Promoted Cork and Galway continue to set the pace
Lidl National Football League round-up
Compiled by John Fallon
Last season’s Lidl National League Division 2 finalists Cork and Galway continue to set the pace in the top flight of this year’s title race.
Cork remain the only unbeaten team in Division 1 and they took a huge step towards securing a place in the decider when they saw off Waterford by 1-12 to 3-5 at Páirc Uí Rinn.
They made the most of Waterford having a player sinbinned to strike 1-5 to 0-1 when they had the extra player with Aoife Healy getting the goal and Katie Quirke finishing with 0-6.
Brid McMaugh struck two goals for Waterford, who have now lost two in a row after initially setting the pace.
Galway, who defeated Cork in that Division 2 final last year, kept up their challenge with a 1-11 to 1-9 win over reigning champions Kerry in Tralee.
Leanne Coen got the goal for Galway early in the second half to extend their 0-9 to 1-4 interval lead, with Danielle O’Leary getting Kerry’s goal after 18 minutes.
Kildare gave their hopes of avoiding the drop a big boost when they ousted neighbours Meath by 4-8 to 1-10 for their first win of the campaign.
Gillian Wheeler, Mayah Doyle, Alannah Prizeman and Aoife Murnane got the goals for Kildare as Meath fell to their third defeat of the campaign.
Armagh and Dublin both badly needed a win when they clashed at the Box-It Athletic Grounds but in the end they finished 2-11 apiece and now occupy the two relegation spots with two rounds of games left.
Indeed, the relegation battle looks set to go down to the wire with just two points separating the bottom five teams — a group which includes Kerry, Meath and Dublin, the three sides to win the last nine TG4 All-Ireland senior championship titles between them.
Kelly Mallon slotted home two penalties for Armagh but Orlagh Nolan saved Dublin with a haul of 2-8, including a late equalising point.
In Division 2, Cavan strengthened their position at the head of affairs with victory over Monaghan, as Donegal and Tyrone also kept up their drive for promotion.
Cavan defeated relegation-threatened neighbours Monaghan by 2-9 to 1-9 while Donegal edged out Mayo by a point and Tyrone hit the net four times against Wexford.
In Division 3, there were wins for Fermanagh, Roscommon, Louth and Clare as Leitrim, Wicklow, Carlow and Sligo claimed Division 4 wins.
Results:
Lidl NFL Division 1
Armagh 2-11 Dublin 2-11
Cork 1-12 Waterford 3-5
Galway 1-11 Kerry 1-9
Kildare 4-8 Meath 1-10
Lidl NFL Division 2
Cavan 2-9 Monaghan 1-9
Donegal 0-9 Mayo 0-8
Tyrone 4-9 Wexford 3-8
Tipperary 3-8 Westmeath 0-8
Lidl NFL Division 3
Fermanagh 1-10 Down 2-6
Roscommon 4-4 Laois 0-12
Louth 0-15 Antrim 0-5
Clare 1-12 Limerick 1-8
Lidl NFL Division 4
Leitrim 2-12 Derry 3-8
Wicklow 1-27 Kilkenny 0-0
Carlow 4-13 Longford 0-3
Sligo 2-9 Offaly 1-7
Cork maintain unbeaten run as Quirke lands late winner
Lidl National Football League Division 1
Cork 1-12
Waterford 3-5
By Anthony Newman
Cork maintained their unbeaten run in the Lidl National Football League Division One campaign when they edged out Waterford at Páirc Ui Rinn on Saturday night.
Cork hit 1-5 to 0-1 when Waterford were down to 14 in the second half after Maeve Daly was sin-binned shortly after the restart.
But Waterford hit back and two late goals had them back on level terms, before Katie Quirke hit a late point from a free to secure the win for Cork and stretch their lead at the top of the table to four points.
Just 20 seconds in and Waterford created the first chance with Kellyann Hogan playing Chloe Fennell in, but her flick towards goal was easily saved by Sarah Murphy.
It took until the seventh minute for the first score to arrive when Grace Ní Mhurchú played Abbie O’Mahony in to point for Cork.
Waterford took the lead after 10 minutes when Brid McMaugh’s effort deceived Murphy and her looping shot ended up in the back of the net to make it 1-0 to 0-1.
