Killeen inspires Dublin Come Back!
- Jul 18,2011
Dubs fight back to book place in All Ireland final.
Images from the game can be viewed here GAApic.com
The Dublin and Galway supporters who made the trip to Ballymahon GAA in County Longford last Saturday may at the outset have wished they had stayed at home and be warm and dry oppose to standing in the wet and windy wintery conditions of a rain soaked Ballymahon huddled together in a shed of a stand vying for warmth.
However by the end of the sixty minutes or so of play there would be no other place on earth a Dublin supporter would rather have been. The cold, wind and rain where soon forgotten because they had just witnessed one of the greatest comebacks ever by a Dublin team in any code and anxiety was quickly replaced with pride and relief.
Galway got the dream start in this All Ireland semi-final when full forward Deirdre Brennan powered her way through the heart of the Dublin defence and blasted the ball past Dublin keeper Alice Gillen all before the first minute was registered on the clock. This was the trend was to continue for the first half with Galway in total control with their full forward line of Roisin Leonard the fore mentioned Brennan and Shauna Jackson causing huge problems for the Dublin defence.
At the break Galway lead Dublin by six points with the score board reading Galway 3-04 Dublin 1-04 with Dublin’s Aoife Gallagher raising the green flag with points coming from the impressive Aisling King and Siobhán Woods.
Galway once again got off to a perfect restart with Leonard and Jackson popping over an additional four points, with twenty plus minutes remaining on the clock Dublin found themselves ten points adrift of the tribes women and alarming bells where going off amongst the Dublin supporters in the stand.
Dublin had introduced soccer international and Raheny woman Siobhan Killen just before the interval and her fielding and powerful runs where to be the catalyst for the Dublin revival. In the final twenty minutes of the second Killeen powered two goals past Galway keeper Lisa Murphy and set up two additional goals for corner forward Lauren Ebbs. The momentum was now totally in Dublin’s favour with Dublin dominating in all sectors of the field try as they might Galway could not gather possession and Dublin piled on the scores raising the green flag a remarkable six times in the second half.
To come back from a ten point deficit to win by six was a remarkable achievement for this bunch of players many of whom are first year minors. But the never say die attitude and the obvious will to win will stand to the young Dubs as they continue their journey in the championship with the Rebel County of Cork standing in their way of All Ireland glory.
The All Ireland final will take place on August 1st in St Brendan’s Park, Birr Co Offaly and will be shown live on Tg4 and if Saturday
Dublin: Alice Gillen, Leah Caffrey, Ellen Keatley (Captain), Claire King, Gráinne Barrett, Sarah McCaffrey, Aoife Nolan, Olivia Smart, Emma McDonagh, Elaine McGrath, Siobhán Woods, Aisling King, Lauren Ebbs, Aoife Gallagher, Maria Kenny.
Subs: Siobhan Killen for Kenny, Shauna Garvin for Gallagher, Aoife Caffrey for Keatley, Ciara Williams for McGrath, Nicole Owens for McDonagh.
Scorers: Siobhán Killen 2-00, Lauren Ebbs 2-00, Siobhan Woods 0-03, Elaine McGrath 1-00, Aoife Nolan 1-00, Aoife Gallagher 1-00, Aisling Kind 0-02.
Galway: Lisa Murphy, Cariosa McHugh, Cliodhna Maloney, Aoife Ní Cheallaigh, Aoife Reilly, Amy Rohan (Captain), Ciara Meagher, Ciara Newell, Orla Dixon, Antoinette Cormican, Tara Hession, Charlotte Cooney, Roisin Leonard, Deirdre Brennan, Shauna Jackcon.
Subs: Claire Gibbons for Meagher, Ellen Muldoon for Cormican.
Scorers: Roisin Leonard 0-08, Deirdre Brennan 2-00, Shauna Jackson 0-03, Oral Dixon 1-00.
Referee: Des McEnery (Westmeath)
Dublin captain Elen Keatley pictured against Galway.
