A Bridge too far for spirited Shamrocks side

St Mary's Rochfortbridge 2-15, Mullingar Shamrocks 2-8

On a miserable Thursday night in Rochfortbridge, the home side showed Mullingar Shamrocks a clean pair of heels to win handsomely, if somewhat flatteringly, in what can only be described as a deluge of biblical proportions. It is a credit to both sides that any good football was played in the prevailing conditions.

In truth, it was St Mary’s who made better use of their possession and created more scoring chances, which ultimately saw them prevail against a defiant but outplayed Mullingar side, who battled right to the bitter end. The game saw periods of shifting domination, but Rochfortbridge used their ascendancy more wisely, scoring at crucial times and punishing every Shamrocks aberration, which was the telling factor in a wind and rain-affected game.

Ayesha Roche and Emma Collins got the Bridge off to the perfect start with early points. After an Anna Jones free got Shamrocks on the board, Megan Brick added a free, and Ava Balfe extended the home side’s lead as they dominated the opening quarter.

Shamrocks then hit a purple patch, with another Jones free and a superb score from Karen Hegarty. Chloe Smullen was on the end of a superb Shamrocks move to slam the ball into the net, briefly putting the Mullingar girls ahead.

Momentum swung again, with Aoife Brady scoring the point of the half before Collins netted a brilliant goal for the Saints.

Points from Kacey Geoghegan from long range and Niamh McDermott, capitalising on a sloppy turnover from Shamrocks, saw Rochfortbridge lead by four. Shamrocks responded just before the break with the impressive Smullen adding to her tally with a fine team score and Jones finishing the first half scoring with an individual effort. Still, they trailed 1-5 to 1-7 at the short whistle after an eventful first half.

Jones and McDermott exchanged excellent points on the resumption before Karen Hegarty netted a stunning goal that rattled the roof of the net, moving Shamrocks ahead again. However, they would not score again for a full 11 minutes.

During this period, points from Geoghegan, Balfe, and two Megan Brick frees restored a handsome Rochfortbridge advantage.

The game was defined by a second Saints goal from Aoife Brady, who started and finished a wonderful move to put clear daylight between the sides. Shamrocks refused to lie down, and two Anna Jones frees brought them back into contention, but they could not maintain the momentum. It was St Mary’s who finished strongly, with Brick adding two more frees and Geoghegan her third of the game, putting the tie beyond doubt even with 10 minutes to go. The last moments saw a series of turnovers from both sides as the weather and light deteriorated rapidly. After a raft of substitutions, it was St Mary’s who ran out winners in what was an enjoyable game despite the unplayable conditions at times.

Scorers - St Mary’s: Megan Brick 0-5 (all frees), Emma Collins and Aoife Brady 1-1 each, Kacey Geoghegan 0-3, Niamh McDermott and Ava Balfe 0-2 each, Ayesha Roche 0-1 Mullingar Shamrocks: Anna Jones 0-6 (4 frees), Chloe Smullen and Karen Hegarty 1-1 each

St Mary’s: Dawn Wallace, Becky Scally, Amy Cully, Lisa Flanagan, Orla Collins, Aoife Brady, Lucy Brogan, Fiona Coyle, Niamh McDermott, Kacey Geoghegan, Ayesha Roche, Michaela Brady, Ava Balfe, Emma Collins Subs: Catriona Dunne for Emma Collins (41 mins), Jen Judge for Orla Collins (48 mins), Niamh Carey for Michaela Brady (57 mins)

Mullingar Shamrocks: Katie Kelly, Siobhan O’Donnell, Sophie Hegarty, Susanna Buckley, Mairead Newman, Sinead Sweeney, Rachel Cheevers, Anna Jones, Zara Corroon, Chloe Smullen, Emma Morris, Grace Daly, Karen Hegarty, Chloe Swarbrigg Subs: Jasmine Haugh for Sophie Hegarty (HT), Holly McCormack for Karen Hegarty (51 mins), Jenna Kelly for Sweeney (55 mins), Karen Hegarty for Corroon (48 mins), Niamh Raeside for Newman, Seodin Thornton for Buckley, Aideen Langtry for Daly (59 mins)

Referee: Paul McCaughey (Milltown).