Cork had a goal chance of their own a few minutes later when Rachel O’Regan played the ball across, but it was just beyond the reach of the onrushing Rachel Leahy.
Another good Cork move saw Ní Mhurchú involved again, as she set up Emma Cleary for their second point to put one between them.
Hogan scored Waterford’s first point to put her side two up again before Aine O’Neill took a quick free to point herself to see Waterford lead by 1-2 to 0-2.
Quirke opened her account after 24 minutes when she beat several defenders to point from distance.
Cork finished the half strongly with Rosie Corkery and Leahy pointing to see only one between them at half time, 1-3 to 0-5.
Cork were back on level terms in the first minute after the restart when Quirke got her second point.
Waterford were then dealt a blow when Daly was sin-binned for a tackle on Melissa Duggan.
From the free Cork worked the ball up the pitch to lead for the first time when Sadbh McGoldrick pointed, to make it 0-7 to 1-3.
That became a two-point lead when Aine O’Sullivan was quickest to react to a breaking ball from a Quirke free.
Quirke extended Cork’s lead form a free as they were making full use of the extra player.
Another from Quirke made it 0-10 to 1-3 as Cork hit five without reply early in the second half.
That soon became six without reply as Quirke pointed another free, before Cleary was unlucky not to extend the lead further when her effort came back off the post.
O’Neill got Waterford’s first point of the half, but from the restart Aoife Healy burst forward, beating several defenders to find the back of the net, to make it 1-11 to 1-4 after 45 minutes.
Credit to Waterford they responded at the other end with McMaugh getting her and her side’s second goal to put four between them, 1-11 to 2-4.
With six minutes to go that lead was down to one when Clare Walsh got Waterford’s third goal, her effort taking a slight touch off a defender to deceive Murphy as she made it 3-4 to 1-11.
A Fennel free had the sides level with three minutes to go before a Quirke free put Cork back in front.
Cork then held on to the ball for more than a minute to hang on for a deserved win on the night.
Scorers for Cork: K Quirke 0-6 (3f), A Healy 1-0, A O’Mahony, E Cleary, R Corkery, R Leahy, S McGoldrick, A O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
Waterford: B McMaugh 2-0, C Walsh 1-0, C Fennell (2f), A O’Neill 0-2 each, K Hogan 0-1.
CORK: S Murphy; M Duggan, D Kiniry, S Kelly; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Ní Mhurchú, E Cleary; R O’Regan, K Quirke, L Hallahan. Subs: A O’Sullivan for R O’Regan (ht), C Hughes for A Corcoran, M O’Callaghan for A O’Mahony (both 50), A Ring for L Hallahan (53), K Redmond for Ní Mhurchú (55).
WATERFORD: K Gardiner; C Murray, R Casey, R Browne; K McGrath, E Murray, L Mulcahy; Á O’Neill, E Power; K Murray, K Hogan, B McMaugh; C Fennell, L Cusack, M Daly. Subs: G Corcoran for K Gardiner, C Walsh for K Hogan (both 45), H McGrath for E Power (47), J Queally for M Daly (50).
Referee: Eoghan O’Neill (Kildare).
Katie Quirke’s late free sees Cork narrowly beat Waterford to stay on top of league
Cork 1-12 Waterford 3-5
Cork moved further clear at the top of the Lidl Ladies Football League Division 1 table after edging out their Munster rivals at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night.
A late Katie Quirke free separated the sides after a highly entertaining game. Cork had some impressive displays as their unbeaten run continued on their return to the top flight but Rosie Corkery was deservedly named Player of the Game afterwards.
Chloe Fennell of Waterford takes on Dara Kiniry of Cork at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: Michael P Ryan/SportsfileJust 20 seconds in and Waterford created the first chance with Kellyann Hogan playing Chloe Fennell in, but her flick towards goal was easily saved by Sarah Murphy.
Grace Ní Mhurchú had Cork’s first chance but her shot went just wide after two minutes.
It took until the seventh minute for the first score to arrive when Ní Mhurchú played Abbie O’Mahony in to point for Cork. Quirke had a chance to extend their lead but her effort under pressure went just wide.
Waterford took the lead after 10 minutes when Brid McMaugh’s effort deceived Murphy and her looping shot ended up in the back of the net to make it 1-0 to 0-1.
