Congratulations to the St. James Gaels Ladies Team who won the Dublin Ladies Junior E Championship in Balgriffen recently. The win is just reward for the hard work and excellent spirit in the team who have been ably coached by Dave Ryan this season.
See match report and photo of Cora McCabe below.
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Despite a whirlwind start by Craobh Chiaráin in which they scored 1-1 in the first two minutes of play, St. James’ Gaels gradually got to grips with this game and led by eleven points at half time. They kicked for goal whenever the opportunity arose and scored 1-12 in twenty-eight minutes of play. They also kicked seven wides in the process.
They kept the Donnycarney side pinned in their own half for a large portion of the first thirty minutes allowing them only an occasional foray into attack during that time.
Yet for all that three goal chances presented themselves for Craobh Chiaráin in the final ten minutes of play that if scored would have reduced the deficit significantly. One of these efforts from Tammy Murphy was touched onto the bar by goalkeeper, Tracey Doyle and the Gaels defence scrambled it away to safety. The goalkeeper must have delighted with this safe for in the first minute of play she allowed a shot from Carleen McCann to slip through her fingers and into the net for Craobh Chiaráin’s first goal.
Once midfielders Cora McCabe and Ann Sheridan got to grips with the game, ably supported by the halfback line of Brid O Donnell, Eva Campion and Ann Stamp who surged forward at every opportunity, it looked like there would be only one outcome.
Half forwards Diana Markom and Fiona O Rourke had their kicking boots and contributed six points during the course of the game. However, it was full forward, Catriona Fitzgerald, who really put the opposition to the sword with a clinical display of finishing notching up 1-5 in that first half.
Craobh Chiaráin never gave up and generated four good chances of scoring in the closing ten minutes, three of which were goal chances , but came away empty-handed each time.
At half time the Gaels led by 1-12 to 1-1 having missed a penalty in the eleventh minute when Lisa Dempsey hit the post with her effort and it rebounded to safety.
Craobh Chiaráin had no choice but start in a similar vein to the first half and they didn’t disappoint. Midfielders, Michelle O Driscoll and Sharon O Toole who took the game to St. James’ Gaels at every opportunity in the first half, started the second half like they meant business. They were ably helped by sub Sarah Murray and corner forward, Tammy Murphy. The scores didn’t materialise, however, rather the wides.
Instead it was Gaels full forward, Fitzgerald who registered the first point of the second half in the fourth minute. Only one point was scored by Craobh Chiaráin during an eight-minute period of domination which was kicked by Elizabeth Bennett in the sixth minute.
Gaels lifted the siege and they scored four unanswered point between the ninth and thirteenth minutes to stretch the lead to an insurmountable fifteen points.
But credit the Donnycarney side they never gave up. Tracey Doyle was forced into another great save from Sharon O Toole after their best combined move of the day but the end result was a wide.
They were finally rewarded for their efforts when full forward Nikita Moriarity neatly tucked away a penalty after twenty-one minutes. This was quickly followed by an O Toole point which had the deficit down to eleven points. A goal from a Michelle O Driscoll free in the twenty-ninth minute put a better outlook on the scoreboard but it was too little, too late.
The point-taking ability of the Gaels forwards was the major difference between the sides. Craobh Chiaráin never lacked heart but their failure to win possession off any of their kick-outs in the first half proved their undoing.
The Gaels took most of their opportunities and set their opponents an almost impossible task for the second half.
Final Score - St. James’ Gaels 1-19 Craobh Chiaráin 3-3.
Player of the Match - Catriona Fitzgerald, St. James’ Gaels.
Referee - Sean Hayes, Raheny.
St. James’ Gaels - T. Doyle, E. Mohan, C. Sheridan, N. Cox, B. O Donnell, E. Campion, A. Stamp, C. McCabe, A. Sheridan, D. Markom, A. Dempsey, F. O Fourke, L. Duignan, C. Fitzgerald, L. Dempsey. Subs - A. Flanagan for E. Mohan and P. Riordan for L. Duignan. Craobh Chiaráin - P. Hetherton, J. Poole, R. Doyle, K. Kerins, S. Ryan, S. Kelly, C. Cullen, S. O Toole, (0-2), M. O Driscoll, (1-0), C.McCann, (1-0), E. Grouse, E. Bennett, (0-1), T. Murphy, N. Moriarity, (1-0), M. Ryan.
Subs - S. McCann for M. Ryan, S. Murray for J. Poole and S. Smith for E. Grouse.