Munster Ladies Gaelic Football Under 16A Championship - Tipperary 4–5 Kerry 1-13

By Seamus Heffernan

Boherlahan Ladies Football

The Tipperary Ladies Under 16 team travelled to Tralee to play Kerry in round two of the Munster Ladies Gaelic Football Under 16A Championship. This was effectively a semi-final with the winners proceeding to the final against Cork. The Tipperary lineout had five changes from the team which started against Cork and in total were missing seven players as a result of injuries, illness, transition year travel and other sporting commitments. There was a strong wind favouring Kerry in the first half and underfoot conditions were heavy after some morning rain.

Kerry were first on the scoreboard with a point from a free by Ceiti Ni Luing after two minutes. The windy conditions were challenging for both teams and resulted in some misdirected frees and passes. The Kerry opportunities were limited with a Tipperary formation of seven defenders which had Orla Winston at wing back and Aine Hahessey as sweeper. However Kerry did keep the scoreboard ticking with points in the eighth, ninth and eleventh minute and one of those points could be considered a missed goal opportunity. In the fourteenth minute Tipperary opened their account with a great goal by Marie Creedon with Emma Ryan providing the pass. However in through Kerry tradition they hit back immediately with two points within three minutes. In the twentieth minute Carrie Davey replaced Orla Winston and assumed the sweeper role with Alison Connolly moving to wing back. Both teams registered wides and as they continued to adjust to the windy conditions and then on the twentieth fourth minute Tipperary registered their first point through Emma Morrissey. This was a superbly taken point considering the difficult angle and windy conditions and again within a minute Kerry had another white flag. Ellie Ryan replaced Emma Ryan in the twentieth sixth minute and the Boherlahan girl has a point within a minute. Kerry responded again with another point leaving the half time score line Kerry 0-9 Tipperary 1-2.

Tipperary made some changes at half time introducing Leah Coen for Cailin Napier and Ruth Butler for Ciara Dwan. The Tipperry girls got off to a great start and within three minutes Ruth Butler had a goal with Marie Creedon providing the pass. With the wind at their backs Tipperary were now enjoying a lot of position but struggling to register a score. It was Kerry who scored in the fortieth minute with a point from a free. Kerry were defending with numbers and scores and limiting Tipperary to long range effort’s. Then in the forty fourth minute Tipperary reduced the lead with a well taken Caitlin Kennedy point after a pass from a quickly taken free. Kerry responded with two points the second from a rebound off the post. In the forty sixth minute Dervla Heffernan replaced Caoimhe Ryan and assumed the full back role with Aine Hahessey moving out field and within a minute Eimear O Connor replaced Ellie Ryan. As the game entered the final ten minutes Tipperary hit a purple patch scoring a goal and two points. Angela McGuigan was first with a point from a long range free and then Marie Creedon had a goal from a 20 meter run and from the resulting kick out Leah Coen got a point. This was the first time Tipperary were in front but Kerry reduced the margin with a point in the fifth seventh minute. Then in the fifth eighth minute Tipperary extended their lead to four points with another goal and a hat trick for Marie Creedon. One minute into injury time Kerry had the last score a goal from a scramble around the square.

Final Score Tipperary 4-5 Kerry 1-13 

Tipperary Scorers: Marie Creedon (3-0), Ruth Butler (1-0), Angela McGuigan (0-1), Emma Morrissey (0-1), Ellie Ryan (0-1), Leah Coen (0-1), Caitlin Kennedy (0-1)

Tipperary Team: Rachel Sweeney (Holycross Ballycahill), Lucy Spillane (Fethard), Aine Hahessy (Sliabhnamban), Ellen Moore (Moyne Templetuohy), Alison Connolly (Fethard), Caitlin Kennedy (Aherlow), Niamh Martin (C) (Sliabhnamban), Marie Creedon (Thurles Sarsfields), Caoimhe Ryan (Brian Borus),  Orla Winston (Clonmel Commercials), Ciara Dwan (Boherlahan), Angela McGuigan (Sliabhnamban), Emma Ryan (Lattin Cullen), Cailin Napier (Clonmel Commercials), Emma Morrissey (Aherlow) 

Subs: Carrie Davey (Fethard) for Orla Winston (20 min), Ellie Ryan (Boherlahan) replaced Emma Ryan (26 min), Leah Coen (Fethard) for Cailin Napier (half time), Ruth Butler (Templemore) for Ciara Dwan (half time), Dervla Heffernan (Boherlahan) for Caoimhe Ryan (46 min), Eimear O’Connor (Ardfinnan) for Ellie Ryan (46 min).