Cork had a goal chance of their own a few minutes later when Rachel O’Regan played the ball across, but it was just beyond the reach of the onrushing Rachel Leahy.
Another good Cork move saw Ní Mhurchú involved again, as she set up Emma Cleary for their second point to put one between them.
Hogan scored Waterford’s first point to put her side two up again before Áine O’Neill took a quick free to point herself to see Waterford lead by 1-2 to 0-2.
Quirke opened her account after 24 minutes when she beat several defenders to point from distance.
Cork had another goal chance go astray when Quirke played O’Regan in, but she mistimed her catch and the danger was cleared.
Cork finished the half strongly with Rosie Corkery and Leahy pointing to see only one between them at half time, 1-3 to 0-5.
Cork were back on level terms in the first minute after the restart when Quirke got her second point.
Waterford were then dealt a blow when Maeve Daly was sin-binned for a tackle on Melissa Duggan.
From the free Cork worked the ball up the pitch to lead for the first time when Sadbh McGoldrick pointed, to make it 0-7 to 1-3.
That became a two-point lead when Áine O’Sullivan was quickest to react to a breaking ball from a Quirke free.
Quirke extended Cork’s lead form a free as they were making full use of the extra player.
Another from Quirke made it 0-10 to 1-3 as Cork hit five without reply early in the second half.
Maeve Daly of Waterford in action against Sadbh McGoldrick of Cork at Páirc Uí Rinn. Picture: Michael P Ryan/SportsfileThat soon became six without reply as Quirke pointed another free, before Cleary was unlucky not to extend the lead further when her effort came back off the post.
O’Neill got Waterford’s first point of the half, but from the restart Aoife Healy burst forward, beating several defenders to find the back of the net, to make it 1-11 to 1-4 after 45 minutes.
Credit to Waterford they responded at the other end with McMaugh getting her and her side’s second goal to put four between them, 1-11 to 2-4.
With six minutes to go that lead was down to one when Clare Walsh got Waterford’s third goal, her effort taking a slight touch off a defender to deceive Murphy as she made it 3-4 to 1-11.
A Fennel free had the sides level with three minutes to go before a Quirke free put Cork back in front. Cork then held on to the ball for more than a minute to hang on for a deserved win on the night.
Scorers for Cork: K Quirke 0-6 (0-3 f), A Healy 1-0, A O’Mahony, E Cleary, R Corkery, R Leahy, S McGoldrick, A O’Sullivan 0-1 each.
Waterford: B McMaugh 2-0, C Walsh 1-0, C Fennell (f), A O’Neill 0-2 each, K Hogan 0-1.
CORK: S Murphy; M Duggan, D Kiniry, S Kelly; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Ní Mhurchú, E Cleary; R O’Regan, K Quirke, L Hallahan.
Subs: A O’Sullivan for R O’Regan (ht), C Hughes for A Corcoran, M O’Callaghan for A O’Mahony (both 50), A Ring for L Hallahan (53), K Redmond for Ní Mhurchú (55).
WATERFORD: K Gardiner; C Murray, R Casey, R Browne; K McGrath, E Murray, L Mulcahy; Á O’Neill, E Power; K Murray, K Hogan, B McMaugh; C Fennell, L Cusack, M Daly.
Subs: G Corcoran for K Gardiner, C Walsh for K Hogan (both 45), H McGrath for E Power (47), J Queally for M Daly (50).
Referee: Eoghan O’Neill (Kildare).
Lidl National Football League Division 1
Galway 1-11
Kerry 1-9
By Dan Kearney
Galway sealed their fourth win of their Lidl National League Division One campaign with a hard fought victory over Kerry at Austin Stack Park in Tralee in hardy winter conditions.
A goal 30 seconds into the second half by Leanne Coen made all the difference for the winners despite a stirring comeback from Kerry in the final quarter of the game.
A swirling wind favoured Kerry in the opening period where both sides did quite well even with the heavy downpour before the start of the game.
It was the visitors that settled better early with Aoife Molloy raising a white flag after two minutes following some good patient play.
Scores followed from Roisin Leonard and Aoife O’Rourke as Galway attacked with intent and purpose and certainly looked the better side early on.
