Defiant Westport thwarted by KC in the sunshine
Westport’s Laura Moran tries to get passed Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s Sarah Gormally during the Connacht LGFA Final. Pictures: Conor McKeown
Kilkerrin/Clonberne have won their seventh consecutive Connacht title after defeating a spirited Westport side on Sunday afternoon.
The scoreline did not reflect the game that played out in Swinford Amenity Park, where at times it looked as though Westport may overthrow the champions. Pop Geraghty's side were within two points in the second half but Kilkerrin/Clonberne ’s experience ultimately came to the fore.
The teams exchanged scores in the opening minutes before Eva Noone kicked three points without reply. Westport's Sarah Mulroy was tasked with picking up Galway star Olivia Divilly, nullifying her influence throughout the 60 minutes.
Laura Moran kicked a second point for the Mayo champions before the Tribeswomen kicked five superb points without reply. By the 15-minute mark, the reigning champions had created a seven-point lead but Westport refused to give up that early. The teams kicked a point each before Westport entered their own purple patch, holding Kilkerrin/Clonberne scoreless, while kicking three points of their own through Lisa Tully, Aoife Staunton, and Laura Moran.
One regret Westport may have will be the three missed goal opportunities in the first half, but Kilkerrin/Clonberne goalkeeper Lisa Murphy made some superb saves. The Galway, Connacht and All-Ireland champions closed out the first half with a free from Olivia Divilly to leave the scoreboard reading 0-11 to 0-6 in favour of Kilkerrin/Clonberne at the interval.
The second period began at a blistering pace and the Galway side had an early goal chance from the throw-in. But from an excellent save by Roisin Scott, Westport broke at pace. After some excellent play from Aoife Staunton to Laura Moran, Moran rattled the back of the net clawing the game back to two points.
Westport were playing the better football, but Kilkerrin/Clonberne kept the scoreboard ticking over, with a point each from Eva Noone and Chloe Miskell kept the Mayo side at an arms length. As the atmosphere was building, Laura Moran responded with her fifth point of the day.
With 43 minutes played, Kilkerrin/Clonberne captain Louise Ward was shown a yellow card, and it seemed as though the All-Ireland champions may be on the ropes. Sherin El Massry kicked her first point of the game to bring the gap to two, but it was also Westport's last.
Kilkerrin/Clonberne made life difficult for Westport, dropping 13 behind the ball during every Westport attack and turning the ball over almost every time. Ailish Morrisey raised a white flag for the Tribeswomen before player of the match Nicola Ward scored her first point of the game.
The game became a cagey affair as both teams defended tenaciously, but it was Kilkerrin/Clonberne who were coming out on top. Eva Noone kicked her sixth point of the day to give the Galway champions a five point lead.
Westport were beginning to push numbers forward in hopes of a comeback but left their defence open and Kilkerrin/Clonberne capitalised. Eva Noone made an excellent 30-metre run and fired the ball into the back of the net to secure victory. The Galway star kicked one final point to continue Kilkerrin/Clonberne’s quest for their fourth consecutive All-Ireland title.
Speaking after the game, Westport manager Pop Geraghty said: “We are bitterly disappointed to lose the game. I don’t think the nine-point loss was a reflection of the game. We really did believe coming in that we could cause an upset.
“We were within two or three points of them when they got the yellow card, that was really an opportunity for us to push on, but maybe their bit of experience and game management just came to the fore. That is probably something we need to take away, learn from, and look to get better at going forward.”
It has been an extremely successful year for Westport, who won their first ever senior county title. Reflecting on this Geraghty said, “We have just had a load of joy and enjoyment. We’ve put a lot of work in, but we’ve had some great days out along the way.
“I think the belief in us as a group, the character we have and the resilience is something that we will take on next year, two years down the line, ten years down the line and that belief and resilience, if we continue with that, anything is possible.”
