National title for U-14s

Clare 3-10   Sligo 1-5

THE Clare U-14 lady footballers have brought home the county’s second All-Ireland title in three years when they secured a convincing win over Sligo at Kilkerrin-Clonbern GAA grounds last Saturday.

The panel, which has been on the go since last September, includes a strong contingent of U-13s, who have contributed in both the championship and the All-Ireland U-14 blitz during the year. Once Clare shrugged off a second quarter Sligo resurgence, they were to control the game for the duration and claim the C crown.
Clare got off to a dream start, thanks to midfield domination in the first 10 minutes by co-captain Katie Considine and Jennifer Markham. They had three points on the board inside the fifth minute courtesy of Cliodhna Blake (2) and Alex Potter.
A strong Sligo centre-field put some lovely passages of play together and eventually levelled with a fine goal after 10 minutes. Clare’s Considine led the next attack with a point of her own from midfield and started another great passage of play that saw player of the match, Cliodhna Blake, rocket in a goal for her third score in 15 minutes.
Co-captain Chloe Moloney reinforced a determined Clare attack with a goal of her own at the start of the third quarter and working well with co-captain Considine and Caoimhe Harvey pointed again to open a nine-point gap at the start of the second quarter 2-6 to 1-0.
Inevitably, Sligo were to respond to the Clare barrage and did so by mounting a four-point offensive that had Clare reeling for a five minute spell. A strong Sligo forward section then kicked into action. The Banner County’s Áine Murphy, Bríd Foran, Ronya Bauman, Rebecca Doohan and Teresa O’Keeffe were under severe pressure from possibly the best opposition they have met this year and, despite an immense work rate in the first half, had no answer during this turbulent spell.
Some excellent performances from the aforementioned eventually broke the siege but it was Melican’s move to midfield that injected the forward momentum that saw the ball go through Considine and Harvey to sharpshooter, Aisling Meaney. Meaney’s important top-drawer goal before the break restored an eight-point cushion and delivered the killer punch from which Sligo would not recover.
Aoibhe King was also very industrious having a goal shot blocked down by the Sligo goalie, Emma Healey, and a goal disallowed for a perceived high boot. When Paul Fahy (Roscommon) called for the ball, it was Clare 3-6 to Sligo’s 1-4 at half-time.
An assured Clare team returned to the field with a great sense of urgency to kill off the game and this they duly did. Caoimhe Harvey’s long-range shot was deflected over the bar in the first minute by Sligo’s custodian Healy. Some sterling work in midfield by Melican and Considine and backed up by half-backs Rebecca Doohan, Bríd Foran and Jennifer Markham, saw Clare pen in Sligo behind their own 45-yard line for a 15-minute spell.
Chloe Moloney dominated the proceedings in this period and added three strong points (one free) to the Clare cause forcing a 12-point gap between the finalists. Second-half substitutions, Ciara Grogan in defence and forwards Chlodagh Larkin, Sharon Egan and Aishling Rouine, brought fresh legs to the fight and continued forward pressure kept Sligo out of the Clare danger zone with several narrow misses by Rouine and Egan.
A defiant Sligo pointed in the last score of the game just before Paul Fahy called proceedings to a halt with Clare taking the inaugural U-14C cup for Clare and Munster on a scoreline of 3-10 to 1-5.
Despite leaking scores in the first 20 minutes, Clare’s attitude to attacking football imposed thirteen scores to Sligo’s six. Ciara Coughlan in the Clare goals had a relatively quiet days’ outing but Coughlan and the Clare defence has been instrumental in safeguarding the Banner County throughout the campaign.
An initially shy forward section has been improving continually but all forwards have delivered in the lead-up games to the All-Ireland final. Co-captains Chloe Moloney and Katie Considine lifted the cup for Clare and Cliodhna Blake received her second player of the game award this year, including the Munster final.

Clare panel: Áine Murphy, Bríd Foran, Shauna Melican, Caoimhe Harvey, Patricia Foran (West Clare Gaels); Ronya Baumann (Shannon Gaels); Katie Considine (co-capt), Aislinn Rouine (Liscannor); Chlodagh Larkin (Kilrush), Rebecca Doohan, Chloe Moloney (co-capt), Aoibhe King, Áine Cunningham (Kilmurry Ibrickane); Ciara Coughlan, Sharon Egan, Catriona O’Gorman (Kilmihil), Áine McSweeney (Fergus Rovers), Aislinn Meaney, Alex Potter, Mia Hanrahan (Doora/Barefield), Cliona Blake (Doonbeg), Alice O’Donnell, Ciara Grogan (Clooney-Quin), Teresa O’Keeffe, Jennifer Markham, Nicole Talty, Andrea O’Keeffe, Sinead Power (Banner Ladies).
Management: Alan Copley, Johnny Hayes, Steve McMinn), Patsy Grogan.