WHILE MOURNEABBEY WERE basking in the glory of their second consecutive All-Ireland senior club crown, they surely spared a thought or two for Kilkerrin-Clonberne.
A last-gasp point in the dying seconds from Laura Fitzgerald broke the hearts of the first-time finalists, and it’s a feeling the Cork kingpins know all too well.
In 2014, they contested their first final themselves and were edged out.
Defeats in the showpiece followed in 2015 and 2017, with a semi-final loss in between in 2016. Last year, they finally put the hurt and heartbreak to bed in their fifth stab at the elusive Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.
A fierce battle at Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds on Saturday looked like it was headed for a replay, with much of the action tit-for-tat. But Mourneabbey stood up tallest with less than 20 seconds on the clock, and reached the Holy Grail once more.
“We were hanging on for a draw there,” manager Shane Ronayne, who has been at the helm since their 2014 breakthrough, said afterwards. “We won the ball from the throw ball and we just got one break and got the ball to Laura.
“It is an unbelievable way to win it but a horrible way to lose it. My heart goes out to Kilkerrin-Clonberne. We have been there, we know what it’s like to lose a final.
“They will be hurt for a long time but they can come again. My heart does go out to them. I knew they would put I up to us and go toe to toe with us. They are a great club, I have great respect for them and great admiration for what they do.”
Humble in victory, gracious in defeat.
Led by now 36-year-old and Galway’s 2004 All-Ireland-winning captain, Annette Clarke, alongside captain and 2019 All-Star Louise Ward, and Galway ace Olivia Divilly, Kilkerrin-Clonberne were so close, yet so far, in their first All-Ireland senior final.
Having made it fourth time lucky at the last four stage — they had been beaten by Mourneabbey in 2018 and 2015, and Termon in 2014 — the six-in-a-row Galway champions and back-to-back Connacht winners fell just short at the death.
The most horrible way to lose.
“We’re absolutely devastated to lose it in the manner we did,” their boss, Kevin Reidy, said afterwards. “A point with 10 or 15 seconds to go… it’s cruel but that’s sport and we just have to suck it up.
“They are a top class team and you have to admire them as well. They stuck at it right to the death. I couldn’t be prouder of our girls and the way they tried for 60 minutes. I am very, very proud now.
“I am bitterly disappointed but very proud of them.”
Elsewhere over the weekend, Offaly’s Naomh Ciarán produced a brilliant comeback to lift the intermediate crown, while Donoughmore of Cork landed the junior title after a masterclass from Rena Buckley.
- with reporting from Ivan Smith for the Ladies Gaelic Football Association
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