Ladies: Minors lose to Dublin aet
May 07, 2012Meath v Dublin
Sarsfields Newbridge Kildare
Throw in: 2.45pm
May 5th 2012
Half Time Score Meath 2-6 Dublin 1-5
Full Time Score Meath 2-10 Dublin 3-7
Extra Time Score Meath 2-12 Dublin 3-11
Match Report
It's hard to know where to begin after this pulsating clash in Newbridge. All that was good about Gaelic football was in evidence in Newbridge. This game had everything lovely passing, edge of the seat suspension literally to the last kick of the game. The first half was interesting. Meath got off to a great start with Áine Bennett up front blasting the ball to the Dublin net in the opening minutes. We were up by four at one stage but back came Dublin after a ball broke loose in the full back line who were all dragged out of position and the Dublin full forward ghosted in and beat Ciara our keeper to the ball and toe poked to the net to leave the match all square however Meath refused to wilt and four points in succession left us four up at the break and we were thirty minutes away from lifting the cup. In the second half we outscored Dublin four points to two and our midfield was dominant and with five minutes left we were six points up and Dublin really had to go for broke and they goaled within a minute to leave three in it and unbelievably they goaled again to leave the tie all square and missed an opportunity to win it at the death.
A draw was a fair result and into extra time the game went. All along Dublin stretched our defense and they outscored us four points to two to go two up and their tails were up. Then right at the death with time almost up Meath were handled a lifeline and Dublin conceded a penalty and upped stepped Sinead Coyle. If the ball was buried Meath would win by a point but the ball crashed off the crossbar to safety and Dublin retained their title in dramatic circumstances. Meath dominated the match yet failed to close out the game. It definitely was the one that got away.
However on reflection Meath were super throughout and really played their hearts out and made Dublin look like a really ordinary team. They were just desperately unlucky at the death. This team gave everything they had on the day and were the best bunch of the girls in many years to put on the Meath jersey at minor level and the future surely looks bright for a number of them at senior level but that is scant consolation for a team who ultimately came up centimetres short in a quite absorbing game in a classic Meath-Dublin epic
Meath Team
Ciara Donoghue (Moynalvey) Aisling Sheridan (Simonstown) Niamh Lister (Simonstown) Ellen Hennelly (Walterstown) Laura Bagnall (Boardsmill) Emma Troy (Boardsmill) Michelle Peel (Donaghmore/Ashbourne) Kate Byrne (Duleek/ Bellewstown) Helen Regan (Boardsmill) Shauna Ennis (Na Fianna) Laura Dempsey (Boardsmill) Sinead Coyle (Oldcastle) Meabh Downey (Na Fianna ) Áine Bennett (Oldcastle) Adrienne McCann (Ratoath)
Subs Normal Time: Aoife Weston (Moynalvey) for Adrienne McCann, Leslie Buchanan (Saint Ultans) for Sinead Coyle, Katie Callaghan (Ratoath) for Meabh Downey
Subs In Extra Time
Sinead Coyle for Áine Bennett, Laura Griffin (Boardsmill) for Aoife Weston, Áine Bennett for Leslie Buchanan
Meath Scorers
Laura Dempsey 0-4, Sinead Coyle 0-3 (2f), Shauna Ennis 1-0, Áine Bennett 1-0, Aoife Weston 0-2, Helen Regan 0-1, Meabh Downey 0-1, Katie Callaghan 0-1. Tweet
