegal 1-10
Armagh 0-9
By Frank Craig
DONEGAL TORE UP the form book in spectacular fashion as they downed reigning champions Armagh in the TG4 Ulster SFC decider at Owenbeg.
Three weeks ago Shane McCormack’s side enjoyed a comprehensive eight-point championship win over Donegal.
However, the playing field was levelled considerably with the pre-game news that Maxi Curran had experienced duo Niamh Hegarty and Tanya Kennedy back in the mix.
Armagh opened in confident fashion when they immediately jumped two clear thanks to efforts from Eve Laverty and an Aimee Mackin free. Donegal opened their account on five minutes as Hegarty won and converted a close range free.
Still, Armagh opened up a 0-4 to 0-1 advantage by the 11th minute as Mackin registered a fine brace, one from a free and the other a brilliant solo effort where she gave both Tanya Kennedy and Katie Dowds the slip.
But Donegal, to their credit, found top gear in the second quarter as they rattled off six points on the bounce to open up a three-point lead nearing half-time. Karen Guthrie got that scoring burst under way while efforts from Hegarty (free) and Dowds levelled the contest up on 20 minutes.
Donegal took the lead for the first time shortly after when brilliant approach play from Niamh McLaughlin forged the chance for Katie Long to move Donegal onto five points.
Amy Boyle Carr followed that up with an excellent double as the underdogs went two clear verging on the midpoint. Armagh finally broke a 22-minute barren spell when Mackin converted from another free just before the break as Donegal went in 0-7 to 0-5 clear.
The second half opened with Kelly Mallon halving the deficit from a free but with Long also on target for Donegal, two remained the difference nearing the 40-minute mark.
Armagh upped the ante and consecutive points from Lauren McConville as well as replacement Caitriona O’Hagan tied matters up as the contest moved into the last quarter.
Mackin then cut a passage through the Donegal rearguard and it took a desperate and last ditch block from Emer Gallagher to prevent the Orchard dangerwoman from getting her shot off on goal.
The play was, however, called back for a foul on Mackin and having shipped a heavy knock in that subsequent coming together with Gallagher, Mackin, after a lengthy stoppage, was forced to depart the fray due to injury.
Mallon eventually converted a free to once again push Armagh to the fore at 0-9 to 0-8. Niamh Hegarty then almost found the top corner but her drive for goal was pushed onto the bar by Anna Carr.
Still, a brilliant ball from Gurthrie found Hegarty inside and she once again levelled the contest up. Nearing the final five minutes a great run from McLaughlin won a close range free which Guthrie landed to nudge her side 0-10 to 0-9 clear.
And, in the dying seconds, Donegal sealed the deal as substitute Ciara McGarvey — with her first touch — rattled the Armagh net.
Scorers for Donegal: C McGarvey 1-0, Niamh Hegarty 0-3 (2f), A Boyle Carr 0-2, Karen Guthrie 0-2 (1f), K Long 0-2, K Dowds 0-1.
Scorers for Armagh: A Mackin 0-4 (3f), K Mallon 0-2 (2f), C O’Hagan 0-1, N Coleman 0-1, Lauren McConville 0-1.
DONEGAL: C Friel; N Carr, A Temple Asoko, N McLaughlin; A Boyle Carr, K Guthrie, T Hegarty; N Hegarty, N McLaughlin; R Rodgers, K Long, K Dowds; E Gallagher, K Herron, T Kennedy.
Subs: S McGroddy for Long (50), S White for Roisin Rodgers (52), C McGarvey for Guthrie (59).
ARMAGH: A Carr; S Grey, C McCambridge, C Marley; G Ferguson, L McConville, C Towe; N Coleman, E Lavery; B Mackin, A Mackin, E Druse; N Marley, K Mallon, A McCoy.
Subs: C O’Hagan for Lavery (40), N Reel for A Mackin (46), L Kenny for N Marley (51), B Hendron for C Marley (55), T Grimes for for Drude (56).
Referee: David Hurson (Monaghan).
