Cork 1-10
Kildare 2-7

by Ger McCarthy

Cork and Kildare played out a thrilling Lidl National Football League Division 1 draw at MTU Cork.

The new rules being trialled in this year’s league had an immediate and positive effect on a cracking first round encounter.

The solo and go was used to good effect and both teams were penalised for not retreating, resulting in numerous close-range frees.

Pat Sullivan’s Kildare adapted better and deservedly led for most of an entertaining game.

The Lillies were 2-6 to 1-6 ahead with less than 10 minutes remaining when Cork found another gear. Two Abigail Ring efforts and a Katie Quirke free, meant it was all square with time almost up.

Then, Alannah Prizemann’s converted free looked to have won it for Kildare. That was until Quirke’s fifth converted free of the afternoon, four minutes into injury-time, salvaged a point for the Rebels.

Kildare were the better team in the opening half and built a 0-5 to 0-3 lead thanks in part to Aoife Murnane’s brace of points.

Mayah Doyle, Aoife Rattigan and Prizemann also scored while Quirke and Grace Ní Mhurchú points kept Cork in touch.

It was Joe Carroll’s team who first billowed the net via a Melissa Duggan goal and looked set to change ends a point to the good. Instead, Aoife Murnane made her presence felt with an injury-time green flag to send the visitors in 1-5 to 1-3 ahead.

A low scoring third quarter saw the team draw level, 1-6 apiece, as Emma Cleary, Leah Hallihan and Quirke (free) scored. Kildare’s Prizemann converted a 13-metre free in response.

Both goalkeepers, Caoime Richmond and Rachel Fennin, produced excellent point-blank saves to keep the score unchanged until the 50th minute.

That was when Murnane left three Cork defenders in her wake and walloped the ball into the net to make it 2-6 to 1-6. An exciting finale saw Cork draw level before Prizemann and Quirke exchanged frees at either end.

Kildare will feel this is one that got away with a new-look Cork thankful to have a point on the board on their first day back in Division 1.

Scorers for Cork: K Quirke 0-5 (0-5 f), M Duggan 1-0, A Ring 0-2, G Ní Mhurchú, E Cleary, L Hallihan 0-1 each.

Kildare: A Murnane 2-2, A Prizemann 0-2 (0-2 f), M Doyle, A Rattigan, J Harney 0-1 each.

CORK: C Richmond; M Duggan,D Kiniry, K Horgan; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Ní Mhurchú,  E Cleary (captain); R O’Regan, K Quirke, L Hallihan. Subs: Á Terry O’Sullivan for R O’Regan (42), K Redmond for A O’Mahony (50), A Ring for L Hallihan (50), E Hurley for R Leahy (57), C Hughes for R Corkery (58).

KILDARE: R Fennin; E Wheeler, R Sargent, M Doherty; H McLoughlin, L Shaw, L Lenehan (captain); N Murphy, G Wheeler; M Doyle, C Wheeler, A Rattigan; A Murnane, L Curran, A Prizeman. Subs: J Harney for L Curran (2, inj), M Aspell for M Doyle (37), M McDonagh for G Wheeler (52), R Forde for A Rattigan (46), A Mahon for J Harney (57), A Cahill for A Prizemann (58).

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow). 

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