Brennan gives Tipp’ top display for Green and Red
Mayo’s Maria Reilly is surrounded by Tipperary players during last Sunday's Division 2 clash at Swinford Amenity Park. Pictures: David Farrell Photography
It will not be a game that lives long in the memory but should this victory help propel Mayo to a league final next month, then little else will matter.
The words slog and dogfight come to mind about this contest in Swinford Amenity Park last Sunday as Mayo, who were nowhere near the best by any means, had enough to see of a stubborn Tipperary – but it was not without a scare or two along the way.
Diane O’Hora’s side were five clear with ten minutes of normal time to play but Tipperary refused to go away. The dead-ball prowess of Emma Morrissey got them back to within three when she was denied what looked a near-certain goal by goalkeeper Laura Brennan, who showed brilliant reflexes to palm her strike onto the crossbar.
After a Heather Spillane point made it a two-point game, the Premier County had a chance to win it in the final action of the game. Emma Morrissey had a free from just over 20 metres out and went for goal, but Brennan was equal to it again and all Mayo supporters around the ground were able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The Green and Red were not at the pace of the game whatsoever in the early period. Tipperary had all of the possession and were 0-2 to 0-0 up inside six minutes thanks to Hannah Spillane and Emma Morrissey’s first free of the afternoon.
Mayo themselves didn’t register their first attempt until the eighth minute, a Maria Reilly attempt that went wide, before Kayla Doherty, a late addition to the starting lineup in place of MacHale Rovers clubmate Sinead Walsh, fisted over Mayo’s first point on ten minutes.
Doherty would bring Mayo level on 13 minutes but while the home side were seeing more of the ball, the work-rate and defensive Tipp unit saw Mayo struggle to create much.
Likewise, Mayo’s own backline was solid, with Danielle Caldwell, Ciara Needham and Eilis Ronayne in fine form and it was the deep run from the latter that helped create the score to put Mayo in front, as she set up Needham for the point.
Ciara’s twin sister, Tara, was unfortunate not to add a point herself, when her effort came back off the post, but Doherty’s second free saw Mayo lead 0-4 to 0-2 at the break.
Mayo started the second-half well, with excellent scores from Maria Reilly and Tara Needham opening up a four-point gap while Tipperary struggled in front of the posts. Lauren Cunningham got the visitors first point of the second-half on 43 minutes, but Mayo’s four-point advantage was restored three minutes later as Doherty punished a Tipperary three-up breach with a simple free in front of the posts.
Reilly’s second point of the half stretched it out to five and it looked like Mayo were easing to victory, but some poor wides left the door ajar. Tipperary were back to within three thanks to a pair of Morrissey frees but Aoife Geraghty’s point, coming off the back of Mayo’s best move in the game, looked to have finally ended their resistance.
Tipperary continued to fight but the brilliance of Brennan in the Mayo goal saw the Green and Red claim an unconvincing, but nonetheless valuable, win.
