Goals the key as Killucan ladies edge past Coralstown/Kinnegad

Buckley’s SuperValu Westmeath Ladies’ Intermediate Football Championship final: Killucan 4-5, Coralstown Kinnegad 1-10

Gerry Buckley reports

Four well-taken goals scored between the second and 33rd minutes enabled the Killucan ladies to edge past neighbours Coralstown/Kinnegad in what was a very entertaining Westmeath intermediate football final played in pleasant conditions at Lakepoint Park last Saturday afternoon.

After a minute’s silence had been observed in memory of the victims of the Creeslough tragedy the previous day, Amhrán na bhFiann was played over the tannoy before the ball was thrown in by referee Paul McCaughey.

The scores came thick and fast right from the off, Therese Murray neatly putting the girls in red ahead after just 20 seconds. A little over a minute later, a clever interception by Méadbh Monaghan teed up Caoimhe McCrossan for a Killucan goal. Remarkably, Kiara Giles pounced for a three-pointer at the other end shortly after the ensuing kick-out.

Aisling Doyle responded with yet another goal, putting Killucan into a lead they would never relinquish. Cailín Raleigh added a point, despite stumbling as she shot, before Amelia Shaw picked out Monaghan who soloed goalward and duly found the net, leaving the winners ahead by 3-1 to 1-1 at the end of the opening quarter.

A brace of great points from the boots of Aoife O’Malley and Maria Kelly respectively increased the lead for Andrew Sheerin’s troops, but a hat-trick of unanswered points by Giles – all from frees – before the break kept the losers in contention. The scoreboard at the interval read: Killucan 3-3 Coralstown/Kinnegad 1-4.

Very early in the second moiety, Raleigh had a ‘goal’ disallowed for an earlier ‘throw ball’, but there was to be no denying Aoife Boyle in the 33rd minute, the captain neatly side-footing the ball past Becky Carney.

Ella Cooney’s rasping shot came back off the crossbar at the other end, but the Coralstown/Kinnegad ladies were undaunted and they went on to score six points without reply between the 39th and 54th minutes, with substitute Tori Coyne regularly catching the eye. The white flags were raised by Murray (three – the first two of them from frees), Giles (a free), sub Sinéad Murtagh, and Shannon Lyons.

The gap was now just two points (4-3 to 1-10), but Monaghan steadied the nerves of the saffron and white-clad outfit by converting a 55th-minute free. Carney then did very well to keep out a goalbound shot from Killucan sub Faye Dunne.

Raleigh slotted over an insurance point from a free on the hour mark, and there was no further scoring in the five-plus minutes of injury-time played.

After the game, the chairperson of the Westmeath Ladies Football Board, Geraldine Giles, presented the Mary Wynne Cup to the winning captain Aoife Boyle, and the player of the match award to Fiona Leavy.

Scorers – Killucan: M Monaghan 1-1 (0-1f), A Boyle, C McCrossan and A Doyle 1-0 each, C Raleigh 0-2 (1f), A O’Malley and M Kelly 0-1 each. Coralstown/Kinnegad: K Giles 1-4 (0-4f), T Murray 0-4 (2f), S Murtagh and S Lyons 0-1.

Killucan: Aoife O’Donnell; Mary Dunne, Caoimhe Brady, Jade McKeogh; Rachel Darby, Fiona Leavy, Aisling Keogh; Aoife O’Malley, Caoimhe McCrossan; Aoife Boyle, Maria Kelly, Aisling Doyle; Cailín Raleigh, Amelia Shaw, Méadbh Monaghan. Subs used: Faye Dunne for A Doyle (h-t), Cathy Doyle for Boyle (44), Hannah Borthwick for C Doyle (56), Meghan Carroll for Darby (56).

Coralstown/Kinnegad: Becky Carney; Áine Brannock, Amie Giles, Tally Claffey; Laura Lyons, Donna Kiernan, Aileen Murtagh; Marie Cooney, Aileen Brannock; Claire Taaffe, Shannon Lyons, Elle Cooney; Mia McDonald, Therese Murray, Kiara Giles. Subs used: Tori Coyne for L Lyons (36), Sinéad Murtagh for K Giles (inj., 36), Kiara Giles for McDonald (43), Chloe Carney for Á Brannock (46), Emer Fogarty for E Cooney (59).

Ref: Paul McCaughey (Milltown).