Mayo surrender pride of the province to bitter rivals
Fionnuala McLaughlin on the attack for Mayo as Galway’s Kate Geraghty gives chase. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Liam McHale predicted in this newspaper last week that the final of the Connacht ladies senior football championship would be decided in a 15-minute period in the second-half. It turned out the Mayo manager was right and he was wrong. Where McHale expected the final quarter to be decisive (“What we’re planning, and I’m sure Galway are planning, that’s it’s going to be won in the last 15 minutes), the winning – or losing, depending on your standpoint – of last Sunday’s game was actually in the 15 minutes immediately after half-time.
The teams had ended the first-half in deadlock at 0-6 apiece having been level on no fewer than five occasions but no one could have foreseen just how significant a moment when Galway goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower had excellently kept out a Mayo goal chance three minutes into the new half.
Both teams were still in search of their opening score of the second period when a superbly worked move by Mayo, one where they worked particularly hard to break through Galway’s high press, saw Aoife Geraghty, Fionnuala McLaughlin, half-time substitute Allanah Fitzpatrick and Lisa Cafferky link up to prise open a hole in the Galway defence. McLaughlin got back on the end of the move and looked set to burst the net but her shot was parried to safety by Gower. By the time Mayo eventually raised their first flag of the half, in the 49th minute, Galway had moved five points clear. It was a gap the Green and Red never really looked like closing, and while they did manage to reduce their arrears to two points with a minute or so remaining, Andrea Trill’s goal in Galway’s final attack assured that the Tribeswomen regained the TG4 Connacht senior ladies football championship.
Nicola Ward, Chellene Trill and Leanne Coen all had a hand in the sweeping counterattacking move that saw Andrea Trill finish past Mayo ‘keeper Laura Brennan at the second attempt, in an annual joust between these provincial rivals that certainly didn’t disappoint. Mayo’s one year reign as champions had come to an end.
Galway had opened the scoring inside 20 seconds thanks to Emma Reaney, after the returning Louise Ward charged down the centre following the throw-in. Mayo responded immediately through Lisa Cafferky and in the fourth minute, her sister Sinead’s strike from distance made it 0-2 to 0-1.
Galway struggled for long stretches of the first-half to break down their opponents and when they did, some of their shooting left a little to be desired. Roisin Leonard missed three dead ball shots but equalised off-the-ground on nine minutes making it 0-2 apiece.
A foul on Sinead Cafferky allowed Maria Cannon to put Liam McHale’s team back in front from a free but Leanne Coen restored parity within 60 seconds after which Leonard, this time from play, finished a move started by a quality Ailbhe Davoren catch in defence and which saw Emma Reaney supply the final pass to the scorer.
The game was tied once more in the 16th minute when Mayo centre-back Ciara Durkan pushed up to get on the end of some good work by Aoife Staunton and Lisa Cafferky to supply Sinead Cafferky who split the posts. This began Mayo’s best spell as they soon moved two points ahead, with Sinead Cafferky’s diagonal ball, after some exceptionally patient build-up play by Mayo, finding Aoife Staunton who guided over from tight on the right, after which Lisa Cafferky scored from a similar position to leave the scoreboard reading 0-6 to 0-4 after 23 minutes. Little was anyone to know that Mayo wouldn’t score for another 26 minutes during which time Galway struck seven points.
The Maroon and White gained some control again by concluding the first-half with two points, Shauna Hynes picking off the first thanks to a Reaney assist, and Leonard hitting another free off the turf, to leave it 0-6 apiece at the break.
The hot weather was a factor and it was Galway, and in particular Olivia Divilly, who drove them on the scoreboard while Nicola Ward’s runs were decisive in carving up the Mayo defence. That said, when Galway struck a trio of wides either side of the interval, with Leonard also short from a free, it suggested the title was certainly there for Mayo’s retaining – but Gower’s save from McLaughlin’s goal attempt on 33 minutes was to prove a major turning point.
Divilly got two points, either side of a Nicola Ward score, to make it 0-9 to 0-6 before Ailish Morrissey, who had just been sprung from the bench, marked her return with a 43rd minute point. One by team captain Ailbhe Davoren then put Galway five ahead with just 12 minutes left to play.
Three Lisa Cafferky frees in the space of just four minutes did put defending champions Mayo back in contention but Daniel Moynihan’s Galway team still led 0-11 to 0-9 entering the final minute, with Trill’s late green flag removing all doubt as to the outcome.
Scorers – Galway: Olivia Divilly 0-3, Roisin Leonard 0-3 (2f), Andrea Trill 1-0, Nicola Ward, Shauna Hynes, Emma Reaney, Leanne Coen and Ailish Morrissey 0-1 each.
Mayo: Lisa Cafferky 0-5 (3f), Sinead Cafferky 0-2, Maria Cannon (f) and Aoife Staunton 0-1 each.
Galway: Dearbhla Gower; Kate Geraghty, Sarah Lynch, Maryanne Jordan; Charlene Cooney, Nicola Ward, Chellene Trill; Mairead Glynn, Louise Ward; Shauna Hynes, Ailbhe Davoren, Leanne Coen; Emma Reaney, Roisin Leonard, Olivia Divilly. Subs: Aoife Ni Cheallaigh (for Cooney 33), Ailish Morrissey (for Reaney 41), Niamh Divilly (for Hynes 44), Andrea Trill (for Leonard (56), Maebh Walsh (for Glynn 60).
Mayo: Laura Brennan; Saoirse Lally, Nicola O’Malley, Kathryn Sullivan; Eilis Ronayne, Ciara Durkan, Danielle Caldwell; Aoife Geraghty, Erin Murray; Fionnuala McLaughlin, Ciara Needham, Sinead Cafferky; Aoife Staunton, Maria Cannon, Lisa Cafferky. Subs: Alannah Fitzpatrick (for Sullivan ht), Fiona McHale (for Cannon 41), Hannah Reape (for Geraghty 43), Emma Needham (for C Needham 46), Maria Reilly (for Staunton 50).
REF: Aaron Clogher (Roscommon)
