Navan O’Mahony’s 2-14
Seneschalstown 1-08
In front of a huge crowd in Paddy O’Brien Park, Navan O’Mahony’s secured their place in the final four of the SFC. The match with Seneschalstown was closer than the final score suggests and the ladies go on to face St Peter’s Dunboyne on Saturday.
The first scoring opportunity of the game came when Seneschalstown sent a free narrowly wide. Denise McGrath opened the scoring for O’Mahony’s with a free, followed a few minutes later by an Orlaith Mallon score after a good pass from Megan Collins.
By the twenty-minute mark, Olivia Callan had added two points from play and a Mallon free left five points between the sides. A minute later, Seneschalstown raised their first flag of the day. Eight minutes passed without score until Collins split the posts. On the cusp of injury time, she did one better with a rasper of a shot into the top of the net, putting some distance between the sides.
After a stoppage for an injury, there was over six minutes additional time played and the umpires were busy throughout. Mallon kicked a long range point after the goal and McGrath also added to her earlier tally after a good play from Sophia Fitzherbert. Tara Fay made an impressive run through to set up Robyn Murray for the first of her two points in sixty seconds. Seneschalstown also added two in this time and ten points separated the sides at the break.
Navan O’Mahony’s 1-10
Seneschalstown 0-03
Playing against the wind in the second half, Seneschalstown knew they had to go for it from the start to reduce their deficit. They did exactly what they needed to do and reduced the gap with a well-taken penalty within ninety seconds.
In the fifth and sixth minutes, Seneschalstown added points from play to leave five points between the sides. A good play between Lilly Dwyer and Collins resulted in the latter kicking O’Mahony’s first point of the half.
Over ten minutes passed without score and in this time, Sarah Maguire made a lung-burning sprint down the pitch to disposes a Seneschalstown player in attach. In the fifteenth minute, Rebecca Crowley made an impressive save to send the ball for a 45.
Seneschalstown narrowed the gap to three, scoring three in as many minutes. What looked to be a certain goal was denied when Maguire and Crowley combined to force the attacker wide. Thirty seconds later, Crowley once again sent a shot for a 45.
Six minutes later, there was audible relief from the large home crowd in Paddy O’Brien Park when McGrath kicked an insurance point from a free. Two minutes later Collins found the net once again from play. Two points from Mallon and Callan saw out the game, with Phil Fay’s charges qualifying for the next round.
Navan O’Mahony’s
Rebecca Crowley, Sophia Fitzherbert, Sarah Maguire, Sarah Powderly, Lilly Dwyer, Laoise McDermott, Tara Fay, Eimear Fay, Rebecca Reilly, Robyn Murray (0-02), Denise McGrath (0-03), Neasa McDermott, Orlaith Mallon (0-04), Megan Collins (2-02), Olivia Callan (0-03)
Isabel Thorpe for Murray.
