Ladies got in on the Croke Park act
December 30, 2010There was little in the early-season form to suggest that Louth ladies would enjoy such a memorable campaign. But, like a good diesel engine, the girls gathered pace as the year progressed, cranking through the gears slickly, to finish with a high-octane run to the All-Ireland junior final, which was played as part of a massive Croke Park triple-header at Croker at noon on September 26th. On such a magnificent year for Louth football in general, it was fantastic to see the girls flying the flag on the national stage.
The team made an inauspicious start to the year, using the league to find their feet. In Division Four of the NFL, Louth finished fourth from the six teams, with six points from their five outings, winning just twice. They lost their league opener to Limerick by 2-2 to 1-2 at Stabannon on February 7th and recorded a 0-12 to 1-4 win over Kilkenny at the same venue seven says later. After a four-point defeat to Antrim, Louth lost to Leitrim (3-15 to 0-8) at Dowdallshill and closed their programme with a great 3-13 to 1-7 defeat of Offaly in Walsh Island. This was enough to earn a place in the Division Four semi-final, which Leitrim won by 5-10 to 0-6 at Ballyconnell on April 25th.
Clearly, there was much work to be done ahead of the championship and the girls did brilliantly to carve out a superb season that brought back memories of those magical 1998 and '99 All-Ireland junior and intermediate successes. Alas, on this occasion, the Reds were pipped by a powerful Limerick team in an engaging junior showcase at Croke Park, but there was no shame in losing that one and this new-look team had more than put Louth back on the ladies football map.
In the build-up to the All-Ireland JFC, Louth qualified for a third successive Leinster junior final - wherein they met Wicklow for the third consecutive year. Louth went into the match as holders, beating Carlow by 3-14 to 1-2 in their semi-final, but the Garden girls got the better of them in the 2010 provincial decider in Carlow in mid-July. While this was a disappointing defeat, it was quickly wiped from the memory banks as Dermot Agnew's charges kicked their All-Ireland junior championship bid off in style with a stunning 4-6 to 0-17 group stage defeat of none other than Wicklow at Stabannon on Sunday July 25th.
The thrilling one-point win more than compensated for the Leinster final loss a week earlier. It was Louth's ability to find the net that proved decisive, with Catherine Page striking first on seven minutes before Caoimhe Breen made a fantastic save. Anne Marie Murphy had provided the assist for Louth's opening major and she was again the architect as Laura O'Neill netted to make it 2-1 to 0-4. After Wicklow had levelled, Maria Reid fired a third Louth goal and Page's second goal made for unbelievable reading on the half-time scoreboard: 4-2 to 0-9.
The visitors were fired up for the second half and were on terms going into the closing stages but a brace of Susan Byrne points saw the Reds over the winning line. Louth, 2010 All-Ireland ladies JFC group stage V Wicklow: Caoimhe Breen; Anne Marie Lynch, Sandra Lynch, Aine McGee; Patricia Marmion, Grace Lynch (0-1), Siobhan McDonnell; Rosanna Heeney (0-1), Grace Rogers; Susan Byrne (0-3), Kate Flood, Catherine Page (2-0); Maria Reid (1-0), Anne Marie Murphy (0-1), Laura O'Neill (1-0). Subs: Grainne Mackin for P Marmion, Katie Rafferty for M Reid.
A win or draw against Wexford in the second group match would have ensured Louth of an All-Ireland semi-final place, but unfortunately they slipped to a 3-9 to 1-8 defeat. Thus, all three teams in the section had finished on two points each, so their names went into a hat and Wexford got a Bye to the semi-final, with Louth having to face Wicklow once more for the fourth place in the last four.
The Louth team beaten by Wexford was: Caoimhe Breen; Anne Marie Lynch, Sandra Lynch, Aine McGee; Patricia Marmion, Grace Lynch, Siobhan McDonald; Rosanna Heeney (0-2), Grace Rogers; Susan Byrne, Kate Flood (1-0), Catherine Page; Maria Reid (0-4), Anne Marie Murphy (0-1), Laura O'Neill (0-1). Subs: Patsy McGuinness for S Lynch, Grainne Mackin for S Byrne, Amy Gernon for L O'Neill.
Louth's latest encounter with the Garden County took place at Hollywood on Sunday August 22nd and Dermot Agnew's team dug deep to record a remarkable 3-12 to 6-2 success. Incredibly, the Wee County were ten points behind with about eleven minutes left but somehow managed to pull this play-off match out of the fire. The astonishing comeback was completed when Susan Byrne struck the third and decisive Louth goal in the third minute of injury time - an inspirational solo score.
