The Village Barn Senior LGF Championship: Mullingar Shamrocks 0-14 Garrycastle 2-12 

The scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for Garrycastle but nothing could be further from the truth. 

The best Shamrocks team performance of the season (and maybe for a couple of seasons) is hidden behind the bare statistics of the scoreline.  The lack of supporters was disappointing despite the request to come out and support the girls in green but next weekend will give our members an opportunity for redress as we play Killucan in the final game of the league stages of the championship with a place in the knock-out stages at stake.

Shamrocks began impressively withpoints by Rachel Cheevers and Karen Hegarty. The latter point followed a great interception by Susanna Buckley that set up Karen for the score. Garrycastle responded by kicking five successive points from Grace Halligan, Sarah Dollan (0-2), Shannon Mulvihill and Lorraine Duncan. Two great points by Karen Hegarty reduced the deficit to the minimum at the first water break (0-5 to 0-4). Patricia Igoe pointed for Garrycastle before Shamrocks delivered ten minutes of excellent play during which time Garrycastle were outscored 0-4 to 0-2. Chloe Smullen and Anna Jones worked a short free that ended with a Chloe point. Anna pointed from play to complete a long bout of patient possession football; Karen Hegarty added another point from play before Susanna Buckley and Anna Jones combined to create an opportunity for Chloe Smullen who kicked her second point of the half. Áine Lynn completed the first half scoring with Shamrocks leading by 0-8 to 0-7. 

Shamrocks tagged on three unanswered points after the interval; Anna Jones and Chloe Smullen combined from a free and this time Anna was the scorer; Karen Hegarty added two superb scores with elements of individual and team brilliance contributing to the scores. Caoimhe Gaffney began the move for the first and Allison Bane set the second in motion. Great blocks by Siobhán O’Donnell, Melek Fagan at the other end prevented a goal to preserve the Shamrocks lead of 0-11 to 0-7.  Garrycastle responded and attacked in droves and Danielle Madden and Aoife Connolly pointed either side of the water break. A brilliant Lauren McCormack save preserved the Shamrocks lead before points from Grace Halligan and  a spectacular one from Lisa Fitzpatrick brought the sides level once again (0-11). 

Shamrocks responded brilliantly and a great passing movement ended with Rachel Cheevers skimming the crossbar with the finishing shot. It might have been a goal; a great restart by Lauren McCormack found Anna Jones who delivered to Rachel who won the ball under pressure and returned the pass to Anna who pointed (0-13 to 0-11). Three kicks and a point.  Danielle Madden and Chloe Smullen (after a great Máiread Newman run) exchanged points and with just two minutes remaining Shamrocks held a 0-14 to 0-12 lead.  

Two minutes of heartbreak followed as an Aoife Connolly lobbed shot escaped the clutches of Lauren and dropped just over the line for a crucial goal. A turnover from the restart ended with the award of a penalty to Garrycastle that was competently dispatched by Aoife Connolly to guarantee Garrycastle  the victory on 2-12 to 0-14 scoreline.  

It was a cruel result for a group of players that had produced their best display of the season and one of their finest displays against Garrycastle in recent times. The result was heartbreaking but the PERFORMANCE was a huge positive for all involved. The tactical approach has evolved nicely since our first outing, there is a buy-in to the game plan,  the tackling and defending was patient and disciplined and in the forward line Karen Hegarty (the best forward on view with six points from play to her credit), Chloe Smullen (improving with every game) and Rachel Cheevers worked hard to ensure that the game plan remained intact and at the final whistle Karen, Chloe and Rachel had contributed 0-11 to the team total. 

Mullingar Shamrocks: Lauren McCormack; Annemarie O’Reilly, Siobháin O’Donnell, Melek Fagan; Chloe Swarbrigg, Máiread Newman, Caoimhe Gaffney (Jenna Kelly); Tara Fagan, Anna Jones (0-3); Allison Bane, Karen Hegarty (0-6), Micaela O’Connor; Chloe Smullen (0-3), Rachel Cheevers (0-2), Susanna Buckley. 

Under-14 Girls LGF  

It has been a good weekend for our Under-14 Girls LGF squads. On Friday evening, the girls made the journey to Loughnavalley and had a significant victory over the home side in the Division 2 Championship. This victory reversed a loss to the same opposition earlier in the season. 

On Sunday, the Division 5 squad played very well and had a great win against Clanna Gaels.  Even better, for the girls, on Friday evening the panel were presented with vouchers for the Mullingar Cinema sponsored by Padraig Farrell of Farrell Aviation Services Limited. 

We thank Padraig for his generous gesture to all members of both panels.   

Under-13 Boys in Semi-Final 

 

Well done to our Under-13 Boys squad who qualified for the Under-13 Division 1 semi-final on Friday evening with a victory against Garrycastle.

