Joy for Naomh Abán as they secure Munster ladies football title
Naomh Abán captain Una Twohig raises the trophy to the delight of players and supporters after defeating Oola in the Munster Junior Ladies Football Championship final at Mallow. Picture: Eddie O'Hare
Oola 0-5
The celebrations will go on in Muskerry for some time as Naomh Aban won the Munster Junior Ladies Football Championship final at Mallow on Saturday.
They got the better of a very talented Oola side in a final that was always going to be tight, but a superb first-half defensive display, when they played against the elements was key to their victory.
They won the All-Ireland intermediate title in 2003 and will be hoping to add the junior title to their list of honours after this win as they now go on to represent Munster in that series at the end of the month.
The winners had some outstanding displays with Muireann Dineen superb at full-back, with Amy McDonagh working hard all through at midfield. Up front, Lydia McDonagh and Grace Murphy were a handful for Oola all through, but this was a magnificent team effort, and all deserved credit for this victory.
Ellie Bourke thought she had opened the scoring for Oola when the umpire raised the white flag, but referee Seamus Mulvihill consulted with him and deemed it wide.
They did take the lead in the seventh minute when Amy Ryan pointed and from the restart, they were awarded a free and this time Bourke left them in no doubt as she split the posts. She was on target again to put her side 0-3 to no score up with eight minutes played.
McDonagh got Naomh Abán off the mark and Murphy pointed from a free to make it a one-point game. McDonagh got her second to level it, 0-3 apiece, with 14 minutes gone, before Bourke put Oola back in front.
A brilliant run from Murphy saw her sweep past several defenders to level it for the second time as the Mid Cork side had now settled into the tie after a nervous start.
A mistake by the Naomh Abán defence nearly proved costly as Anna O’Dea picked up a sloppy pass but Muireann Dineen was quick to quell the danger to see the sides level at 0-4 apiece at half-time. They would have been the happier of the two as they had played against the strong wind.
Naomh Abán took the lead for the first time three minutes into the second half when McDonagh raised her third white as they were now hoping to make use of the breeze at their backs.
The same player extended their lead to two as they now started to get the better of the exchanges. Bourke pulled a point back from a free for Oola in a spell where both sides missed chances to raise white flags.
With five minutes to go, it was still a one-point game as neither side had added to their tally since the 41st minute. Oola were then reduced to 14 when Kathleen Fitzgibbon was sin-binned. However, Naomh Abán’s extra player didn’t last long as their half-forward Colleen Phelan followed her into the bin a minute later.
In the last minute, Murphy raised a white flag from a free to put the Cork outfit two to the good as the finish line was now in sight. But Oola weren’t going away easily as they piled forward in search of the goal they needed.
But again massive credit has to go to the Naomh Aban defence who tackled and blocked to keep them at bay for a deserved victory.
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