Cracking Carlow comeback lands Ladies Leinster title
2026 TG4 Leinster Ladies Football Junior Champions, Carlow. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile.
Cedral St Conleth's Park in Newbridge was the venue as Carlow realised their TG4 Leinster Junior Football Championship dream with a ten-point victory over Longford on Saturday afternoon.
Carlow hit the ground running but failed to build on an early lead and left the field at half time trailing by two points. Manager Ed Burke was without two of his top performers this season, Caoimhe O'Neill and Cliodhna Ni She, and it took his team quite a long time to adapt to their absence.
But they were a different prospect after the break, scoring 1-11 in a awesome second half, led by Player of the Match, Sara Doyle, who finished the day with 1-5, including a brilliant 1-3 in a thunderous five-minute spell at the start of the half.
This was the third time these two teams have faced off this season, with Carlow prevailing on both previous occasions, winning 4-13 to 0-3 in Division 4 of the National Football League in late February, and winning 2-10 to 0-9 in the opening round of the championship just three weeks ago.
Carlow began creating chances right from the throw in, and needed just five minutes to raise the first green flag of the afternoon, with captain Roisin Bailey carving through the Longford defence before playing in Edel Hayden who fired a left-footed rocket beyond Aoife Cooney and into the top corner.
There were ten minutes gone before the first point was kicked, with a brilliant jink down the left from Longford's Michelle Farrell who then cut inside to score, only for a that to be cancelled out thanks to a great recovery score from Sara Doyle.
Longford should have levelled matters midway through the half when Shauna Hagan found herself one-on-one with Nicole Hanley, but the Old Leighlin goalkeeper made the save.
Longford kept coming and kicked the next five points on the bounce, with two from Aoife Darcy, one a free, and a beauty from Michelle Farrell which made it a draw match after 20 minutes.
Katie Crawford was next to split the Carlow posts as Longford took the lead for the first time before Kamille Burke doubled their advantage moments later.
Carlow needed a score and quickly, but despite creating numerous chances they simply could not keep their shots on target as the umpires waved off eight wides in the first half, with another three shots dropping short and into the hands of Cooney.
Ed Burke's side play a lovely brand of free-flowing, quick-passing football; but Longford are very familiar with it at this stage of the season and managed to keep Carlow under wraps for most of the half, with some seriously physically defending leaving their side up 0-6 to 1-1 at half time.
Carlow were faster out of the blocks after the break, however, and landed a score from Bailey three minutes into the second half.
A brilliant run from Megan Townsend then saw Kate Burke hauled down, with Laois referee Eoghan O'Neill awarding a penalty in the 35th minute.
Doyle took the responsibility and slotted the ball into the bottom corner before adding a point seconds later to make it 2-3 to 0-6 and complete a remarkable turnaround.
Doyle extended the lead with a free before linking up with 16-year-old sensation, Maria Healy, just off the bench, for a sublime score.
Aoife Darcy knocked over a free at the other end - Longford's first score of the half coming in the 42nd minute. But Carlow returned fire through Bronagh Nolan before Healy raised a white flag to make it a two-score game approaching the final quarter.
Longford went on the attack again, but Carlow turned the ball over and went straight down the other end where Kate Burke kicked a fine point, although that was quickly cancelled that out by Michelle Farrell.
Carlow closed the game out well in the final stages, with Edel Hayden, Aoibhinn Webb, Sara Doyle and Roisin Bailey all on target, as well as two shots denied by the woodwork, as they finished the campaign in style.
The sun came out just in time for Carlow to celebrate on the field before Roisin Bailey climbed the steps in Newbridge as she got her hands on the trophy.
Sara Doyle 1-5 (1-0p, 0-1f), Edel Hayden 1-1, Roisin Bailey 0-2, Bronagh Nolan, Maria Healy, Kate Burke, and Aoibhinn Webb 0-1 each.
Aoife Darcy (2f) and Michelle Farrell 0-3 each, Katie Crawford and Kamille Burke 0-1 each.
Nicole Hanley (Old Leighlin); Aoife Carroll (Kildavin), Anne Roche (Old Leighlin), Siofra O'Neill (Old Leighlin); Aoibhinn Webb (Bennekerry-Tinryland), Niamh Forde (Old Leighlin), Ruth Bermingham (Bennekerry-Tinryland); Roisin Bailey (St Anne's), Kate Burke (Old Leighlin); Edel Hayden (Eire Og), Bronagh Nolan (Old Leighlin), Amy Hanley (Old Leighlin); Megan Townsend (Eire Og), Sara Doyle (St Brigid’s), Aibha Kiernan (St Brigid’s).
Maria Healy (St Anne's) for Townsend (38), Sarah Nolan (Bennekerry-Tinryland) for Burke (50), Beibhinn Nolan (Old Leighlin) for Hayden (54).
Aoife Cooney; Aisling Scanlon, Leanne Keegan, Emma Doris; Sorcha Dawson, Emma Bleakley, Emma Farrell; Sian Gallagher, Shauna Hagan; Hannah Burke, Michelle Farrell, Aoife Nolan; Katie Crawford, Kamille Burke, Aoife Darcy.
Funmi Talabi for Hagan (inj, 15), Sara Drake for Nolan (48), Rachel Fallon and Aibhe Mulligan for Talabi and Farrell (both 52), Katherine Kilduff for Doris (58).
Eoghan O'Neill (Laois).
