Skibbereen CS 4-14
Mercy Mounthawk 3-7
MURT MURPHY REPORTS
SKIBBEREEN Community School didn’t have too long to bask in the glory of their sensational Munster PPS Senior Football Championship A decider triumph.
After showing Kerry school Mercy Mounthawk no mercy in Banteer, the West Cork team powered into an All-Ireland ‘A’ semi-final this Thursday, 7th, against Our Lady's Castleblayney from Monaghan in Heywood Community School Ballinakill, Co Laois (1pm).
‘It’s a very short turnaround and the girls had inter-county action too last weekend,’ explained Ella Ryan, part of the management team alongside Ger Carey and Anna Ward.
‘We trained well over Christmas and mid-term and we have had challenge games against third-level and inter-county teams so the work has been put in earlier in the campaign.’
There has been huge excitement in the school this week after this trailblazing team won the Munster senior A schools’ title for the first time, coming off the back of their provincial C win last season. Now they have an All-Ireland semi-final in their sights, and they will be buoyed by the second-half performance against Mercy Mounthawk.
‘We were down by three points at half time but we knew we had it in us to come back; we had a really good spell in the third quarter,’ Ella Ryan explained.
‘We’ve a good squad this year, there are seven Cork minors and three Cork U16s, and we have a good panel who have put in the hard work.
‘It’s huge for the school to win this final at A level, it’s our first so that’s very special.’
A sensational start to the second half was the catalyst for Skibbereen Community School’s Munster triumph. When the Kerry school retired at the interval with a three-point lead, 1-5 to 0-5, an upset was certainly a possibility. However, Mercy Mounthawk had no answer to the Skibb school’s third-quarter scoring blitz, as they quickly put their foot on the accelerator and sprinted off into the distance.
The chances in the opening quarter were even enough on the scoreboard with Mounthawk’s flying winger Rosin Rahilly being constantly fouled and the Tralee side led 0-4 to 0-3 after 15 minutes. Kate Collins (2), Aoibhin O’Connor McCarthy and Roisin Rahilly were on target for the Tralee school while Éabha O’Donovan with two frees and Kate Carey replied for Skibbereen.
Mounthawk midfielder Grace Reidy broke through in the 20th minute, but when her shot was saved she directed the rebound goalwards and as the ball trickled towards the goal line, Kate Collins finished to the net.
The sides exchanged frees before half time but Skibbereen were denied a goal on the stroke of half time by a stunning save by Mounthawk goalkeeper Kelly Fitzgerald as the Kerry school retired 1-5 to 0-5 in front.
Skibbereen CS resumed a transformed side and hit a purple patch in the opening ten minutes of the third quarter, scoring 2-4 without reply to turn this final completely on its head.
It could have been worse for Mounthawk if Fitzgerald had not denied Niamh O’Sullivan in the 34th minute from point-blank range. The floodgates opened when Niamh O’Sullivan was at the end of a ball that was turned over and she finished to the Mounthawk net. She followed with a quick point, while Eabha O’Donovan added two points. In the 39th minute Skibbereen struck for a killer goal – Hannah Sheehy drove through the middle and parted to Ellen Connolly who buried the ball to the Tralee net. Suddenly it was one-way traffic with Skibb leading 2-9 to 1-5 before Lisa Slattery with a point in the 41st minute stopped the Skibbereen onslaught but it was merely a mirage.
Skibbereen then hit another purple patch, scoring 1-5 unanswered with Meabh Collins, Kate Carey and substitute Carla O’Regan with points before Meabh Collins got her side's third goal. Dominant Skibbereen led 3-14 to 1-6 after 55 minutes.
Credit Mounthawk who never threw in the towel despite the Skibbereen avalanche and they got two late consolation goals from Aoibhin O’Connor McCarthy and Grace Lucid. Meabh Collins had split those goals with her second goal as Skibbereen CS eased to an impressive win and could well go all the way in the All-Ireland series.
Our Star: Meabh Collins (Skibbereen CS).
Scorers - Skibbereen CS: M Collins 2-2; E O’Donovan 0-6 (4f); N O’Sullivan 1-1; E Connolly 1-0; K Carey 0-3; C O’Regan 0-2. Mercy Mounthawk: K Collins 1-2; A McCarthy O’Connor 1-2 (1-0 pen, 2f); G Lucid 1-0; R Rahilly 0-2; L Slattery 0-1.
Skibbereen CS: Tara O’Regan (O’Donovan Rossa); Katie Daly (Tadhg MacCarthaigh), Eleanor Keating (Tadhg MacCarthaigh), Allie Tobin (O’Donovan Rossa); Leah Carey (Ilen Rovers), Amy McKennedy (Tadhg MacCarthaigh), Laura O’Donoghue (Castlehaven); Aoife O’Driscoll (O’Donovan Rossa), Hannah Sheehy (Castlehaven); Kathlyn McCarthy (Tadhg MacCarthaigh), Maebh Collins (Ilen Rovers), Eabha O’Donovan (O’Donovan Rossa); Kate Carey (Ilen Rovers), Becca Sheehy (Castlehaven), Niamh O’Sullivan (Castlehaven). Subs: Ellen Connolly (Castlehaven) for B Sheehy (23), Carla O’Regan (Ilen Rovers) for O’Driscoll (40), Emma McCarthy (Castlehaven) for O’Donoghue (48), Ellie McCarthy (Castlehaven) for O’Sullivan (59), Maeve O’Sullivan (Castlehaven) for Daly (60+2).
Mercy Mounthawk: Kelly Fitzgerald; Mary Moore, Anna Collins, Laura Reilly; Eabha O’Connor, Lucy O’Connor, Orlaith McKenna; Grace Reidy, Cara Gannon; Roisin Rahilly, Aoibhin O’Connor McCarthy, Ruth O’Connor; Kate Collins, Lisa Slattery, Katie Nix. Subs: Eve Broderick for Reidy (inj, 30), Keelin Enright for Reilly (50), Grace Lucid for Slattery (54), Eva Costello for R O’Connor (54), Sophie Hassett for Nix (59), Orla Leahy for A Collins (59), Saoirse O’Connor McCarthy for K Collins (60+1).
Referee: Kevin O’Brien (Limerick).
