Brave Finians, pipped at final whistle in Junior C Final

  • Sep 17,2011

St Brigid’s 1-13
St Finian’s, Newcastle 1-10

After extra-time

Tesco Junior C Championship final

Inseparable for 82 minutes, Fiona Clifford’s last-gasp 35-metre free caught a wicked trajectory to nestle in the back of the net and finally end this classic slugging match in St Brigid’s favour, denying St Finians, Newcastle a first championship win in Saggart on Friday night.

It capped the Russell Park side’s second comeback from the dead as Barbara Kelly twice salvaged parity, first in normal time with a late free to secure the extra 20 minutes.
And, with the daunting hill to face, Brigid’s turned at the midway point of the extra-time three points in arrears as Dublin U-16 Ciara Trant – an All-Ireland finalist in late August – put on a masterclass from the placed ball.
But Kelly again showed her nerve to wipe out the deficit and, after what seemed an interminable, nerve-wracking wait for the final free due to an injury; Clifford dropped in her final salvo and sent the title back up the Navan Road.
It was a huge finish, one which manager Phil Brennan said was in the making from way back in February.

“We had a meeting at the start of the season back in February and we said if we could just keep ourselves up, we’d be happy with that. We’ve succeeded in that but we never thought we’d get where we are in the championship,” he said.
“But the girls trained exceptionally hard, training each night in the winter in the snow and rain. It showed tonight. Their level of fitness and dedication, it all stood to them and that’s what has got us where we are tonight.”

Finian’s played their part in the arm-wrestle, one which leaned one way and the next throughout. Brigid’s were the first to push on, a flurry of scores around the 20-minute mark from Clodagh Rogers, Mariosa Bryce and Jenny Weldon building a 0-5 to 0-1 lead.
It was very much their purple patch of the first half and proved the largest margin of the evening. But Finian’s put their combinations together to work three scores of their own in jig-time to reduce the gap to the minimum, Trant and Shauna Baldwin ending the half with a pair each.

Indeed, the Newcastle side’s greater efficiency in front of the posts continued to guide them in the second half. A nicely judged Trant free was countered by waves of Brigid’s attacks which drew a series of fine saves from Sandra O’Connor, notably blocking Rogers’ slap and a follow-up effort from the influential Bryce.

When O’Connor was not being called on, the combination of Jenny Murphy, Sinead Murray and Emma Boland were combining to snuff out, en masse, the Dublin 15 side’s shooting space with precious little time to eye the target at any juncture.
At the bottom of the hill, Finian’s thought they had a three-point wedge when Trant’s low-slung free was caught close in and snuck in by Lynda Waters. A square ball saw that major erased but they kept pace on the scoreboard with Nora Harney’s fine score and one from Niamh Power.

The latter was a break-out from sustained Brigid’s pressure as four consecutive wides and the ignominy of Kelly’s free dropping flush on the bar and bouncing to safety meant the game was still on a knife-edge, 0-7 a piece
Bryce nudged Brigid’s in front once more but, with four minutes to go, Trant appeared to have broken the tie, the teenager coolly slotting a low penalty following a goal-mouth tussle.

Kelly, though, twice summoned scores and the game could have fallen her side’s way when Weldon found herself momentarily through on goal but Boland recovered quickly and the chance was gone.
Trant once more had one hand on the trophy when she was the only player to register in the first period of extra-time, two sweetly struck frees from the ground and one cracker-jack point on the turn from distance.
Cramp was affecting many at this stage but the belief was still in Brigid’s and they came on strong, the triangle of Bryce, Laura King and Weldon still weaving their intricate patterns to create the chances.

Kelly’s free started the rush before a surging run had the margin down to one with five minutes left. Weldon’s assist then gave Kelly the chance to level for a fifth and final time on the night.
And one final foray earned the crucial free. Clifford was forced to stand over the free for over a minute but her visualisation proved spot on, her kick skimming down the back of the netting to start her side’s celebrations with a bang.

Player of the game was awarded to Ciara Trant (St Finians)

 

St Brigid’s: H O’Connor, A Davey, D McManus, J Rice, A Howard, F Clifford, C Kealey, M Bryce, P Bruen, J Weldon, L King, B Kelly, C O’Reilly, C Rogers, A Flanagan
Subs/panel: N Emery, A Byrne, F Ni Donhnaill, C Barrett, L Deasy, L Gallagher, A Kelly, J Ward
Manager: P Brennan
Selectors: K Plunkett, E Murphy, P Davey

St Finian’s, Newcastle: S O’Connor, E Boland, A Meenagh, J Murphy, K Harney, L Brennan, S Murray, M Breen, N Power, C Trant, N Harney, D McSorley, S Baldwin, L Waters, L Tiernan
Subs/panel: F Byrne, S Dunne, S Goode, M Murphy, C Roche, C Scott
Manager: J Ryan
Selector: E Saunders

 
Stephen Findlater