Leinster ladies SFC: three in a row for Kilmacud
November 10, 2024
Kilmacud Crokes players, from left, Kate Murray, Aoife Kane and Lauren Magee after the AIB Leinster LGFA Senior Club Final between Eadestown and Kilmacud Crokes at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 4-14
Eadestown (Kildare) 0-3
By Daire Walsh
Michelle Davoren helped herself to an outstanding haul of 2-3 at Glenisk O’Connor Park on Sunday as Dublin’s Kilmacud Crokes secured their third AIB Leinster LGFA Senior Club Championship title in succession with a commanding victory over Eadestown.
There was just over 30 seconds gone on the clock when Crokes bagged their first goal of this contest – Eabha Rutledge rattling the net from close-range following excellent build-up play from Amy Conroy and Michelle Davoren.
The latter subsequently raised a green flag in the third minute after her namesake, Galway captain Ailbhe Davoren, had fisted the ball over the bar and as the play progressed in the Offaly venue, Crokes continued to exert their authority in clinical style.
After she had joined Niamh Cotter (free), Kate Murray and Aoife Kane in registering unanswered points, Michelle Davoren rolled home her second goal of the action on the stroke of 10 minutes.
The Davoren double act pushed forward either side of the first-quarter mark as Ailbhe and Michelle (two) found the range to create even further daylight between themselves and the Kildare champions. Wing-back Murray also chipped in with her second point of the game and even though Eadestown finally opened their account through Siobhan O’Sullivan’s 25th minute free, a similar effort from Cotter at the opposite end ensured Kilmacud brought a 3-10 to 0-1 cushion into the interval.
Despite the introduction of four substitutes after the resumption, Crokes maintained their foothold on this game. In between points by Rutledge and Ailbhe Davoren, a speculative shot by midfielder Grace Kos dropped into the net for a fourth goal on 36 minutes.
Eadestown were without the services of inter-county triumvirate Grace Clifford, Aoife Clifford and Ruth Sargent for this game – the latter was a late withdrawal through injury – but they eventually added their second score of the action when substitute Misha Magee expertly split the posts from a tight right-hand angle in the 53rd minute.
Their teenage full-forward Abaigh Cahill also converted a free in the closing stages, but with Ailbhe Davoren and substitute Doireann Egan slotted over points before it, Kilmacud breezed over the line and into a forthcoming All-Ireland senior club championship semi-final.
Scorers – Kilmacud Crokes: M Davoren 2-3, E Rutledge 1-1 (0-1f), A Davoren 0-4, G Kos 1-0, N Cotter 0-2 (2f), K Murray 0-2, A Kane, D Egan 0-1 each. Eadestown: S O’Sullivan 0-1 (f), A Cahill 0-1 (f), M Magee 0-1.
KILMACUD CROKES: D Gower; N Carr, E Sweeney, P Greene; A Kane, M Lamb, K Murray; G Kos, L Magee; N Cotter, A Davoren, L Kane; A Conroy, M Davoren, E Rutledge. Subs: A Jones for Sweeney, S O’Donoghue for Lamb, C Moran for Cotter, D Egan for Conroy (all h-t), A Bedford for Kos (42).
EADESTOWN: A Jebb; A Ní Raghllaigh, D Tierney, AM Logue; A Mernagh, A Kelly, MA Ryan; S O’Sullivan, L Byrne; A Hynes, G Kenneally, J Harney; T Bedford, A Cahill, S Carroll. Subs: K Harney for Kelly (40), K Murphy for Carroll (42), M Magee for Bedford (49).
Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).
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