No Capital gains as champs are too strong for Mayo
Lisa Cafferky of Mayo takes on Dublin's Leah Caffrey of Dublin during last Sunday's All-Ireland opener at Parnell Park in Dublin. Pictures: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Mayo will need to beat Kildare next weekend to keep their All-Ireland title aspirations alive, after an eight-point opening round defeat away to Dublin last Sunday afternoon.
Liam McHale’s charges had 70% of the possession in the opening half but ultimately failed to convert this to the scores required, as an experienced Dublin side, who have contested seven of the last eight All-Ireland finals, winning five, dug in to claim victory.
The sides were well balanced in the opening stages on the scoreboard, and indeed after 11 minutes the game was tied at 0-2 apiece.
Dublin had drawn first blood through a Hannah Tyrrell pointed free after 90 seconds and it wasn’t until the fifth minute that the visitors got off the mark, when Erin Murray fired a fine score from play.
Indeed good work from the likes of Annie Gough at this stage saw Mayo really matching it with their Dublin counterparts.
Mayo kept pressing and a fine pass from Aoife Staunton finished with Lisa Cafferky converting a fine score from play – the first of her three points over the hour.
Mayo held a 0-2 to 0-1 lead at this stage and were looking good but amazingly they wouldn’t score again for 38 minutes, as Dublin controlled the scoreboard.
Orlagh Nolan fired wide for Dublin before Carla Rowe grabbed an equaliser in the 11th minute. Dublin then went in search of a goal but Nicola O’Malley stood tall in defence for Mayo.
A wind assisted Dublin kept pressing, with the likes of Ciara Durkan withstanding the pressure, and Dublin were held scoreless for nine minutes before Lauren Magee broke the deadlock.
Mayo weren’t without the ball and indeed held onto possession with a laborious move over a three and a half minute spell in the second quarter, but ultimately it came to nothing, as Dublin closed out the half with points from Tyrrell and Rowe, to claim a 0-5 to 0-2 interval lead.
The Mayo management introduced Fionnuala McLaughlin in place of Erin Murray for the second-half and the visitors were certainly eager from the throw-in. However, their early efforts came to nothing, with a Maria Cannon fourth minute effort among their chances, but the Burrishoole forward saw her shot fly wide of the target.
Annie Gough and Kathryn Sullivan were among those showing well for the Green and Red, but in attack the scores just weren’t coming.
A 39th minute Lisa Cafferky effort rebounded off the upright before a brace of Dublin subs, Niamh Crowley and Nicole Owen, were introduced to help solidify the home side’s challenge.
It wasn’t long before the hosts grabbed the only goal of the hour. Kate Sullivan and Caoimhe O’Connor were initially involved before Carla Rowe palmed to the net for the opening score of the second-half, handing Dublin a 1-5 to 0-2 lead.
There were calls that Rowe was in the square, and television pictures showed that she was, but ultimately the score stood after referee Patrick Walsh consulted with his umpires.
Dublin fired wide before Sinead Walsh saw a point effort fisted out by Dublin goalkeeper Abby Shiels and Mayo had to regroup once again.
Tyrrell and Olwen Carey added Dublin points before Maria Cannon eventually broke Mayo’s duck 13 minutes from the end, after a well won free by the energetic substitute Saoirse Delaney.
Mayo had some missed chances for scores from the likes of Walsh and Delaney, but did claim two of the last four points as Lisa Cafferky added a brace, with Lauren Magee and Olwen Carey on target for Dublin.
The hosts finished the game with 14 players after Lauren Magee was yellow carded, but it mattered little – coming just 58 seconds from the end – as her side began their All-Ireland defence with a win.
Scorers – Dublin: Carla Rowe 1-2 (0-1f), Hannah Tyrrell 0-3 (2f), Lauren Magee and Olwen Carey 0-2 each, Sinead Goldrick 0-1.
Mayo: Lisa Cafferky 0-3, Erin Murray and Maria Cannon (f) 0-1 each.
Dublin: Abby Shiels; Olwen Carey, Leah Caffrey, Niamh Donlon; Lauren Magee, Martha Byrne, Sinead Goldrick; Jennifer Dunne, Grace Kós; Caoimhe O’Connor, Carla Rowe, Orlagh Nolan; Niamh Hetherton, Hannah Tyrrell, Kate Sullivan. Subs: Niamh Crowley and Nicole Owens (for Donlon and Kós 40), Ellen Gribben (for Nolan 50), Chloe Darby (for Rowe 51), Aoife Kane (for Goldrick 54).
Mayo: Laura Brennan; Saoirse Lally, Nicola O’Malley, Kathryn Sullivan; Éilís Ronayne, Ciara Durkan, Danielle Caldwell; Aoife Geraghty, Erin Murray; Annie Gough, Ciara Needham, Fiona McHale; Aoife Staunton, Maria Cannon, Lisa Cafferky. Subs: Sinead Walsh (for Needham 19), Fionnuala McLaughlin (for Murray ht), Saoirse Delaney (for Staunton 46), Maria Reilly (for McHale 51), Alana Fitzpatrick (for Sullivan 54).
REF: Patrick Smith (Waterford)
