Clare lose to experienced Dublin

CLARE ladies’ first senior football campaign since 2003 came to an end in Banagher on Saturday evening, as they gave way to a Dublin side who had an edge in experience and know-how at critical times.

In fairness to Clare, they have enjoyed a good year and they were still in this game with less than four minutes to go, before a late Dublin surge put a bit of gloss on the scoreline.
While the outcome wasn’t certain until later on, the game’s decisive period came in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Dublin, buoyed by the sin-binning of Michelle Delaney, stretched their one-point half-time lead to six.
In the opening minutes, Dublin enjoyed a little territorial dominance and Sinéad Aherne, who would cause consternation in the Clare full-back line throughout the hour, had the first point.
Marauding wing-back Michelle Delaney almost had Clare on the board in the fourth minute but her goal-bound effort drew a great stop from Cliodhna O’Connor.
While Dublin went two ahead, a nice move involving Louise Henchy and Niamh Keane ended with Henchy pointing in the sixth minute of play.
Eimear Considine was potent throughout and after a great run in which she turned her marker, Rachel Ruddy, inside out, the Kilmihil corner-forward brought Clare level.
The Banner were on a roll and Henchy got on the board again, to leave Clare ahead for the first time, 0-3 to 0-2.
It was shaping up as an even, open contest after 10 minutes and that was largely the pattern followed for the rest of the half.
While Aherne brought the Dubs level, the Clare backs were coming into the game and through defending in large numbers, they began to consistently disrupt and break up Dublin attacks.
After points from Considine and O’Dea, Clare retook the lead before a long delay arose, following an injury to Dublin full-back Noelle Comyn, who had to leave the fray.
Her injury and withdrawal ceased play from three minutes but shortly after the resumption came one of the game’s key moments.
With just under 19 minutes gone, Dublin were on the attack through Orlagh Egan. While she was faced with a wall of Clare backs close to goal, it seemed they had all managed to hold their discipline but referee Gavin Corrigan awarded a penalty. While Corrigan was well positioned, it was a puzzling decision and, for the Clare defenders, very frustrating, which was compounded when Aherne struck it firmly beyond Emma O’Driscoll.
A subsequent Dublin point put them a goal ahead but Considine levelled it in the 24th minute.
She showed a bit more cuteness than her beleaguered marker, Ruddy, and after reading the flight of a bouncing ball correctly, she ran to goal unhindered before finishing beyond O’Connor to leave it at 1-5 apiece.
Dublin would add another two points before the break, while Clare had one through Rachel Lenihan but another pivotal moment came inside the last minute of the half, with the sin-binning of Delaney.
She was banished after a lineswoman came onto the field to speak to the referee and in her absence, Dublin built up a decisive lead.
The Dubs’ last score of the half came just after her dismissal but it was in the opening minutes of the second period that they really moved through the gears.
Within a minute of resuming, Colleen Barrett and Elaine Kelly had points scored, while after 85 seconds, a four-woman move yielded another point from the boot of Gemma Fay.
A succession of three Dublin wides followed but Aherne was on target in the 36th minute, while Niamh Hurley stretched the Dublin lead to six points, 1-6 to 1-12, a minute later.
Aherne still had the beating of the Clare backs and when she got through the Clare defence in the 38th minute, she looked set to score another goal, until she was bundled over. While Dublin had been lucky to get their first penalty, they would have felt aggrieved not to have been awarded one this time around.
Six points down in a game they had approached as outsiders, Clare could have folded but they continued to battle.
After the reappearance of Delaney, Considine pointed while Niamh Keane followed it up with a score from distance, to leave the score at 1-8 to 1-12 after 10 minutes of the second half.
However, Dublin were still looking likely winners and a trio of points from Hurley, Kelly and Lyndsey Peat brought the margin back to seven.
Still Clare weren’t done and a driving Niamh O’Dea run, which she followed by driving the ball to the net, left the score at 2-8 to 1-15 with a quarter of an hour left.
After this, came a fine Eimear O’Connor point and when this was followed by one from O’Dea. The gap was just two, 2-10 to 1-15, with just over 12 minutes left.
It could have got even better for Clare, when Cliodhna O’Connor was forced to produce a fantastic save to deny Considine, with 10 minutes to go.
However, the Dubs would be the side to raise a green flag for the last time on the day, with Aherne on target with seven minutes left.
Her goal left the score at 2-10 to 2-15 and there wouldn’t be a way back for the Banner girls.
They didn’t stop trying though, with Keane and O’Dea adding points, leaving just a kick of the ball between the sides with three and a half minutes left.
But it was in these final minutes that the Dubs’ experience showed and they closed the game out really well, with three points in the closing minutes ensuring they didn’t find the finish too nervy.
On the day, Clare gave a spirited performance, and were well served by Sinéad Eustace, Sinéad Kelly, Louise Henchy, Niamh O’Dea and Eimear Considine.
The Dubs deserved the win overall and they had good performances from Gemma Fay, Colleen Barrett, Sinéad Aherne and Elaine Kelly.

