The Moneyglass dream season continues

AIB All-Ireland SFC semi-final

St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass (Antrim) 1-12

Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 1-10

By Daire Walsh

Cathy Carey and Maria O’Neill were in excellent form at Pairc de Burca as history-makers St Ergnat’s Moneyglass booked their spot in the forthcoming AIB All-Ireland senior club championship final with a superb victory over Kilmacud Crokes.

A constant thorn in the side of their opponents, Carey and O’Neill were instrumental in ensuring Ergnat’s became the first side from Antrim to make it to a top-tier ladies football national club decider.

Managed by former Donegal boss Maxi Curran, the Saffron County outfit were well in contention from the early stages of the action with the influential duo of Carey and O’Neill on hand to cancel out Crokes efforts by Eabha Rutledge and Niamh Cotter (free).

Kilmacud were aiming to make a swift return to the All-Ireland senior showpiece after losing out to Kilkerrin-Clonberne in last year’s final and they created some daylight with unanswered points from Michelle Davoren (two) and Cotter. While Ergnat’s subsequently restored parity thanks to the reliable boots of O’Neill (two) and Carey, Crokes reasserted themselves when Michelle Davoren palmed to the opposition net on 26 minutes.

Although this was a set-back for their Moneyglass counterparts, another successful Carey free left them just two points in arrears (1-5 to 0-6) at the interval.

Crokes restored their half-time lead as a result of Cotter cancelling out a Carey point on the resumption, but the Dublin and Leinster champions were being placed under increased pressure as the action progressed.

Back-to-back points from Carey and the hard-working Eleanor Mallon had Ergnat’s back on level terms by the third-quarter mark and they squeezed in front for the first time when the excellent Carey bagged yet another score on 47 minutes.

This was immediately followed by a superbly-taken goal by O’Neill and this suddenly had the Moneyglass women without sight of a monumental triumph. Traded efforts between Crokes midfielder Doireann Egan and Leah Stewart kept the gap at four, before three points on the bounce from Cotter left the bare minimum between the teams heading into seven minutes of stoppage-time.

This ramped up the tension in an already gripping affair, but thanks to a point at the death by substitute JoJo Darragh, it was the outstanding St Ergnat’s who advanced to face reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne in the All-Ireland final on December 13 at Croke Park.

Scorers

St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass: C Carey 0-6 (4f), M O’Neill 1-3 (0-1f), L Stewart, E Mallon, J Darragh 0-1 each.

Kilmacud Crokes: N Cotter 0-6 (5f), M Davoren 1-2, D Egan, E Rutledge 0-1 each.

ST ERGNAT’S, MONEYGLASS: A Devlin; C Graffin, N McIntosh, L Stewart; A Leahy, S O’Neill, R Bradley; A Kelly, E Louise McAreavey; C Griffin, M O’Neill, N Neeson; B Devlin, C Carey, E Mallon. Subs: L McCann for Kelly (38), J Darragh for B Devlin (44).

KILMACUD CROKES: D Gower; P Greene, E Sweeney, C Regan; S O’Donoghue, A Kane, N Carr; D Egan, K Murray; L Kane, A Davoren, N Cotter; A Conroy, M Davoren, E Rutledge. Subs: K McDaid for L Kane (42), A Bedford for O’Donoghue (45), A O’Grady for Regan, E Kane for Conroy (both 52).

Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).