Limerick 1-13 Offaly 3-10 

Report by John Gavin  

The old adage that ‘goals win games’ was very much to the fore in Saturday’s Division 1 Relegation Playoff and, much to the delight of Offaly supporters, it was in their favour on this occasion.  

Thanks to a hat-trick of goals from Mairead Teehan, Offaly retained their Division 1 status for 2023 with a three-point win over Limerick.  In what was billed as a neutral venue, Teehan had the comfort of playing the match in her home ground of Moneygall and took full advantage of it.  So much so that the 3-5 tally that she scored on the day helped her become the top scorer in Division 1 of the league at the end of the campaign. 

Once play got underway, she quickly opened her account when she ran right through the heart of the Shannonsiders' defence and fired the ball past Claire Keating to give Susan Earner's side a dream start.  Limerick, however, replied immediately with a similar goal when Caoimhe Lyons ran through the Offaly defence and levelled the score with just two minutes on the clock.   

The teams then traded points until the 15th minute when Teehan got her second goal which was followed by two points from Birr’s Faye Mulrooney, the second hit over from a narrow angle near the sideline, and now Offaly led 2-4 to 1-3 and it was a lead that they would never relinquish.  But they did not have it all their own way and as one might expect in a relegation match, every ball was fought for tigerishly.  Sophie O Callaghan helped stem the Offaly flow when she pointed but minutes later as Limerick worked the ball out of their defence, Teehan intercepted the ball and fired it over. It was quickly followed by a long-range free from Aisling Brennan to extend Offaly’s lead. 

Another tough period of play resulted in points for both teams but with half time draw near, a brilliant double save by Eleanor Clendennen in the Offaly goals must have left Limerick wondering how they did not find the back of the net.  They did, however, manage a point from a free from Caoimhe Costello before the break to leave Offaly leading by four points when Ray Kelly’s whistle blew. 

When play resumed, Limerick opened the scoring with an excellent free from Costello.  Next came the score of the match when Teehan soloed the ball in the direction of the Limerick goal and as Claire Keating came out to close her down, the quick-thinking Offaly sharpshooter lobbed the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to complete her hat-trick. 

But Limerick were never going to hand this match to Offaly and next followed their purple patch where they hit five unanswered points to narrow the gap to the minimum. Offaly battled back and a brace of converted Teehan frees and a point from Roisin Egan helped restore their cushion with time running out.  Limerick tried to work the ball in for the goal that they craved but the Offaly defence stood firm and while Caoimhe Costello did manage to convert a free, the victory belonged to Offaly when the final whistle blew.  

Susan Earner would have been a very happy lady afterwards. It has been a difficult campaign for her and her panel that started with the opening fixture against Galway being postponed, followed by giving up home advantage in her team’s match against Tipperary and playing most of the league fixtures without the St Rynagh’s contingent. She will no doubt be delighted that her charges will still be dining at the top table next year.

Teams: 

Limerick: Claire Keating, Emma Kennedy, Neamh Curtin, Stephanie Woulfe, Mairead Ryan, Muireann Creamer, Aoife Nelligan, Sophie O'Callaghan, Orlaith Kelleher, Michelle Curtin, Rebecca Delee, Caoimhe Costelloe, Lorraine McCarthy, Caoimhe Lyons 

Subs: Marian Quaid for Emma Kennedy, Sarah O'Brien for Lorraine McCarthy, Niamh Ryan for Aoife Nelligan, Lizzie Boylan for Michelle Curtin, Caroline Brennan for Neamh Curtin. 

Offaly: Eleanor Clendennen, Sarah Guinan, Aisling Feeney, Siobhan Killeen, Sarah Walshe, Aisling Brennan, Edwina King, Roisin Egan, Louise Mannion, Kaitlyn Kennedy, Mairead Teehan, Christine Cleary, Faye Mulrooney, Sarah Harding, Orla Gorman  

Subs: Jane Lowry for Orla Gorman, Orlagh Phelan for Kaitlyn Kennedy, Clodagh Leahy for Sara Harding, Cayla Fletcher for Edwina King, Catriona Doughan for Faye Mulrooney. 

Scorers:  

Limerick: Caoimhe Costelloe 0-5 (3 frees, 1 45), Caoimhe Lyons 1-1, Rebecca Delee 0-3, Aisling Scanlon 0-2, Orlaith Kelleher 0-1, Sophie O'Callaghan 0-1 

Offaly: Mairead Teehan 3-5 (3 frees, 1 45), Faye Mulrooney 0-2, Sarah Harding 0-1, Aisling Brennan 0-1 (free), Roisin Egan 0-1

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