Wonder Wall sends St Leo's into All-Ireland final
St Leo's celebrate their incredible win in the Junior football All Ireland semi final with a last gasp point over Cashel Community School Photos: Pat Ahern
Fortune favoured the brave in this Lidl PPS All-Ireland Junior Football B Championship semi-final at the MW Hire Training Centre, Dunmore on Wednesday.
At different times over the hour, the Carlow side could very well have thrown in the towel and settled for an honourable defeat but they didn’t. Instead, when the going got tough, they grafted and ended up with the ultimate prize. A place in the All-Ireland final.
They did ride their luck a bit and how they ended up leading 2-5 to 1-3 at the break is anyone’s guess. The eventual winners found themselves 1-3 to 0-1 behind on nine minutes with the goal coming from Lily Gillespie when she pounced on a loose ball at the edge of the small square.
Then St Leo’s persistence was rewarded and they scored two goals in the space of a few minutes when Lucie O’Reilly’s long range free dipped under the crossbar and into the net. Amy Wall was rewarded too when she persevered and scored her side’s second goal.
The Tipperary side came back but found their opponents in no mood to concede. Over the opening 30 minutes, Cashel were also extremely unlucky to see three shots thunder off the crossbar while other attempts came back off the upright and into play. On all occasions, an alert St Leo’s defence completed the clearance. Even then, Cashel’s Caoimhe Lacey had another goal chance but a perfectly timed tackle saw the full-forward shoot wide.
While O’Reilly opened the second half notching a St Leo’s point, Cashel CS came forward in numbers. In the third quarter, they outscored the Carlow side by 3-3 to 0-3. Substitute, Sarah Murphy netted two goals in quick succession and Kate Molumby punched a fourth to put Cashel in pole position.
The game looked up when St Leo’s lost Dearbhla McHugh to what looked like a harsh yellow. The indication from the match referee was that it was for persistent fouling. Injury was rubbed into the wound when, after the corner forward had done her time, she was still not allowed onto the field for over two more minutes.
Yet in the final quarter and with the reduced number St Leo’s dug ever so deep. All around the field players stood up and took responsibility. Wall and O’Reilly raised white flags and Emma Hally replied with a Cashel point.
St Leo’s gave themselves a life-line when O’Reilly ran at the defence before finding the bottom left-hand corner of the net. It was game-on now.
As Cashel CS faded, the eventual winners turned the screw. Wall was the go-to player for scores but the mini-battles were being won by St Leo’s all over the pitch. They sensed it too and with a big school following roaring St Leo’s on the game’s leading scorer landed three points from placed balls and play to bring the sides level.
There was time for more drama. Again Wall was on hand. Seconds earlier she had missed a difficult free which drifted just wide of the left-hand post. This time when she was given a modicum of space to get in her shot, she didn’t miss and the ball flew over the crossbar.
It was the winning score. There was time for no more and the Carlow school headed to an All-Ireland final which twenty minutes beforehand looked highly unlikely. Yes, fortune does favour the brave.
A Wall 1-10 (6fs), L O’Reilly 2-2 (1-1fs).
S Murphy 2-0, K Molumby 1-1, L Gillespie 1-0, A O’Donnell 0-2 (1f), C Lacey 0-2, A Horgan, E Hally 0-1 each.
Aoife Mullins; Aoife O’Sullivan, Sarah Nolan; Faye Brennan, Lara Fanning, Ciara Moran; Mollie Kelly, Chelsey Dooley; Lucie O’Reilly, Amy Wall, Laura Malone; Emma Malone, Molly O’Reilly, Dearbhla McHugh.
Maeve Cummins; Kate Burke, Emma Hally, Siobhan O’Brien; Anna Shelly, Ashling Cully, Dearbhla Hickey; Kate Molumby, Holly Finn; Aoife O’Donnell, Abbie Horgan, Niamh McCarthy; Lily Gillespie, Caoimhe Lacey, Orlaith Grady. Subs: Sarah Murphy for O’Grady (h/t), Aoife McLoughlin for McCarthy (40), Aoibheann Lacey for Lacey (55), Rebecca McLoughlin for Finn (59).
Angela Gallagher (Meath).
