All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Final
Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 2-08
St Ergnat's, Moneyglass (Antrim) 1-05
At Croke Park
ANTRIM champions Moneyglass fell at the final hurdle after a defeat to Galway champions Kilkerrin at Croke Park on Saturday evening.
The Antrim champions made their historic run after another consecutive Saffron Championship victory which saw them overcome rivals St Paul’s after a 1-16 to 0-4 victory back in October.
Since then they saw off some big opponents en route to Croke Park for Saturday’s final on their maiden voyage to the Senior decider this season.
Bronagh Devlin and Eleanor Mallon left devastated after the defeat
A quarter-final victory over Down champions Bredagh was followed by a three-point win over Armagh's Clann Éireann, before finishing the job in the final against Errigal Ciarán to become Antrim's first Ulster Senior winners.
A semi-final All-Ireland match-up with Dublin and Leinster champions Kilmacud Crokes was their prize and the Antrim champions clinched a two-point victory over their counterparts earning them a chance at eternal.
Saturday’s final saw Kilkerrin-Clonberne awaiting but it would prove a bridge too far as the Galway natives overcame the Antrim ladies to record their fifth senior All-Ireland in succession.
It was the holders who would take the early advantage with majors from Chloe Miskell and Lynsey Noone either side of the half as Kilkerrin-Clonberne defeated St Ergnat's, Moneyglass.
Moneyglass, however, proved they would not be rolled over and their defensive work made the champions really work hard for their crown once more.
Olivia Divilly and Eva Noone eventually kicked a point apiece from frees in the ninth and tenth minutes respectively before ex-Antrim stalwart Cathy Carey split the posts in fine style at the opposite end.
Leah Stewart scored Moneyglass' only goal
The Kilkerrin captain Louise Ward fired over an excellent point from play for the title holders after a later attack, but it wasn’t until the closing ten minutes of the opening period that the game truly sparked into life.
While Moneyglass reduced the gap to a single point through Leah Stewart, Kilkerrin-Clonberne immediately responded with a clinically-taken goal from Chloe Miskell following excellent approach work from Hannah Noone and Nicola Ward.
Moneyglass came roaring back into contention when Leah Stewart found the net just moments before the half-time whistle.
Stewart managed to get in front of her marker and palmed the ball into the net in the 24th minute after a Carey shot for a point had hit the post, but her forward partner scrambled the ball into the net and reduced the deficit.
Olivia Divilly ensured Kilkerrin-Clonberne were two points in front (1-04 to 1-02) at the break and the westerners increased their advantage on the restart with back-to-back scores from midfielder Aisling Madden and Eva Noone.
Miskell added to her earlier goal with a point from close-range as Kilkerrin-Clonberne slowly asserted their authority on this showpiece affair.
First-time finalists St Ergnat’s had come into this game on the back of an outstanding semi-final victory against Kilmacud Crokes, but they found themselves eight points in arrears when Niamh Divilly fed Lynsey Noone inside for a 44th minute goal.
Another score courtesy of Noone’s sister Eva had Kilkerrin-Clonberne nine points ahead moving into the final-quarter, though St Ergnat’s finally interrupted this devastating blitz from their opponents with a fine effort by Maria O’Neill.
Stewart and substitute Bronagh Devlin also found the range for the Ulster side, but Kilkerrin-Clonberne subsequently dominated possession in the closing moments to retain the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.
Sadly for Moneyglass their journey ends in tears at Croke Park, but the journey itself was an historic one which can be built on next season.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne: L Murphy; L Finnegan, S Gormally, K Mee; H Noone, N Ward, N Divilly; S Divilly, A Madden (0-01); O Divilly (0-02, 2f), L Ward (0-01), L Noone; E Noone (0-03, 1f), C Miskell (1-01), C Costello.
Subs: E Hynes for Finnegan (52'), A Shaughnessy for Miskell (57'), C Boyle for L Noone (60').
St Ergnat's, Moneyglass: A Devlin; C Graffin, N McIntosh, L Stewart (1-02); A Leahy, S O’Neill, R Bradley; A Kelly, EL McAreavey; C Griffin, M O’Neill (0-01), L McCann; N Neeson, C Carey (0-01), E Mallon.
Subs: A Griffin for Bradley (44'), B Devlin (0-01) for Kelly (45'), A Boyd for Leahy, J Darragh for Mallon (both 57'), R McErlain for McCann (60').
Referee: Ray McBride (Dublin).
