Cork ladies football round-up: Éire Óg, Kinsale and Mourneabbey impress

MOURNEABBEY, Éire Óg and Kinsale registered important Cork LGFA Senior Football Championship victories this past weekend.

Favourites for this year’s Cork senior title Mourneabbey racked up their second consecutive SFC Group 1 victory in commanding fashion last Sunday.

Manager Shane Roynane made headlines earlier in the week having stepped down as Waterford senior football men’s manager and being strongly linked with the Cork LGFA senior managerial role.

Roynane’s side built on their impressive 9-11 to 0-14 opening round defeat of Aghada by seeing off Bride Rovers 2-7 to 1-4 at a wet and blustery Rathcormac.

Aided by a gale wind, the visitors started brightly and were 1-4 to 0-0 ahead at the first water-break, a period highlighted by a superb Roisin O’Sullivan goal. Mourneabbey continued to dominate and Ciara O’Callaghan setup Laure Fitzgerald for her side’s second goal of the afternoon.

O’Sullivan, Fitzgerald, Doireann O’Sullivan and Ciara O’Callaghan scores handed Mourneabbey a 2-6 to 0-1 interval advantage.

Bride Rovers had the advantage of the elements in the second period and ate into their opponents lead to trail 2-7 to 0-4 with four minutes to go. A Grace Culloty goal cut the deficit to six points but Mourneabbey held on for a deserved victory in trying conditions.

Bride’s scores came courtesy of Culloty’s goal, Katie Quirke (0-2), Leah Hallihan and Ava Barry (0-1). Mouenabbey’s top performers included Roisin O’Sullivan, Anna Ryan, Máire O’Callaghan and Emma Coakley.

“We conceded a goal just before and after the first water-break but managed to rally back,” Bride Rovers manager Ed Burke told The Echo.

“Bride managed to keep Mourneabbey to four or five points from opening play, created plenty of goal and point chances but just failed to convert. Turnovers in the second half cost us.” 

“We got some excellent scores in the first half,” Mourneabbey manager Shane Roynane added.

“We had a great work rate but would be disappointed with our second half scoring performance. The weather conditions were shocking though. Bride Rovers were very impressive and had a great shape and structure.” 

Fermoy and Inch Rovers’ scheduled Cork LGFA SFC Group 1 fixture was postponed due to a bereavement in the Fermoy area.

Group 2 of the senior championship kicked off with Éire Óg travelling to St Val’s and edging the hosts following a close matchup.

Poor weather conditions greeted the sides at throw-in with St. Val’s leading by a point after 15 minutes and the sides changing ends tied 0-5 apiece. The score was still level heading into the closing stages when Éire Óg’s greater experience proved telling and the Ovens club emerged 0-12 to 0-8 winners.

Cork senior Eimear Scally (0-8), Laura Cleary (0-2), Emma Cleary (0-1) and Sadbh McGoldrick (0-1) contributed Éire Óg’s scores. Laura Buttimer (0-2), Ciara McCarthy (0-2), Emma Flanagan, Sinead Cotter and a familiar name to Cork senior football followers, Briege Corkery (0-1), were on the scoresheet for St Val’s.

“There were lots of positives to take from the game,” St Val’s manager Tony Hughes commented.

“It was the first senior championship game for a number of our starting team. The game was played out amid dirty weather conditions with both defences on top. Marie Ambrose, Ciara Hughes and Emma Flanagan played very well for us. This young team just needs more game time to develop further.

“Our hopes are to win our next two matches and qualify for the semi-finals. I thought Éire Óg were well organised with key players sitting in the scoring pocket.” 

The second Cork LGFA SFC Group 2 game took place in Ahamilla with last year’s intermediate county champions Clonakilty hosting Kinsale.

A terrific game packed with incident saw the two sides level 0-4 apiece at the first water break. Then, Kinsale’s Faye Aherne saw her penalty kick saved by Cork senior custodian Martina O’Brien. Clonakilty quickly recycled possession and converted a penalty of their own to lead 1-4 to 0-6 at half time.

Two other Cork seniors, Orla Finn and Sadhbh O’Leary, played important roles in the second period but it was Clonakilty who led 2-6 to 0-10 with only a few minutes to go.

Enter Orla Finn to score Kinsale’s winning goal on an afternoon the Cork senior finished with 1-7 of her side’s total.