Clare ladies qualify for league final

Clare   5-13    Wicklow   2-12
ALTHOUGH they were slow to start in last Saturday’s NFL Division 3 semi-final in Templetuohy, the Clare ladies senior football team eventually eased to a final meeting with Fermanagh in Parnell Park at 1.45pm on Saturday, April 30.

After just 16 minutes, Wicklow led 1-5 to 0-4 and it looked as if Clare would have a major task to defeat the girls from the East coast. Centre-forward Niamh Kelly scored 1-2 for the Leinster team in that spell.
Clare settled down after their porous start and lead 1-9 to 0-5 at half-time. Eimear Considine scored the first of her two goals in the opening half, while Niamh Keane, Louise Henchy and Niamh O’Dea added points.
Niamh O’Dea and Colette Corry netted for Clare, who ran into a 3-13 to 1-11 second-half lead before Eimear Considine and Katie Geoghegan added further goals. Wicklow’s second goal from Caolifhoinn Deeney was scored in injury time.
Laurie Ryan, Niamh Keane, Louise Woods, Colette Corry, Eimear O’Connor, Niamh O’Dea and Eimear Conisidne all played well for Clare.
Team manager David O’Brien told The Clare Champion that the panel felt some pressure before the game as the winners would be guaranteed promotion, whatever the result in the league final.
“There was a good bit of pressure on us going into the game because we said all year that we had to get out of Division 3. It wasn’t about doing well in the league or using the league. We felt that the minimum requirement was to be a Division 2 team at the end of the league,” the Miltown publican said.
“Everything we had done up to last Saturday meant nothing if we didn’t win. There was probably a little bit of nerves at the start but once they settled down we just took over,” he added.
While the league final won’t be as pressurised as the semi-final, O’Brien said Clare will still be very keen to win in two weeks’ time. The final will be a repeat of the 2009 All-Ireland intermediate final in Croke Park.
“Any competition that you enter you try and win it, although the real goal has been achieved. No one wants to go into the championship on the back of a defeat. We have a good record going this year. We haven’t lost yet and it would be nice to keep that going,” he said. The final will be screened live on TG4.
Aside from the league final, Clare’s next big game will be against Cork in the Munster championship on June 18.
Clare: Emma O’Driscoll (Banner Ladies); Clare Hester (Fergus Rovers), Lorraine Kelly (Fergus Rovers), Laurie Ryan (Banner Ladies); Eimear O’Connor (Coolmeen), Róisín McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Louise Woods (0-1) (Banner Ladies); Marie Considine (Liscannor), Louise Henchy (0-2) (Banner Ladies); Colette Corry (1-0) (Shannon Gaels), Niamh Keane, captain, (0-3) (Banner Ladies), Naomi Carroll (0-1) (Banner Ladies); Eimear Considine (2-1) (Kilmihil), Niamh O’Dea (1-5, 3f) (Banner Ladies), Sarah Bohannon (Shannon Gaels).
Subs: Carmel Considine (Liscannor) for Colette Corry, Katie Geoghegan (1-0) (West Clare Gaels) for Naomi Carroll, Carol O’Leary (Newmarket) for Sarah Bohannon and Grace Lynch (Coolmeen) for Lorraine Kelly.
Wicklow: Emer Miley; Aoife Heffernan, Caitríona Byrne, Lisa Brady; Sarah Miley, Caitriona McKeon, Niamh Kelly; Caolifhoinn Deeney, Loretta Gilbert; Amie Byrne, Niamh Carroll, Eadaoine Lenihan; Laurie Ahern, Jackie Kinch, Lucy Mulhall.
Subs used: S Hogan, J Miley, AM Doran, M Shelley and C Byrne.
Referee: Richard O’Connor (Tipperary).