Match report Raheny v O Dwyers
- Oct 02,2017
FOUR GOAL SALVO FROM RAHENY SECURES JUNIOR B CLUB TITLE
Raheny 4-10
O’Dwyers 1-06
By Nigel McCarthy
A windswept Fingallians GAA Club was the setting for two New Ireland Assurance Dublin Ladies club championship finals on Sunday afternoon.
The first of those finals was the Junior B tussle between Raheny and O’Dwyers which got the days action underway at 2pm.
Raheny were the better side throughout, rock solid in defence and with a much more fluid and potent attacking unit than their opponents O’Dwyers. A pair of goals in each half, two from Siobhan Woods and one a piece from Cliodhna McHugh and Roisin Morgan paved the way for a deserved victory and the Junior B honours.
Raheny came flying out of the blocks from the throw-in and were two points to the good inside the opening three minutes via a pair of frees from Ciara McDunphy.
O’Dwyers playing against the strong wind were finding it difficult to get the ball to their inside forwards. Raheny’s Claire Fitzgerald intercepted an O’Dwyers line ball and in the 6th minute and launched a quick counter attack, she played a quick one-two with Anna Murphy and then slipped the ball into the on rushing Siobhan Woods who hit a fine effort for her sides third point.
It got even worse for O’Dwyers in the tenth minute, they lost their kick-out which was won by Ciara McDunphy, she off loaded the ball to Anna Murphy who was fouled in midfield. Siobhan Woods hit a long accurate ball from the free to Cliodhna McHugh in the corner, she turned inside her marker along the end line and buried the ball to the roof of the net for the games opening goal.
O’Dwyers to their credit worked their way into the game and tightened up at the back with Aoife Curran to the fore with some timely interceptions and driving runs from deep helping her side to gain some forward momentum. Unfortunately for the Balbriggan outfit they couldn’t turn possession into scores hitting a couple of wides in a row.
After a nine minute barren scoring spell from Raheny a well worked move from a free involving Siobhan Woods, Ciara McDunphy and Anna Murphy ended with Murphy driving in from the left wing and clipping a nice point to give her side a seven point advantage.
With seven minutes to the break O’Dwyers finally got their first score of the contest. A brilliant block by Aoife Curran deep inside her own half started a sweeping move, Curran collected the ball and hit a nice foot pass to Aoife Pollis, the O’Dwyers left half forward released Shauna O’Hara with a clever off load and the centre forward was fouled as she headed towards goal. O’Hara dusted herself down and slotted over the resultant free.
A good interception from a dangerous Raheny attack by Aoife Curran set up O’Dwyers second point of the half in the 26th minute. Curran passed to midfield and continued her run, she took a return pass and hit a superb pass along the right wing to Katie McCabe who was fouled and once again O’Hara stepped up to dispatch the free.
Two minutes from the short whistle and Raheny had their keeper Olivia McLaughlin to thank as she pulled off a double save. Erica Byrne won the ball in midfield and hit a cross field pass to O’Hara, a quick hand pass inside to the flying Ruth Weakliam opened up the Raheny defence, the O’Dwyers midfielder let fly but McLaughlin dived to her left to parry the ball, she jumped to her feet and got a hand to the follow up shot and Raheny cleared the lines.
That missed opportunity was punished emphatically a minute later. O’Dwyers were awarded a sideline ball inside their own half, but it was intercepted by Anna Murphy who picked out Siobhan Woods, she stepped inside two tacklers slipped the ball to Cliodhna McHugh on the edge of the square, as O’Dwyers defenders converge on her McHugh slipped the ball back to Woods who made no mistake and finished the ball to the net.
McHugh was involved again just before the short whistle as she found midfielder Rosie Cully running from deep and the centrefielder added her name to the scoresheet with a well taken point to give Raheny a nine point half time lead with the score 2-05 to 0-02 in the favour.
With the wind in the favour O’Dwyers needed a quick start to the second half of they were to claw their way back into the final. But once again it was the Raheny outfit who hit the ground running and pushed their lead out to ten points with a fine point from the impressive Ciara McDunphy thirty seconds into the second period.
