Mungret St Paul's became the third Limerick team to win the All-Ireland Junior Ladies Football Championship Title
Mungret St Paul’s (Limerick) 0-12
Na Dúnaibh (Donegal) 0-4
Mungret St Paul’s top scorer Gráinne McKenna said the foundation for their superb AIB All-Ireland JFC club title was laid in the opening half when they were playing against the breeze at Parnell Park.
The Limerick champions led by two points at the interval and never looked back when they had the wind behind them after the restart.
“Getting that good start was very, very important,” said McKenna. “Being against the breeze too, there was going to be a big risk of them kicking scores easily when they were playing with it.
“So we had to kind of go at it, because there’s no point in sitting back and just defending when we’re against the breeze. We just have to go at it. It’s just 30 minutes and a half, it’s not a whole pile of time. You can’t just sit back and watch, you just have to go at it. Thank God we did and it worked well for us.”
Barney Curran, the Na Dúnaibh joint manager, said they knew they would be up against it but gave it everything they had.
“We’ve no complaints. We were beaten by a better team on the day. Everyone in the wee parish is bursting with pride for this wee group of girls. I’m just heartbroken for them. We’ve no qualms about it, Mungret were the better team on the day,” said Curran.
McKenna and Jayne Casey landed nine points between them to send the Limerick side on their way to victory.
Mungret reinforced their authority on the resumption with both Casey and McKenna increasing their personal tallies.
Industrious wing-forward Aoife Morrissey also got in on the scoring act, before McKenna and Casey once again raised white flags to leave Mungret eight points in front with just 13 minutes remaining on the clock and the outcome was never in doubt from there to the end with Na Dúnaibh, who missed a penalty, unable to close the gap.
Bennekerry/Tinryland Take Historic AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Football Club Title at Croke Park
Bennekerry/Tinryland (Carlow) 2-10
Annaghdown (Galway) 1-7
Lauren Dwyer said she was hopeful that Bennekerry/Tinryland would deal with the pressure of being the first side from Carlow to reach an All-Ireland LGFA club final and she is just delighted that they produced the goods at Croke Park.
Dwyer shot 0-4 as Bennekerry/Tinryland saw off former champions Annaghdown to make history and claim the AIB All-Ireland IFC title at Croke Park.
“When you’re coming into an All-Ireland final and you’re playing in Croke Park, playing in the biggest Gaelic grounds in Ireland, everyone is going to be nervous,” said Dwyer.
“But I think we took it in our stride. We got on the ball and when we got on the ball, we made sure our first pass was a good pass. Everyone is unreal at football, they’re so comfortable on the ball.
“We’re a fit team and we knew we could go all the way to the end. We’ve players that can come on and do the job for us. It’s not just 15 players that start. It’s the people that are on the bench, it’s the people that are finishing. We know what we’re capable of and I’m just so glad we got over the line.”
Kilkerrin-Clonberne Win Over Dublin Side in a Tight Scoreline
Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 0-13
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 0-9
Kilkerrin-Clonberne manager Willie Ward said there is an insatiable desire within the squad as the Galway champions pushed on to claim their fourth consecutive AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Championship title.
The holders were pushed all the way by a Kilmacud Crokes side appearing in their first final but in the end Ward’s charges found a way to win an exciting contest at Croke Park.
“Our ability to mind the ball probably makes an awful difference in games,” said Ward. “Particularly coming towards the end of a game when we’ve established a lead. We’re very good on the ball and very good at just not giving the opposition opportunities into the game.
“They just love to prove that they’re the best all the time and they just love to win. When you come to Croke Park, this is our third time here, why wouldn’t you want to come here? Why wouldn’t you want to win here and why wouldn’t you give absolutely everything you’ve got when you are here? That’s the way they are.
“They want to get back here, no matter how we think at the beginning of the year when we start training, I’d imagine in their heads they’re thinking ‘we want to get back to the club All-Ireland final again this year’. That has been every year now for the last three years since we won our first one.”
Kilmacud Crokes manager Paddy O’Donoghue acknowledged that the reigning champions held an edge once they got in front.
While Crokes did their level best to forge a late fightback Kilkerrin-Clonberne – for whom TG4 Senior Players’ Player of the Year Nicola Ward was once again an influential presence – dug deep to hold onto their crown for a fourth successive season.
They are only the second side to do that, with Waterford champions Ballymacabry completing seven in a row in 1995.
