Naomh Abán 4-6
O’Donovan Rossa 1-10
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
O’DONOVAN Rossa’s dreams of winning the 2022 Cork LGFA JAFC county title were dashed by goal-hungry Naomh Abán at MTU Cork.
Two goals in each half saw the winners race to glory, as Gráinne Lucey and Annie Maher netted early in the opening half, while Maher again and Cliodhna O’Leary goaled in the second period.
Skibbereen found themselves 2-3 to 0-0 behind early in the first half but settled with points from Éabha O’Donovan and Laura O’Mahony. Naomh Abán remained in the ascendancy however and led 2-5 to 0-4 at the break.
When O’Donovan Rossa’s Fionnuala O’Driscoll hit the back of the net early in the second half, Naomh Abán responded with a goal from Annie Maher to lead 3-5 to 1-5 and take control, once again. A late Cliodhna O’Leary green flag put the seal on a deserved Naomh Abán county final victory. It was a day where O’Donovan Rossa will rue a slow start that handed their opponents a nine-point lead inside the first ten minutes.
Though they battled gallantly, the Skibbereen club simply left themselves with too much of a mountain to climb.
‘In fairness to the girls, they have done every single thing we asked of them all year,’ O’Donovan Rossa manager Derek Tobin commented.
‘We are gutted right now. Look, we will go back and regroup, try to learn from our mistakes and go again. We knew that Naomh Abán are a very good side, are very dangerous. We got a lot right but needed a few extra things to go our way as well. The team is heading in the right direction.
The O'Donovan Rossa team that was defeated by Naomh Abán in the Cork ladies' junior A football county final at MTU.
***
Prior to thrown-in, an evenly-fought encounter was anticipated between two teams that had faced one another earlier in the JAFC campaign. Naomh Abán won by four points on that occasion and were quickly into their stride thanks to early Annie Maher and Grace Murphy (free) points.
In contrast, O’Donovan Rossa struggled to find any rhythm and conceded two goals in quick succession. First, Gráinne Lucey made space and found the bottom corner of the net. Then, Annie Maher finished off a flowing move to raise another green flag. O’Donovan Rossa were in disarray when Alannah Hoare’s point completed a dominant Naomh Abán start.
Down 2-3 to 0-0, Éabha O’Donovan and Laura O’Mahony scores steadied a rocking ship and got the Skibbereen club on the scoreboard. O’Mahony might well have goaled when put clean through but her shot arrowed inches over the crossbar.
A scrappy second quarter finished with Naomh Abán 2-5 to 0-4 in the lead courtesy of a Lydia McDonagh brace of points. Late Fionnuala O’Driscoll and Laura O’Mahony efforts reduced the deficit but O’Donovan Rossa trailed 2-5 to 0-4 as the sides changed ends.
Kate O’Donovan floated over the first point of the second half and it was game on when O’Donovan Rossa conjured up a superbly crafted goal shortly after. An unmarked Fionnuala O’Driscoll was on hand to palm Laura O’Mahony’s inch-perfect pass into the net to make it 2-5 to 1-5 after 40 minutes.
Naomh Abán responded instantly however and a flowing move ended with Annie Maher netting her second goal of the afternoon to make it 3-5 to 1-5.
Credit to O’Donovan Rossa who brushed off that setback with a succession of attacks as Sarah Hurley split the posts to reduce the deficit to five points. Defending deep and in numbers, Naomh Abán held firm with Grace Hurley landing a free after 52 minutes.
O'Donovan Rossa's Fiona Leonard turns away from Naomh Abán's Mary Ellen Kelliher during the Cork ladies' junior A football county final.
Éabha O’Donovan (two frees) and Sharon Stoutt points raised hopes of an unlikely O’Donovan Rossa comeback but time was against the West Cork side.
Then, as the clock reached 60 minutes, Naomh Aban broke from their half, worked the ball to substitute Cliodhna O’Leary who goaled from close range. Éabha O’Donovan converted a late free but there could be no disputing Naomh Abán’s victory and deserved promotion to the intermediate ranks in 2023.
‘In a game like this, if you get an early six-point advantage with two closely matched teams, it is hard to get that back,’ Naomh Abán manager Noel McDonagh stated.
‘It forced Skibbereen to come at us and leave gaps at the back we could exploit. That’s what we did.
Scorers - Naomh Abán: A Maher 2-1; G Lucey, C O’Leary 1-0 each; G Murphy (2f), L McDonagh 0-2 each; A Hoare 0-1. O’Donovan Rossa: É O’Donovan 0-4 (3f), F O’Driscoll 1-1; L O’Mahony 0-2; K O’Donovan, S Hurley, S Stoutt 0-1 each.
Naomh Abán: L Hughes; U Twohig, M Dineen, A Creedon; E Kelly, R Corkery, M E Kelliher; A McDonagh, G Lucey; A Hoare, E Murphy, C Phelan; A Maher, L McDonagh, G Murphy.
Subs: J Kelly for A Hoare (41), C Murphy for E Murphy (58), C O’Leary for A Maher (62), N Murphy for C Phelan (62).
O’Donovan Rossa: C Fitzgerald; A Bohane, A Whooley, M Donelan; A Kearney, S Stoutt, T Murphy; M O’Neill, L O’Mahony; F Leonard, F O’Driscoll, L Harte; E O’Donovan, K O’Donovan, S Hurley.
Subs: E McCarthy for M O’Neill (24), A Tobin for T Murphy (35), M O’Neill for S Hurley (52), E Fitzgerald for M Donelan (52).
Referee: C McCarthy (Rosscarbery).
