Navan O’Mahony’s 1-12 Trim 2-04
It was an impressive end to an impressive year for Navan O’Mahony’s minors in the Div 1 Final, with Trim providing a tough battle. Claiming any Div 1 title is a great achievement, with Navan O’Mahony’s and a number of this panel completing the trio of U16, U17 and Minor Div 1 titles in 2022.
The play was slow to start, with no score for over five minutes before Órlaith Mallon raised the first white flag of the day for her side. Two minutes later and Trim had equalised, a position which was held for almost six minutes. It was midway through the half when the third score of the game came, and it was the visitors who took the lead. They soon added to this, and with a goal and a point in quick succession had quickly built up a five-point lead.
Paul Mallon’s charges were undeterred however and just kept plugging away at their own game, letting the scoreboard look after itself. In the second quarter, Navan O’Mahony’s regained control of the game with Mallon adding two points to her earlier tally to get the ball rolling. Within a sixty second period, the deficit was reduced to the minimum with a Lauren Woods point from play and a Muireann Nelson free.
With two minutes left on the clock, Mallon brought the sides level once again with a well-taken free. Looking like it would be all square at the interval, on the cusp of half-time Mallon split the posts with another free, ensuring that her side held the advantage at the break.
Navan O’Mahony’s 0-07 Trim 1-03
Once again in the second half, scores were not easy to come by and five minutes passed without the umpires raising a flag. When the first score did come, it was for the visitors and so drew the sides level again. Half-time substitute Cara Ratty brought her side back into advantage with a point from play after nine minutes.
Seven more minutes elapsed with Navan O’Mahony’s only holding the lead by the bare minimum. Mallon pointed twice from play, extending the lead to three points before this was doubled when captain Olivia Callan rattled the Trim net. This six-point lead didn’t last however as Trim soon worked their way down the far end of the field, with a deadly accurate shot from the twenty yard line to the top left hand corner, leaving netminder Ciara Blake with no chance of saving.
Enough had been done to hold the day however, as this proved to be Trim’s last score of the game. Points from Mallon and Woods sealed the deal, and Navan O’Mahony’s are the proud holders of the Minor Div 1 title, presented to captain Olivia Callan by Brian McKeown.
Navan O’Mahony’s: Ciara Blake, Sarah Maguire, Doireann Mellett, Alannah Brady, Jorja Keogh, Robyn Murray, Neasa McDermott, Rebecca Reilly, Amber Cosgrove, Charlie Murray, Olivia Callan (1-0), Caoimhe Cullen, Órlaith Mallon (0-08), Lauren Woods (0-02), Muireann Nelson (0-01)
Subs: Cara Ratty (0-01) for Cullen, Isobel Thorpe for Nelson, Nelson for Murray