Thinks Hopping Up In Division One of National Ladies Football League

It was a day of change in Division One of the Lidl National Ladies Football League as the eight competing sides begin to fight it out for the four semi final positions with two rounds of games to be played.

Donegal made a giant step move in a bid to become one of the four sides that reach the knockout stages of the competition when they recorded a 2-6 to 0-8 win over Donegal in Ballyshannon.

Geraldine McLaughlin once again proved to be top scorer for the Ulster side as she hit 1-5 of her side’s tally on the day.

They turned around at the break leading 1-3 to 0-5 lead. The home side opened the scoring with a free from Geraldine McLaughlin but the vistitors followed up with scores from Sadhbh O’Leary, Saoirse Noonan and Orla Finn to go two points in front.  

Amy Boyle Carr netted for the home side on 21 minutes and this score was followed up by Geraldine McLaughlin’s second of the game putting her side two points in front, but that lead was halved when Orla Finn pointed for the Rebellettes. Prior to the break McLaughlin and Finn would convert for their respective sides giving the home side the slanderous of leads at the break.

The same two players began the second half with an exchange of scores before the most telling score of the game came on 38 minutes when Geraldine McLaughlin tipped through the visitors defence to land her side a second goal in this game.

McLaughlin and Finn again swapped scores before Niamh Hegarty secured the win for the home side with a point.

While Galway’s senior hurlers were playing and beating their counterparts from Tipperary at Pearse Stadium in Salthill, 25 miles North-East of the seaside venue the Ladies Footballers from the same two counties were doing battle at Tuam Stadium, where the outcome was the same, a win for Galway.

With Cork loosing in Ballyshannon Galway took advantage to move top of the table bringing their points total to 12 from a possible 15, their loss of points coming in the opening round of fixtures when they lost 5-4 to 1-15 in Corofin to Waterford.

 The home side opened the scoring in this game with scores from Fabienne Cooney, Ailbhe Davoren and Andrea Trill to go three points in front with ten minutes played.

Caitlin Kennedy hit the Premier Counties first score of the game but it was followed up with scores from Róisín Leonard and Lynsey Noone. Anna Carey pulled one back for the visitors but another score from Lynsey Noon gave the home side an 0-6 to 0-2 advantage at the break.

Róisín Leonard opened the second half scoring with a point and on 37 minutes the same player drew a great save from Lauren Fitzpatrick in the Tipperary goal and as Lynsey Noon attempted to finish off a rebound she was fouled for a penalty from which Róisín Leonard made no mistake.

Ashling Moloney pointed for Tipperary before Lucy Hannon and Emma Morrissey swapped scores giving the home side a 1-8 to 0-4 lead with 19 minutes remaining.

Lucy Hannon, Andrea Trill and Tracey Leonard all hit late scores for the home side to move them top of the Division One league table.

In Swinford Mayo had a four point win over Westmeath who over the course of sixty plus minutes hit just two scores both of which resulted in the raising of green flags.

Rachel Kearns finished top scorer for the home side who finished the game with eight of her side’s ten scores in this game.

Scores were hard won for the second game in a row play at the Swinford venue. Natasha Gaughan opened the scoring on two minutes but it was another 20 minutes before another score would arrive.

Rachel Kearns hit a brace of late scores for the home side in this game while Ciara McManamon would hit one to give their side a 0-4 to no score lead at the break.

Lucy McCartan opened the second half scoring with a goal for the visitors but Rachel Kearns would follow up with four points in a row to put the home side 0-8 to 1-0 comfortably in front.

Rachel Kearns would follow up with a brace of further scores for the home side but in between the visitors would make things a little more difficult for the home side when Leona Archibold planted a penalty to the back of the the Mayo net.

Meanwhile in Dungarvan’s Fraher Field Three in a row All-Ireland Champions – Dublin were made fight hard to earn a second win in this year’s Ladies National Football League when they played Waterford at.

The old adage that goals wins games proved to be once again true here as Mick Bohan’s side hit a brace in each half to help them to a four point win.

Waterford played with the wind at their backs in the opening half of this game and raced into a six point lead by the thirteenth minute a lead which they had stretched to seven by the 24 minute, but two late first half goals proved decisive as Waterford turned around with a 0-10 to 2-2 advantage on the board.

Róisín Tobin who is one of the longest serving player in this group of players after the retirement of Michelle Ryan opened the scoring in the first minute and the home sides lead was doubled a minute later when Kelly Anne Hogan put over from a free.

Long serving supporters of the Waterford Ladies Football Teams will remember Róisín Tobin in her early days playing with the county at Intermediate level did so as a wind back but in recent years she has moved very successfully into the forward line and have even come back from a serious injury a few years back, and she hit her second of the game on four minutes to put Waterford three up.

Kelly Anne Hogan put over a brace of frees to stretch Waterford’s lead to five by the ninth minute and when Chloe Fennell put over four minutes later it was looking extremely good for Waterford.

Dublin hit their first score of the game on the quarter of an hour mark when Siobhan Woods pointed from play and three minutes later Carla Rowe pointed from a free.

Katie Murray extended Waterford’s lead on 21 minutes and Kelly Anne Hogan followed up with a brace of successful frees putting Waterford in the driving seat.

But Dublin are not All-Ireland Champions with the past three years for nothing and in the dying minutes of this game they began to call on all of the experience picked up over the last few years.

Siobhan Woods netted their first goal on 26 minutes and while Róisín Tobin would hit her third goal of the game on the half hour mark, Dublin gave themselves renewed home going into the second half when they would have the wind at their backs when Noelle Healy netted their second goal of the game in added time which left them trailing 0-10 to 2-2 at the break.

Caoimhe McGrath and Katie Murray landed scores for the home side in the first ten minutes of the half without the visitors responding.

But two goals in two minutes for the visitors proved decisive. Carla Rowe pointed on 42 minutes and two minutes later the same player netted from the penalty spot conceded by full back Róisín Dunphy who was sent to the stand by the referee for the next ten minutes after he flashed a yellow card in her direction.

And on 46 minutes seven time All-Star Sinead Ahearne netted a fourth goal for her side 4-3 to 0-12 in front. Once the visitors had taken the lead they were not going to give it up easily and they added points from Carla Rowe and Eabha Rutledge putting them further in front.

Both sides decided to send on replacements over the following minutes which broke the flow of the game, but there was time for one more to be hit in stoppage time and it went to Waterford with Caoimhe McGrath the player to hit it.