Kilmeena ladies vs Belmullet

Senior Ladies – Adult League, Round 3

Belmullet vs Kilmeena

Kilmeena 5 - 07, Belmullet, 3 – 12

Kilmeena travelled to Belmullet on Sunday, 13th July, for this final group game. With

temperatures already reaching 24 degrees Celsius by the 11am throw-in time, the game

would prove to be somewhat of an endurance test for both teams.

Belmullet had only fourteen players available on the day and therefore a 13 a-side

contest was played out.

With the benefit of the wind in the first half, Kilmeena led by 2 – 06 to 1 – 04 at the short

whistle. In truth, the visitors might have led by a greater margin, had they exploited the

space in the Belmullet half of the field.

There was a good spread of scores from the half back line to the forward line, with a goal

apiece coming from the boot of Ciara Joyce and Sinead Hughes. More Goals were to

follow in the second half, with Ciara Joyce getting her second major, Sinead Hughes

converting a penalty and Aoife Gannon also raising a green flag. Of the four scores

Kilmeena registered in the second half, only one was to be a point – this coming from

free converted by Eabha Carney. Indeed, in a game which yielded eight gaols, five by the

Kilmeena ladies, it was the last point and a free converted by Eabha Carney that gave

the visitors a win by the narrowest of margins.

This was a contest that swung wildly in the second half, with Kilmeena’s third quarter

hat-trick of goals giving the visitors an eleven-point lead. But then, the visitors lost their

way somewhat, midway through the second half, allowing Belmullet to score 2 – 06

without reply. With Kilmeena struggling to get the ball out of their own half and the game

tied at 5 – 06 to 3 – 12 in the final few minutes, it looked like a draw could be the

outcome here.

But the Kilmeena girls took care of their own destiny. Ellie Mai Keane launched the ball

out towards the half back line, Kilmeena gained possession, worked the ball up the field

with no little determination, Belmullet fouled, the visitors won a free and converted it, to

deliver a hard-fought away win.

This was a victory derived from a never-say-die attitude – a will to win, where substance

trumped style!!Team: Ellie Mae Keane, Laura O'Grady, Sarah Mulchrone, Sheila Bohan, Aine Regan,

Sinead Hughes, Eabha Carney, Julia Sztejner, Aine Gallagher, Aoife Gannon, Rachel

Gibbons, Ciara Joyce, Emma Murray

Subs: Mags Ryder (temporary blood sub for Emma Murray), Lucy O’Malley, Eva

Mulchrone, Emma Jane Gill, Amy Carney (for Rachel Gibbons), Katie Moran (Jnr).

Scorers; Ciara Joyce 1 – 3 (1f), Sinead Hughes 2 – 0 (1 Pen), Eabha Carney 1 – 3 (2f),

Aoife Gannon 1 – 0, Emma Murry 0 – 1.