Clare: Emma O’Driscoll; Sinéad Eustace (captain), Lorraine Kelly, Laurie Ryan; Michelle Delaney, Sinéad Kelly, Carmel Considine; Marie Considine, Louise Henchy; Fiona Lafferty, Niamh Keane, Eimear O’Connor; Niamh O’Dea, Rachel Lenihan, Eimear Considine.
Scorers: Eimear Considine and Niamh O’Dea (1-3) each, Louise Henchy and Niamh Keane (0-2) each, Rachel Lenihan and Eimear O’Connor (0-1) each.
Wides: 6; 45s: 1; frees for: 19.
Yellow cards: Michelle Delaney (29 mins).
Dublin: Clíodhna O’Connor; Rachel Ruddy, Noelle Comyn, Louise Kidd; Siobhán McGrath, Sorcha Furlong, Gemma Fay; Denise Masterson (captain), Colleen Barrett; Mary Nevin, Elaine Kelly, Lyndsey Peat; Orlagh Egan, Sinéad Aherne, Lyndsey Davey.
Subs: Avril Cluxton for Noelle Comyn (inj), Niamh Hurley for Orlagh Egan, Niamh McEvoy for Colleen Barrett, Amy McGuinness for Mary Nevin and Noelle Healy for Lyndsey Peat.
Scorers: Sinéad Aherne (2-4, 1 penalty), Elaine Kelly (0-4), Niamh Hurley (0-3), Colleen Barrett (0-2), Amy McGuinness (0-1f), Mary Nevin, Lyndsey Davey, Gemma Fay and Lyndsey Peat (0-1) each.
Wides: 8; 45s: 0; frees for: 16.
Yellow cards: 0.
Referee: Gavin Corrigan (Down).

A learning curve for the ladies
WHILE he doesn’t like looking for positives in defeat, Joe Garry didn’t argue with the view that it had been a pretty good year for his charges, when it was put to him shortly after Saturday’s final whistle.
“Well, I generally hate accepting that when you go out. We gave everything we had to give and with a small bit of luck, we could have nudged ahead. With Dublin’s experience, they killed the game whenever Clare got ahead,” the Clare selector said.
Garry noted that the seeds of Clare’s downfall were sowed in the early minutes of the second half and he thinks Dublin have a chance of going on to end Cork’s dominance and win the All-Ireland final.
“I think they kicked five points in the first eight or eight and a half minutes of the second half, which was crucial. That said, there was just two points in it with a few minutes to go. It’s hard to put experience on young shoulders and we couldn’t have asked for anything better. Dublin are one of the top teams in the country. They were beaten in the All-Ireland last year by a kick of a ball and they’ll rattle it again this year.
“It’s a learning curve. It’s unfortunate but they gave it everything and there’s no shame in defeat when you leave everything on the pitch.”
He questioned the decision to award Dublin their penalty.
“I thought we were hard done by with the penalty in the first half. It looked a close call and nobody from Dublin looked for it. But the referee saw one. It’s his call and unfortunately, it went against us today.”
However, he wasn’t of the view that it had cost Clare a semi-final slot. “We’ve no complaints. The girls gave it everything they had but today wasn’t our day.”
Dublin selector Tommy Brown felt that his side’s experience had been important, while he said they had expected a vigorous Clare challenge.
“In the last five minutes or so, when Clare got it back to three points, I think that’s where we showed a little bit more experience and belief.
“We didn’t expect anything less from Clare. We’d watched them in the Munster final. We saw them score 2-9 against Cork and you don’t do that unless you’ve a good team and a good inside line. We watched them last week in the qualifier and we didn’t take them lightly.
“Clare came out and gave us everything they had and we got exactly what we thought we’d get off them,” he said.