Feile Div 1 Final Report
- Apr 23,2012
Division 1 final
Foxrock Cabinteely 3-08
Castleknock 0-02
Foxrock Cabinteely's incredible run came to what looked a natural conclusion at Parnell Park as their ferocious pace and excellent ball handling saw them overcome Castleknock.
Having won each league and championship since U-10 level, there was a weight of expectation on the side but team manager Imelda Callaghan said her side dealt with any pressure admirably.
"We got a really tough draw - we always do in the league and championship - with O'Toole's and Crokes and we picked up an awful lot of injuries but we came out of it strong.
"There was an awful lot of expectation but today they went out and did it, all 24 playing on the day and were all absolutely super," she said.
It was the fledgling South Dublin club's third success at Dublin level, winning the All-Ireland back in 2005, but they had not been in a final since then but the opportunity was grasped with both hands.
Castleknock scored the first and last points of the decider but in between those scores from Claire Murray and Emma Ivers, the foxes were on fire.
They responded with five points in as many minutes - shared between Amy Donnelly, Rachel Mahon and Tarah O'Sullivan - before Donnelly and Mahon combined beautifully with a series of quick hand-passes to set up Doireann Shaffrey who finished adroitly to the net.
With Megan Duffy starring at centre-back, the perfect attacking platform was set to pick off another couple of points before the break as Donnelly was a superb target in the full-forward line.
The second half provided slight relief for Castleknock but Foxrock carried on exactly where they left off with Hannah O'Neill scoring the second goal straight from the tip off.
It was a pivotal moment according to Callaghan: "What sealed it for us was in the second half when we came out straight from the restart and Hannah O'Neill blasted it into the back of the net and you thought, that's it."
Lauren Hanney added a third goal, capping a memorable day for the club.
"Our C team have won just two matches in four years but ended up in a final today," Callaghan added. "That was a highlight. We've been working for the last eight years and it's just a great day for us. We're still a new club and it's just fantastic."
Foxrock Cabinteely A: K Hogan, A Egan, R Magennis, C Healy, C Dawson, M Duffy, E Mathews, L Synnott, E Curran, H O'Neill, T O'Sullivan, L Hanney, D Shaffrey, A Donnelly, R Mahon, H Higgins, C McGuirk, E Murphy, E Fitzgerald, E Murphy, K Minihan, C Hamill, E Reidy, C Lenihan
Management team: Imelda Callaghan, Donnough Shaffrey
Castleknock Féile: K Galvin, C Doherty, E Kiernan, E Doyle, E Roche, L Mullins, L Hanlon, S Byrne, A-M Kennedy, N Rafferty, E Ivers, E Finney, J Galvin, C Murray, S Dwyer, C O'Driscoll, C McKenna, L Cullan, E Farrell, A Whelan, N Mulroney, M O'Neil, C Hughes, S Murphy
Management team: Ray Rafferty, Karen Ivers
Report by Stephen Findlater