 

Under 12 Garrycastle Tournament: Mullingar Shamrocks qualify for final stages

 

‘Them’s the breaks’ is a phrase often heard on the side of a pitch, but seldom does it reflect the actual break that leaves heartbreak in a dressing room. Last night in Tubber, Co Offaly, a free decision resulted in a brave Mullingar Shamrocks u-12 side concede 3 quick goals in succession against an older, tougher St Manchan's (amalgamation from Offaly) side which ultimately broke a great fight back that Shamrocks had underwent in the second half. The 3 goals pinged in one after the other, just as shamrocks had pulled the game by the scruff of the neck and had got within a point of this tough combination side featuring the cream of the crop of 4 clubs. Shamrocks had displayed great character and the lads heads can be held high, even after going down in Tubber 3.10 - 1.08. 

 

The opening stages were tough as Shamrocks pitched skill against the physical strength of Malachy’s. Karl Keane, Conor Peyton, Eddie Leavy, Pau Dooley and Eoin Reddin all had chances but Malachy’s pulled 5 points clear. A few substitutions made the difference and Caolan Murphy and Eddie Leavy helped Karl Keane score Shamrocks first after 22minutes. Shamrocks were well on top at this stage and Caolan and Pau had great goal chances. Despite being overran in the first 10 mins no one dropped the head and Shamrocks deserved more from the final 10 minutes.

 

In the 2nd half. Eoin Reddin made up for an unlucky wide with a great free kick over the bar before Keane struck with a super goal from another free which was mid-defended into the net. There was a point in it, and Shamrocks were going great guns against far bigger lads and then came the ‘breaks’. A foot block decision saw Malachy’s get back into it before a bad free in the centre saw them score an unlucky goal. Unluckily for Shamrocks, within a minute they scored another 2 goals one after another.

 

Heads did not drop though, and Eddie had a well worked score from some top notch Aaron Smyth play. Eoin then Eddie scored points, the later after good Josh Burke and James Casey play on the left wing. Liam Reddin, marked by a man twice his height, was super and set Eddie up for a lovely point at the death. 

 

But the 3 goals against the run of play had killed our lads. But there was no need for heartbreak as this was a strong Offaly team who won all 3 games in the tournament by big margins. Great defending by Sean Dooley, Cian McNamee, Dylan Conlon, Conor Glynn & Evan Palmer ensured a smaller score line in this game. Shamrocks have the consolation of qualifying for the next round after their exploits in their other games in the group. 

 

Panel: John Cleary, Cian McNammee, Sean Dooley, Pau Dooley, Jamie Byrne, Dylan Conlon, Conor Glynn, Carl Keane, Eoin Reddin, Liam Reddin, Aaron Smyth, Eddie Leavy, Matthew Leavy, James Casey, Evan Palmer, Josh Burke, Conor Peyton, Harry Doyle, Donnacha Doyle, Dylan Cooney, Conor Peyton, Caolan Murphy.

 

Under 15 Division 1 championship: Mullingar Shamrocks 2-15 Moate All Whites 2-8. 

 

Mullingar Shamrocks’ under 15s played their penultimate league/championship game on a balmy Wednesday evening when they faced a strong challenge from Moate All Whites in Springfield. The home side emerged victorious after a hard fought outing and thus secured their second brace of championship points in the ultra competitive environment of Div 1. The performance had some positives with Zac Coyne immense in the pivotal defensive berth and James Ryan, Liam Heffernan, Rian Sheerin and Sean Hickey marshalling the Moate attackers in a disciplined manner. Rory McCaul and James Davitt dovetailed well at midfield and Ted Aherne led the attack well with goal scorers Hugo Corroon and Ruairi Kilmartin securing the game’s vital three pointers. 

 

The concession of a goal directly from a free will be the focus of the coaches’ next training session but the commitment at and to training by the entire panel consistently since February is rewarded. This group of players has made considerable progress in 2023 beginning with excellent displays in April’s Feile competition resulting in a place in the Division 1 final and a successful campaign in division 2 of the league ensured promotion to Division 1 for the championship. 

 

Four championship points is indeed respectable thus far and the challenge for the group continues next Tuesday with a final group outing against Coralstown Kinnegad before the knockout stages and a likely quarterfinal away to Coralstown Kinnegad, Shandonagh or The Downs. 

 

The squad on duty against Moate was: Oisin Gavin, Padraig Regan, Harry Tilson, Ryan McNamee, Ruairi Kelly, Ruairi Kilmartin, Ted Aherne, Hugo Corroon, Rory McCaul, Isaac Haughey, Dylan Byrne, Luke Kelly, Aaron Conroy, Gareth Sweeney, Conor Walsh, Charlie Murtagh, Zac Masterson, Zac Coyne, James Ryan, Sean Hickey, Paddy Colleary, Liam Heffernan, Darragh Ryan and Rian Sheerin.

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