Siofra O’Shea finally got Kerry off the mark in the 8th minute from a free but a flowing move involving the rampant Hannah Noone and Coen finished with Noone striking over a good score to push Galway three ahead once more.
Full forward Julia Curtin replied for Kerry in the 10th minute after Danielle O’Leary’s initial shot was blocked, and straight afterwards Rachel Dwyer slotter over to leave Kerry just a single score behind, before Andrea Trill showed fantastic pace to slot over for the visitors.
Kerry struck for the goal they craved in the 18th minute when Danielle O’Leary struck low and hard past Leah O’Halloran after a brilliant raking pass from Niamh Carmody.
Galway responded in style from Kate Slevin and the brilliant Noone, with O’Shea getting a welcome reply with another free for the hosts.
It was Galway who finished the half the stronger though with Slevin popping over her second, and Coen slotting her first, to see the maroon and white take a 0-9 to 1-4 lead in at the half time break.
Coen scored the all-important and crucial goal at the start of the second half for Galway when she showed a snipers instincts to finish after Roisin Leonard’s initial shot was blocked.
Trill and a brace of frees from O’Shea saw Galway lead by 1-10 to 1-6 with 40 minutes gone and the visitors were unlucky not to add a goal when, after a poor kick out from Mary Ellen Bolger, Roisin Leonard’s shot was saved by Bolger and Trill hit the follow-up off the post.
Kerry roared into the game from here on with Dwyer, an O’Shea free and a monster Anna Galvin point bringing them within one , but the final say of the game fell to Kate Slevin when she popped over the insurance free on the final whistle.
Scorers: Galway: L Coen 1-1, H Noone 0-2, K Slevin 0-3 (1f), A Trill 0-2, R Leonard 0-1, A Molloy 0-1, A O’Rourke 0-1.
Kerry: S O’Shea 0-5f, D O Leary 1-0, R Dwyer 0-2, J Curtin 0-1, A Galvin 0-1.
GALWAY: L O’Halloran; R Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, B Quinn; H Noone, S Divilly, A Molloy; N Divilly, A Madden; A O’Rourke, K Slevin, K Thompson; A Trill, L Coen, R Leonard. Subs: O Divilly for A O’Rourke 41, L Ward for S Divilly 43, N Ward for S Ní Loingsigh 46, L Noone for R Leonard 49, M Glynn for A Madden 59.
KERRY: M.E. Bolger; K Furey, E Lynch, D Kearney; R Rahilly, A Galvin, A Dillane; M O’Connell, C Evans; N Carmody, K Enright, R Dwyer; S O’Shea, J Curtin, D O’Leary. Subs: J Lucey for J Curtin, K Brosnan for K Furey (both h/t), N Ní Chonchúir for R Dwyer 53, M Mulvihill for C Evans 59.
Referee: Conor McCarthy (Cork).
Limerick’s search for first Ladies National Football League win goes on as Clare prevail
Limerick suffered a 1-12 to 1-8 defeat to Clare in their Division 3 fixture in Ballyhahill on Sunday
Katie Heelan was among the scorers for Limerick in their Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 3 defeat to Clare at Gerald Griffins GAA Club on Sunday
“WE SHOULD have gotten more out of the strong breeze and been further ahead at half-time,” was manager John Lynch’s take on Limerick’s senior ladies footballers falling to a fifth successive Division 3 defeat, 1-12 to 1-8, against Clare in the fifth round of the Lidl Ladies National League in Ballyhahill on Sunday.
With both sides struggling to adapt to the soft surface and squalls of rain, the Banner girls, All-Ireland Intermediate finalists just three years ago, made their greater experience of higher level competition tell during the stamina-sapping conditions of the second half to bounce back from a deficit of four points and keep their opponents’ efforts at a response at bay during the final quarter.
The outcome leaves Limerick needing victory in their final two outings against Down and Fermanagh to avoid relegation to the competition’s bottom grade but, while the results may not have been going their way, their performances have continued to improve after shipping heavy defeats in their opening games amid significant retirements over the winter and the departure of their newly-appointed manager following the opening round.
Limerick bounced out of the traps, fed Éadaoin Crowe straight from the throw-in who put them ahead with the opening score.
Despite Sophie Hennessy having to block Ella Hanrahan’s shot on goal in Clare’s first attack, Limerick continued to press forward into the opposition half for Caoimhe McGrath’s point from a free and Lucy O’Brien with a score from play to stretch their lead.