Nicola O Dwyer (Mullinahone), Anna Morris (Clonmel Commercials), Ava Fennessy (Clonmel Commercials), Aoibheann Fanning (Clerihan), Rosanna Kiely (Cahir), Aisling Ryan (Aherlow), Niamh Ryan (Moyne Templetuohy), Jenny Irwin (Thurles Sarsfields), 

Management Team:  Ed Burke, Tony Smith, Mary Murphy, Peter Creedon 

Munster U/16A Championship.

Kerry 1-13 Tipperary 4-5

There was disappointment for the Kerry U/16 ladies when they exited the Munster A championship after a heartbreaking one loss to Tipperary at the John Mitchels Complex in Tralee last Saturday. Kerry also lost by the same margin to Cork the previous week, and they needed to defeat the Premier county to keep their interest in the championship alive. Kerry will certainly feel that it was a game that they could have won, but unfortunately lady luck wasn’t on their side for the second week in a row.

Kerry played with the benefit of a strong breeze in the first half and racked up 4 early points from Ceiti Ui Luing (free), Katie Buckley, Niamh Ni Chonchur and Anna Clifford. Tipperary did start to get their hands on a lot of ball and after 13 minutes Marie Creedon waltzed through the Kerry defence to tuck away a decent goal. Kerry replied once more when the lively  Niamh Ni Chonchur pointed after good support from Julie O’Sullivan. Ceiti Ui Luing put 3 between the sides when she pointed a free in the 18^th minute. Tipperary weren’t lying down and Emma Morrisson put over the bar after Robyn White in the Kerry goal saved from point blank range.From the kickout Ella Teahan scored a good point for Kerry to put them 3 head once more and while Dervla Heffernan did reply once more for Tipperary , flying Kerry winger Anna Clifford put over 2 points on the bounce on the stroke of half time to send Kerry into the dressing room with a 4 point lead, 0-9 to 1-2.

Both teams swapped early wides at the start of the second half but disaster then struck for Kerry when Ruth Butler goaled to bring the contest back to one point game. Ella Teahan and Caitlinn Kennedy of Tipperary swapped points before Anna Clifford ,with her 4^th point of the game, and Danielle O’Leary with her first off the bench,  pushed Kerry 3 ahead once more, 0-12 to 2-3 , with just 12 minutes left in the contest. Tipperary weren’t finished however and in the next 5 minutes of the game struck a fatal blow to the hearts of the Kerry girls. In the 52nd and 53rd minutes Leah Coen and Caoimhe Ryan pointed, they were followed a minute later by a Marie Creedon goal to propel Tipperary into a 2 point lead, 3-5 to 0-12. The hard working Siofra O’Shea steadied the Kerry ship with a point a minute late but Marie Creedon struck for her third goal of the game seconds later to put Tipperary in a 4 point lead ,4-5 to 0-13 with time running out. Kerry pushed on and attacked in waves as they fought to keep themselves in the game, and in the Munster Championship, but they just couldn’t get the scores to save the game. They did score a goal in the 61^st minute when Julie O’Sullivan finished to the net from close range, but it was too little too late as the final whistle sounded. Tipperary now march on to the Munster final against Cork,while Kerry are left to lick their wounds and think of what might have been.

Kerry Robyn White Rachel O Connor, Mairead Lehane Kayleigh Mc Glashan Julie O Sullivan (I goal) Kayla O Connor Meabh Mc Elligott, Siofra O Shea (0-1),Mary O Connell, Emma O Sullivan,Ceiti Ni Luing(0-2f) Anna Clifford(0-4)) Katie Buckley(0-1) Niamh Ní Chonchúir(0-2), Ella Teahan(0-2)

SUBS (Unlimited ) Cora Joy Captain,.Danielle O Leary(0-1),Caoimhe Evans, Gemma Kearney,Maedhbh Rochford .Ciara Randles  Andrea Nolan Ellen Coffey ,Aoife Dillane ,Ava Doherty Maud Kelly, .Jillian Courtney, .Rachel Kilgallen .Tara Murphy.