McDunphy and Woods tagged on two more points as the game started to run away from O’Dwyers. It would have been easy for the Balbriggan side to drop the heads but they fought gallantly on and hit a purple patch of possession. They were awarded a free about 21 metres out for a foul on Ruth Weakliam which O’Hara swung over.
In the 40th minute O’Dwyer’s Alana Kelly went on a driving run from just beyond the midfield and hit a brilliant point.
Raheny almost made their oppentents pay for a sloppy free quick that was intercepted by Karen Howard she fed Woods who stride forward with menace, Woods found McHugh who in turn passed inside to Anna Murphy but her goal bound shot was saved by Olivia McLaughlin for a 45’ which came to nothing.
O’Dwyers where thrown a lifeline in 44th minute when Jenna Richardson, after good work from Katie McCabe and Aoife Pollis in the buildup, was fouled in the square for a penalty. Erica Byrne took the responsibility for the spot kick and made no mistake as she stroked the ball confidently into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
The next O’Dwyers attack yielded a 45’ but it was dropped short, Raheny counterattacked swiftly with Siobhan Woods leading the charge before being fouled. Woods took the free quickly passed to Anna Murphy who swung the ball over the bar.
In the 50th minute O’Dwyers Amy Gibbons was sin binned for an ill conceived reactionary shove on a Raheny player on the ground right in front of the referees view and Ciara McDunphy converted the free.
O’Dwyers pulled a point back with nine minutes remaining from Alana Kelly but just a minute later it was game set and match for Raheny.
From the kick-out the ball was worked the to the O’Dwyers 45’, Siobhan Woods took the ball on the run straight through the heart of the defence and hit a thunderbolt of a shot to the top right hand corner of the net.
With a minute to go O’Dwyers were awarded a free in midfield, Katie McCabe found Shauna O’Hara with a good footpass, O’Hara hamdpassed the ball into the path of the on rushing Alana Kelly and her tipping effort was tipped over the bar by Raheny net minder McLaughlin.
Forty seconds later and Raheny put the icing on the cake when Roisin Morgan grabbed their forth goal of the game after some really excellent interplay from Pollis and O’Hara set her up. The full time whistle sounded shortly after and the celebrations started for the Raheny outfit who were deservedly crowned Junior B Champions.
Player Of The Match: Olivia McLaughlin (Raheny)
O’Dwyers Scorers:
Shauna O’Hara 0-03 (3f)
Alana Kelly 0-03
Erica Byrne 1-00 (pen)
Raheny Scorers:
Siobhan Woods 2-02
Ciara McDunphy 0-05 (2f)
Cliodhna McHugh 1-00
Roisin Morgan 1-00
Anna Murphy 0-02 (1f)
Rosie Cully 0-01
O’Dwyers:
1. Lauren Murphy
2. Aoife Breathnach
3. Ciara O’Rourke
4. Lauren Sweeney
5. Alana Kelly
6. Aoife Curran
7. Chloe Johnson
8. Ruth Weakliam
9. Erica Byrne
10. Jenna Richardson
17. Amy Gibbons
12. Aoife Pollis
13. Katie McCabe
14. Shauna O’Hara
15. Erin Healy
O’Dwyers Substitutes:
18. Fiona Hogan For 4. Lauren Sweeney (HT)
21. Alex Tyrrell For 12. Aoife Pollis (45th Min)
19. Saoirse Blount For 2. Aoife Breathnach (57th Min)
20. Niamh Corry For 7. Chloe Johnson (57th Min)
Raheny:
1. Olivia McLaughlin
2. Grace Harkin
3. Trish Grehan
4. Jane O ’Dwyer
5. Aoife Costello
6. Bronagh Fagan
7. Ciara Manley
8. Roise Cully
9. Michelle Walsh Ryan
10. Siobhan Woods
11. Claire Fitzgerald
12. Ciara McDunphy
13. Cliodhna McHugh
14. Anna Murphy
23. Karen Howard
Raheny Substitutes:
16. Andrea Elbert For 2. Grace Harkin (46th Min)
18. Roisin Morgan For 23. Karen Howard (54th Min)
17. Eabha Byrne For 13. Cliodhna McHugh (58th Min)
19. Ciara Mooney For 14. Anna Murphy (60th Min)