The Banner girls settled into their stride when Hanrahan sent over a free, but their finishing woes continued as Lauren Conway blasted off the upright. However, the visitors finally edged closer when Hanrahan pointed on the turn off the lay-off
Coming up to the end of the first quarter, Limerick drew a foul for Tara Geoghegan to punish and the Mungret full-forward was out of luck a minute later when her shot on the run came back off the butt of the upright.
Another goal chance then went a-begging when Orla Ryan, after jumping highest to connect with a long delivery at the edge of the square, saw her effort intercepted by Rebecca Sexton.#
Clare made the most of their escape to take over control of the middle for Theresa Collins, with a score from play, and Chloe Moloney’s free to draw level.
Coming up to break, however, the hosts found another burst of inspiration as McGrath sent over a free. Limerick’s Katie Heelan collected off the the resulting kickout being turned over to split the posts and, with the next kickout also intercepted, McGrath sent another free over to leave her side leading 0-7 to 0-4.
With the wind picking up significantly over the interval, Clare tore into the restart to make the most of its advantage and had reduced the gap back to the minimum inside two minutes as Conway and Leah Kelly found the target with points.
However, just as their momentum was moving through the gears, a Limerick breakaway found its way to Geoghegan whose cracking shot on the run in from the right scorched to the far corner of the net.
The Banner’s response was immediate, however, as a wide delivery found Moloney out on the left who looped her shot into the opposite corner of the crossbar and, after Hennessy pounced from her line to pull a point-blank save off Conway, the sides were level when Hanrahan sent over a free.
Tight Limerick marking held their opponents at bay until the three-quarter mark when a free for a breach allowed Moloney put her side ahead for the first time.
A burst of follow-up scores from Áine Slattery, Conway and Moloney’s free opened up a lead of substance before the pace of the game dropped as the subs piled on.
Limerick tried to respond but, with their range for scoring reduced due to the breeze continuing to strengthen, the home side struggled to find the target before 12 scoreless minutes ended with Moloney’s point on the run being cancelled by McGrath’s free in added time.
SCORERS: CLARE: Chloe Moloney 1-4 (0-3 frees), Ellie Hanrahan 0-3 (2 frees), Lauren Conway 0-2, Theresa Collins, Leah Kelly, Áine Slattery 0-1 each; LIMERICK: Caoimhe McGrath 0-4 (4 frees), Tara Geoghegan 1-1 (0-1 free), Éadaoin Crowe, Lucy O’Brien, Katie Heelan 0-1 each.
CLARE: Rebecca Sexton; Lucy Power, Rebecca Doohan, Shauna Melican; Lauren Conway, Joanne Doohan, Emer Bourke; Aisling Kelly, Áine Slattery; Sinéad Considine, Caoimhe Harvey, Amy Sexton; Theresa Collins, Chloe Moloney, Ellie Hanrahan. SUBS: Leah Kelly for Theresa Collins (half-time), Louise Cleary for Emer Bourke (half-time), Hannah Doyle Lucy Power (41 minutes), Ashling Crowe for Shauna Melican (43 minutes), Maria Fitzgerald for Áine Slattery (54 minutes), Sophie Culleton for Lauren Conway (57 minutes), Emer Burke for Amy Sexton (59 minutes), Orlaith Considine for Aisling Kelly (61 minutes).
LIMERICK: Sophie Hennessy; Shauna Hickey, Áine Ryan, Martha Stanley; Éadaoin Crowe, Lauren Ryan, Maedhbh McNamara; Orla Ryan, Emma Hickey; Caoimhe Macnamara, Lucy O’Brien, Katie Heelan; Laoise Browne, Tara Geoghegan, Caoimhe McGrath. SUBS: Aoife Dalton for Éadaoin Crowe, (injured, 6 minutes), Anna O’Dea for Rebecca Fitzgibbon (41 minutes), Clodagh Reale for Shona Hickey (46 minutes), Molly Creedon for Laoise Browne (46 minutes), Anna O’Dea for Caoimhe McNamara (50 minutes), Alex Russell for Martha Stanley (50 minutes), Jillian Buckley for Katie Heelan (59 minutes).
REFEREE: Colm Conway (Galway).
