ANOTHER YEAR OF Ladies GAA action has finished and although Cork remain at the summit of the football division, there was some freshness on the camogie scene. Kilkenny ended a 22-year drought with a clinical display in the All-Ireland senior camogie final.
Elsewhere, Cora Staunton thrived in a Mayo jersey again but their wait for a return to Croke Park rolls on for another year. Dublin’s Foxrock Cabinteely qualified for their first All-Ireland senior club final, there was the bizarre Ladyball campaign and the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) secured a €1.5m deal with Lidl.
There was a fine array of skill and scores throughout the season and here’s a selection of some of the best scores from 2016.
Doireann O’Sullivan (Cork) – Crucial Points in the All-Ireland final
The Ladies senior football final was largely a dour affair. Not too dissimilar from the 2015 decider, it was a war of attrition between both sides, with Dublin holding a slender one-point lead at half-time in soggy conditions.
In typical fashion, Cork resurrected after the break and went on to clinch their sixth consecutive All-Ireland crown. Doireann O’Sullivan kicked three critical points as part of Cork’s surge, one of them a long-range effort off her right boot.
Niamh Keane (Clare) – All-Ireland semi-final goal
The Clare ladies football team qualified for their first TG4 All-Ireland ladies intermediate football final since 2009. The penultimate stage against Tipperary produced a stunning goal from Clare half-forward Niamh Keane in the second half.
Keane rifled a shot into the roof of the net and saw it bounce back out off the post inside the net, such was the power of her shot. Skip to just after the four-minute mark to see the play unfold.
The Wexford hurlers scored a similar goal earlier this year, when their keeper Mark Fanning hit a penalty off the back stanchion of the goal against Offaly in their senior Hurling Championship qualifier clash. The umpires on that occasion however, were not as quick to spot the legitimate goal, ruling that the sliotar hit off the crossbar instead.
Sinead Aherne seals a spot in the All-Ireland final for Dublin
Dublin have been chasing that elusive Brendan Martin Cup since they last captured it in 2010. They’ve played in three All-Ireland finals since then, including this year. They say getting to a final is harder than winning one and Dublin were full value for their All-Ireland semi-final victory against Mayo which was settled by a last-minute Sinead Aherne free. The St Sylvester’s club player was in lethal form during that August fixture, tallying up a tasty 2-06 for her efforts.
But the free from an acute angle in Kingspan Breffni Park was the decisive score that put Dublin on the right side of a 2-10 1-12 scoreline with nothing left on the clock.
Shelly Farrell (Kilkenny) – Wonder goal in the All-Ireland camogie final
It was a sweet victory for Ann Downey’s Kilkenny in the 2016 All-Ireland camogie final, ending a two decade wait for the O’Duffy Cup. Leading by four points with 20 minutes remaining, the Kilkenny challengers launched up the pitch using some fine intricate play to deliver the ball into the paw of Shelly Farrell. Farrell, sister of Kilkenny senior Jonjo, shot on the turn to send it crashing into the top corner of the net and put her side on the way to glory.
Rhona Ní Bhuachalla (Cork) – All-Ireland goal
The Cork super-sub delivered a crucial goal for her side in this year’s All-Ireland final.
The move began with captain Ciara O’Sullivan careering up the pitch closely followed by Dublin’s Sinead Finnegan. She then delivered the ball into the substitute who glided her shot along the carpet to give keeper Ciara Trant no hope of getting to it.
Tracey Leonard (Galway) – Goal against Monaghan in the National League
Galway and Monaghan met in the opening round of the Division 1 National League with Tracey Leonard hitting an early goal directly from the throw-in. Leonard collected an incoming pass before offloading to her cousin Roisin to allow her race through the cover and wait for the ball to be floated in.
With the left boot, Leonard placed her shot perfectly into the top corner without much fuss. (Skip to 0.30 to see the goal)
Aimee Mackin (Armagh) – Goal for Shane O’Neill’s in the All-Ireland Intermediate club final.
Sisters Aimee and Blaithín Mackin scored all the goals for Armagh club Shane O’Neill’s in this year’s All-Ireland Intermediate club final against Annaghdown of Galway. Armagh forward Aimee put the first two in the net and both were equally superb.
The first one was the end product of a beautifully struck long-range pass and after collecting the ball, she unleashed a bullet on the turn, which finished up in the top corner of the net.
Minutes later, she had her second goal after a free out of defence was kicked short, allowing Mackin to chip up the ball on the run and hit it low and hard past the keeper.
Blaithín’s effort arrived in the second half but despite the quality of all three goals, they were defeated by the Galway champions.
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