This article is from page 57 of the 2011-11-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 57 JPG
St Fla nna n’s College 5-7 St Ma r y’s Nenagh 4-10 at Fr Mur phy Memor ia l Pa r k, Newma r ket -on-Fer gus THE GAMES keep coming thick and fast but St Flannan’s continue to find the answers. Take this game as a prime example. Less than 24 hours earlier, ten of the side played in the Munster Colleges Senior B Ladies Football Quarter-Final but still had the stamina to pick off the last four points on Saturday and force a replay in this encounter.
That’s a remarkable resilience from a group of girls who refused to throw in the towel at any stage and in the overall analysis, they fully deserved another bite of the cherry.
In what was a compelling contest throughout, the Ennis college led by five points as late as the 34th minute after hitting five goals in a 17 minute period.
Nenagh had started the brighter with freetaker Brid Quinn converting three out of their first four points by the 12th minute to take a three point advantage. However, once St Flannan’s settled with Aoibheann Malone’s superb opportunist goal at the turn of the opening quarter, they quickly gathered momentum.
Tara Kennedy immediately replied with a goal for the Tipperary side but St Flannan’s were unpeturbed and after 1-1 from captain Niki Kaiser, they added further goals by the 30th minute from Sinead O’Keeffe and Rachel Mulcaire, whose lineball deflected off a defender’s hurley past her own goalkeeeper.
That gave St Flannan’s a 4-2 to 16 cushion but they were to be reeled in once more in injury-time when Kennedy again found space to bat to the net and cut the interval deficit to two.
St Flannan’s restored their five point advantage just after the break when another deflection helped Niki Kaiser’s shot find the net but that was as good as it got for the home side.
Instead, Nenagh found another gear and after hitting 1-3 without reply by the 40th minute to take the lead, a fourth goal in the 47th minute from Sarah Cunneen seemed to have knocked the heart out of St Flannan’s challenge.
Nenagh must have thought so as well as Brid Quinn chose to put a penalty over the bar in the 50th minute to build up a four point advantage instead of going for the jugular.
However, somehow, defying the odds and their previous footballing exploits in Limerick, Flannan’s rallied. With Aoife Keane constantly controlling the half-back line, Niki Kaiser an inevitable threat and Orla Devitt constantly driving at the Nenagh defence, they began to up the ante once more and slowly the lead began to topple.
Niki Kaiser (2) and Devitt slashed the deficit to just a point by the 61st minute before substitute Lauren McGuane teed up Kaiser for a worthy equaliser in the 62nd minute.
It wasn’t over yet as Brid Quinn, Nenagh’s most impressive performer made one last driving run up the field but her shot was repelled by goalkeeper Suzy O’Shea to save the day.
While relief was the overriding feeling leaving Newmarket, the fixture congestion doesn’t get any easier for St Flannan’s this week as they prepare for their football semi-final before having to replay this game next Saturday in Nenagh at 2pm.
St Flannan’s College
Suzy O’Shea (Ballyea), Chloe McAleer (Kilmaley), Clodagh Lawlor (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Claire McMahon (Éire Óg), Sinead Quinn (Kilnamona), Aoife Keane (Kilnamona), Rae AliceWall (Éire Óg), Rachel Mulcaire (Newmarket-on-Fergus) (1-0),Alanna O’Brien (Éire Óg), Orla Devitt (Éire Óg) (0-1),Aoibheann Malone (Corofin) (1-0), Kate O’Neill (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Shaunagh O’Brien (Éíre Óg), Sinead O’Keeffe (Kilmaley) (1-0), Niki Kaiser (Newmarket-on-Fergus) (Capt) (2-6 4f, 1’45)
Subs
Rebecca Crowe (Ruan) for McAleer (24 mins), Lauren McGuane (Kilmaley) for Wall (40 mins), LaurenTuohy (Clarecastle) for S. O’Brien (56 mins, inj)
St Mary’s Nenagh
Ciara Holohan (Buress-Duharra), Rachel Kennedy (Silvermines), Roisin Ryan (Moneygall), MaryWalsh (Kilruane), Paula Kelly (Silvermines),Aislin Cremin (Burgess-Duharra),Alanah Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg), Caoimhe Maher (Burgess-Duharra) (0-1), Leah McKeogh (Portroe), Ciara McGrath (Nenagh Éíre Óg) (0-1), Brid Quinn (Silvermines) (0-7 6f, 1 Pen), Sarah Cunneen (Silvermines) (Capt.) (1-0),Aileen Duggan (Nenagh Éire Óg) (1-0),Tara Kennedy (Burgess-Duharra) (2-0), Claire Kearns (Burgess-Duharra) (0-1)
Player of the Game
Aoife Keane (St Flannan’s College) Referee Donie Browne (Limerick)