Carnacon bring Swinford/Killasser to a Halt
Carnacon's Emma Halton tries to get past Swinford-Killasser's Sarah McCallion during the AbbVie Mayo LIFC game in Clogher. Picture: Conor McKeown
Carnacon, the former powerhouse of Mayo football at senior level, began life in the Intermediate ranks, with a solid display and took the two championship points on offer in the opening weekend of this year’s race.
While the team may have lost players like Michelle McGing and Cora Staunton, and Saoirse Walshe out with injury, along with Fiona McHale taking a break after a tough campaign with Mayo this year, the Clogher-based club still managed to deliver one of their best performances in recent years to comfortably see off the challenge of last year’s junior ‘A’ title winners.
Credit to Swinford-Killasser, however. They really put it up to the six-time All-Ireland senior champions, but once Emma Halton goaled seven minutes after the restart to go six clear, the challenge of the east Mayo side dropped, and the home side ran out comfortable winners in the end.
“The result is the most pleasing aspect,” a happy Carnacon manager Danny O’Toole outlined to the Western People afterwards. “Any day you get a win like this in championship football is very pleasing. Some of our transitional play and some of the scores we took were excellent.
“I just said to them there a few minutes ago in the dressing-room, since I came to this club, that is probably the most complete performance they have had.
“Of course, a little bit more detail goes into focusing on the opposition when championship comes around, who we are playing, who we task for match-up, etc, that is slightly different to the league games, but the biggest thing for us here today is that every single one of our girls in that dressing-room should be really proud, because some of the things they did out there today were incredible.
“Our foundation was built on energy, work-rate and desire because I couldn’t fault any one of them. They left their hearts out there, and that’s all you can ask of any team,” O’Toole added.
Light mist fell throughout most of the early morning throw-in, and very little separated the sides throughout the opening half with Carnacon leading by two, 1-7 to 0-8, at the interval. Excellent play by Amy Dowling sent Niamh Flannery through on goal, and she didn’t disappoint as the full-forward finished to the net for the halves only goal in the 13th minute.
Louise Dowling kicked three of her side's points from play while Amy Dowling also added three, two from play and a free, with goal-getter Flannery getting the other two for her side.
Swinford-Killasser had their own stars at the opposite end with full-forward Sarah Rowley getting four points in total, two frees and two from play, with the hardworking Ella Gallagher getting two from play playing at midfield, while Claudine Brennan and Emily Gavin got one each.
Their challenge was not helped, however, when joint-captain Niamh Casey received a black card for a high challenge and spent ten minutes on the sideline. The third quarter saw this game virtually wrapped up, as Carnacon hit home 2-3 without any reply, or very little at the other end, to open a gap that would never be threatened.
So much talk off the field this year has been about the arrival to Carnacon of centre-forward Emma Halton, who transferred from Cavan this year, and to say she has slotted right in would be an understatement. The inter-county footballer was superb throughout and accounted for both of her side's two early second-half goals and later, twelve minutes from time, completed her hat-trick, all excellent strikes to the roof of the opposing net from quite a distance out.
Amy Dowling was also splendid and kicked four points from play in the second half, with Flannery and Louise Dowling both getting another each to cap a great day’s work.
“The amount of young players that are coming through here full of emerging talent, along with a couple of 16-year-olds and there must be ten minors on our panel, is very pleasing. Last year was a disappointment but I have to say the future of Carnacon is bright, I have no doubt,” concluded O’Toole afterwards.
Scorers - Carnacon: Emma Halton 3-0-0, Amy Dowling 0-0-7 (1f), Niamh Flannery 1-0-2, Louise Dowling 0-0-4.
Swinford-Killasser: Sarah Rowley and Emily Gavin 0-0-4 (2f) each, Ella Gallagher 0-0-3 (1f), Claudine Brennan 0-0-2.
Carnacon: Lisa Nally; Eabha Donnelly, Anna Heaney, Melissa McGing; Shauna Heneghan, Maria Keane, Leanne Durkan; Hannah Prendergast, Emma Halton; Ciara Cosgrave, Amy Dowling, Ellen Joyce; Karen Cosgrave, Niamh Flannery, Louise Dowling.
Subs: Doireann Hughes (for Joyce 44), Tara Keane and Alisha McLoughlin (for Donnelly and Keane 55), Grace Coyne (for Flannery 58), Holly Donovan (for K. Cosgrove 59).
Swinford-Killasser: Aoife Groarke; Sarah McCallion, Mairead Henry, Rachel Gill; Emily Rowley, Laura McLoughlin, Lucy Doherty; Ella Gallagher, Claudine Brennan; Rhona Brennan, Melissa Devaney, Niamh Casey; Emily Gavin, Sarah Rowley, Lucy Loftus. Subs: Saoirse Dunne and Rachel Mullaney (for Henry and Loftus 40).
REF: Ger Canny (Kilmaine)
