Kildare 0-8 Tipperary 0-7

Tipperary ladies suffered their second defeat in the Lidl Division 2 National Football League when table-toppers Kildare survived a final ten-minutes comeback from the home side at Fethard Town Park on Sunday afternoon.

In a game played before a large attendance at this wonderful venue, with a crossfield wind not favouring either team, the visitors dictated the play from the start and were it not for some wayward shooting from open play and placed balls they could have been much further ahead coming down the home straight. They were also content to build slowly from the back, often putting ten to fifteen passes together.

Tipperary had one change to their selected lineout, with Cahir’s Aishling Moloney being replaced by Clara English before the throw-in. Moloney’s scoring ability was sorely missed, as the forwards found scores hard to come by. In fact, all of their scores from open play came from defenders.

Both sides were slow to start and it took them nine minutes to open the scoring, with a point from the boot of Kildare full forward Roisin Byrne after she was put through by Trina Duggan. Within two minutes Boherlahan’s Katelyn Downey tied the game, for what would be the only time, when she finished off a good move from out on the sideline at the open side.

For the next ten minutes Kildare dominated with slow build-ups from the back, finding gaps in the Tipp defence. Player of the match, Roisin Byrne, kicked three unanswered points, with two coming from placed balls. Tipp were finding it extremely difficult to break down the visitors' defence and wayward shooting also didn’t help their cause. An Emma Morrissey converted free after 28 minutes left two between the sides at half time, 0-4 to 0-2.

Tipperary won possession from the restart and maintained possession for almost three minutes but were unable to break down the packed Kildare defence, with fifteen players inside their own 45. Eventually the Lillywhites kicked on and led by 0-7 to 0-2 by the 38th minute. Tipperary upped their game for the final twenty minutes but Kildare held firm in a nail-biting finish to maintain their 100 per cent record.

From the outset, both teams were playing a cautious game, with possession being the name of the game. Kildare lost their full back, Laoise Lenehan, through injury after just six minutes, but this didn’t seem to affect their game plan. Both sets of forwards were guilty of missed chances early on, with the visitors the more culpable. Roisin Byrne eventually got the scoreboard ticking over after nine minutes when she linked up with Trina Duggan.

Tipp were finding it hard to break down the visitors’ defence but Katelyn Downey finished off a move from out near the sideline with a wonderful point. From the kickout Kildare attacked and were unlucky when a shot from Neasa Dooley came back off the upright. The next ten minutes was a period of dominance by Kildare, with full forward Roisin Byrne putting over three unanswered points, which included two placed balls.

Tipp came back into the game for the closing ten minutes before the break but were unable to convert possession into scores. However Emma Morrissey put over a 28th minute free, cutting the deficit to two, to leave the half time score Kildare 0-4, Tipperary 0-2.

Tipperary started well upon the resumption but again were unable to breach the solid Kildare defence. Kildare took over again and three points followed, the first from a free by Roisin Byrne and one each from Ellen Dowling and Ruth Sargent. These scores put them in a good position, giving them a five-point lead after 38 minutes. Tipperary began to lift their game and following a move out of defence, Niamh Martin came upfield and split the posts to narrow the gap.

Kildare then missed two relatively easy scoring chances from placed balls and this seemed to give the home side impetus. Nora Martin kicked another good score to leave three between the sides. With seven minutes of normal time remaining Roisin Byrne kicked her sixth point of the game to put Kildare four up.

The final five minutes of normal time was all Tipperary, as they took the game to Kildare, pinning them back in their own half. Emma Morrissey converted two frees and Emma Cronin got a third from an acute angle to leave the minimum between the teams as the game entered added time.

Four minutes into added time, following a prolonged attack, Tipp had one last chance to salvage a point but the resulting free drifted outside the post, leaving Kildare to maintain their unbeaten record in this division.

Player of the Match: Roisin Byrne (Kildare).

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry), Nora Martin (0-1, Sliabh na mBan), Lucy Spillane (Fethard), Emma Cronin (0-1 free, Moyle Rovers), Katelyn Downey (0-1, Boherlahan Dualla), Maria Curley (captain, Templemore), Niamh Martin (0-1, Sliabh na mBan), Laura Morrissey (Brian Borus), Anna-Rose Kennedy (Aherlow), Neassa Towey (Templemore), Marie Creedon (Thurles Sarsfields), Emer McCarthy (Galtee Rovers), Emma Morrissey (0-3 frees, Aherlow), Angela McGuigan (Sliabh na mBan), Clara English (Ardfinnan).

Subs: Laura Dillon (Ardfinnan) for Emer McCarthy (44), Anna Downey (Cahir) for Neassa Towey (50), Cliona O’Dwyer (Brian Borus) for Clara English (54), Sarah English (Ardfinnan) for Laura Morrissey (54).

Kildare: Anna Dunlea, Fiona Troute, Laoise Lenehan, Aoife Clifford, Mia Doherty, Ruth Sargent (0-1), Lara Gilbert, Grace Clifford (captain), Ellie O’Toole, Aoife Rattigan, Ellen Dowling (0-1), Sarah Munnelly, Neasa Dooley, Roisin Byrne (0-6, 4 frees), Hazel McLoughlin.

Subs: Trina Duggan for Laoise Lenehan (injured, 6), Aoife Kilkenny for Hazel McLoughlin (47), Lisa Shaw for Sarah Munnelly (49).

Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).