Wicklow hit Louth for four goals in the first half and had roared into a seemingly-insurmountable 6-2 to 0-10 lead by the 49th minute. But Louth landed 3-2 to no reply in the closing stages. Kate Flood began the fightback with a 50th-minute point and Anne Marie Murphy then pounced for two goals in as many minutes. After a further Maria Reid minor, Byrne supplied the unbelievable coup de grace.
Louth - 2010 All-Ireland ladies junior football championship group play-off V Wicklow: Caoimhe Breen; Anne Marie Lynch, Sandra Lynch (0-1), Aine McGee; Patricia Marmion, Grace Lynch, Siobhan McDonald; Rosanna Heeney, Grace Rogers; Susan Byrne (1-2), Kate Flood (0-2), Catherine Page (0-2); Marie Reid (0-2), Anne Marie Murphy (2-3), Laura O'Neill.
The girls were on a roll now and they duly qualified for the All-Ireland junior final for the first time in twelve years with a spectacular 3-10 to 2-10 win over Derry at Emyvale, County Monaghan on Saturday August 28th. The Wee County made a flying start when Kate Flood found the net after just 30 seconds and they had points from Anne Marie Murphy, Grace Lynch and Sandra Lynch before Susan Byrne provided the second goal to make it 2-3 to no score after ten minutes.
Derry rallied but Flood fired her second goal three minutes before the break to give the Leinster county a 3-6 to 0-5 interval cushion. The losers made a real game of it in the second half but Louth held on defiantly, with Anne Marie Murphy and Catherine Page clipping over vital points. Louth, 2010 All-Ireland ladies junior football championship semi-final V Derry: Caoimhe Breen; Anne Marie Lynch, Siobhan McDonald, Aine McGee; Patricia Marmion, Grace Lynch (0-1), Grace Rogers; Sandra Lynch (0-1), Orlaith Kirk; Susan Byrne (1-1), Kate Flood (2-0), Rosanna Heeney; Maria Reid (0-1), Anne Marie Murphy (0-2), Catherine Page (0-4).
In the run-up to the All-Ireland final, Louth boss Dermot Agnew was quietly confident that his young side could upset Limerick (who had easily won the 2009 semi-final between the two teams): "It's a good achievement but we have one more hurdle to cross. We have our work cut out for us in the final, but Limerick as a team do not scare us. On the day, I hope we can show them the good football we are capable of playing but I am confident that we will do ourselves proud. We will not be a walkover for them, that's for sure. Some retired, some moved on and we had to rebuild on the foundations that were left, but the commitment of the ladies this year has been second to none."
Louth went into the All-Ireland final as clear underdogs and they produced a gallant performance at Croke Park in the curtain-raiser, leading by six points at the break only to fall to a 4-10 to 3-8 defeat. They gave a superb battling display but in the end had to bow to the Munster county's superior firepower. Susan Byrne and Catherine Page got the only scores of the opening quarter and, after Limerick had levelled, Louth struck two goals inside a minute through Anne Marie Murphy, one from play and one from a penalty: 2-2 to 0-2.
Points followed from Maria Reid and Murphy and, when Kate Lynch fisted to the net on the stroke of half time, the Wee County assumed a commanding 3-4 to 1-4 interval lead. Limerick took control of the game in the second half and led by 3-8 to 3-7 with ten minutes left, Orlaith Kirk (2) and Flood supplying the Louth points in the second half. Flood got a late consolation point as Louth's brave All-Ireland bid ran out of steam in the home straight.
After the final whistle had sounded on Louth's great year, a proud team manager enthused: "The year could have gone badly for us because we lost 15 players - eleven from the starting XV - so there was a re-building process at the start of the season and that continued right to the end of the league and into the championship. So it could have been much worse.
"There are some great players there and there'll be a few more to come through in the next few years. I've no doubt that this squad will get their due desserts in the years to come and they will win the junior championship; hopefully the intermediate as well. Louth football is on the up and we'll make our mark over the next two or three years."
Louth, 2010 All-Ireland junior ladies football championship final V Limerick: Caoimhe Breen; Aine McGee, Sarah Quinn, Grace Lynch; Patricia Marmion, Anne Marie Lynch, Siobhan McDonald; Orlaith Kirk (0-2), Roseanne Heeney; Susan Byrne (0-1), Kate Flood (0-2), Sandra Lynch; Maria Reid (0-1), Anne Marie Murphy (2-1), Catherine Page (0-1). Subs: Grace Rogers for S McDonald, Laura O'Neill for M Reid, Grainne Mackin for P Marmion. Tweet
