Mayo pay dearly for second-half slump
Clodagh Keane scored a first-half goal for Mayo who lost by six points in Tralee on Saturday afternoon.
A game that at half-time promised so much more ended up running away on Mayo, who commenced their LGFA All-Ireland Championship with a six points defeat at the hands of the defending champions on Saturday afternoon. Kerry looked as though they might be in a spot of bother when leading by just the one point after the opening thirty minutes, considering Mayo had a significant breeze in their favour from thereon. But the Green and Red, quite unexpectedly, could score just one point in the second-half, with Kerry substitute Danielle O’Leary on her own scoring four points against the wind from play. It finished 0-13 to 1-4 in favour of the Green and Gold in Austin Stack Park.
Mayo’s long trip to Tralee had the potential of an upset when Clodagh Keane’s 13th minute goal, two points from play by Sinead Walsh and one from Hannah Reape saw them trail by just the minimum at the break, 0-7 to 1-3, with Siofra O’Shea scoring three of Kerry’s points. The introduction at the start of the second-half of midfielder Aoife Geraghty, after a long injury layoff, looked like it would give Mayo a serious injection too, but Liam McHale’s side struggled to make any sort of impact in the attacking third of the field. They were hindered by the sin-binning of Hannah Reape in the 36th minute, with the hosts landing three points during her absence.
Mayo’s only other score came when Sinead Walsh drove over a 39th minute free, with the Kingdom outscoring the visitors 0-6 to 0-1 against the breeze.
Mayo’s next game in Group 2 is on Sunday week when they host Cork. A victory will be required if they are to have a chance of quarter-final qualification.
See Tuesday’s Western People for full coverage.
Scorers – Kerry: Siofra O’Shea and Danielle O’Leary 0-4 each, Niamh Carmody 0-2, Anna Galvin, Aishling O’Connell and Katie Brosnan (f) 0-1 each.
Mayo: Clodagh Keane 1-0, Sinead Walsh 0-3 (1f), Hannah Reape 0-1.
Kerry: Mary Ellen Bolger; Eilís Lynch, Roisin Rahilly, Fay O’Donoghue; Aishling O’Connell, Emma Costello, Katie Brosnan; Mary O’Connell, Anna Galvin; Niamh Carmody, Niamh Ní Chonchúir, Caoimhe Evans; Cáit Lynch, Jadyn Lucey, Siofra O’Shea. Subs: Niamh Broderick (for Rahilly 29), Aoife Dillane and Danielle O’Leary (for Brosnan and Lynch ht), Niamh Quinn (for Lucey 50), Kayla O’Connor (for Carmody 58).
Mayo: Julia Gawalkiewicz; Lucy Wallace, Nicola O’Malley, Ciara Durkan; Danielle Caldwell, Kathryn Sullivan, Sherin El Massry; Hannah Reape, Saoirse Lally; Lynda Hanley, Sinead Walsh, Aisling Flanagan; Erin Murray, Clodagh Keane, Chelsea Doherty. Subs: Aoife Geraghty (for El Massry ht), Ciara Whyte and Ava McDonnell (for Flanagan and Doherty 42), Ella Brennan (for Wallace 48), Annie Gough (for Reape 52).
REF: Jonathan Murphy (Kerry)
