Ballymacarbry put to the sword by experienced Galway team in All-Ireland final

Kilkerrin-Clonberne 0-18 Ballymacarbry 1-9

Ballymacarbry’s first visit to Croke Park as a ladies football club ended in disappointment on Saturday evening last when they went under to a very strong Kilkerrin-Clonberne side in the All-Ireland Senior Club ladies football final.

The Galway team became only the second in the history of the All-Ireland Senior Club Championship to win three finals in a row, repeating what the great Ballymacarbry sides of the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s had achieved, although the Galway team still have some work to do if they are to equal or better the ten All-Ireland titles won by Ballymacarbry.

Experience was key for the Galway side in this game. While many of the Ballymacarbry players have won numerous county senior football titles with their club and some have played with their counties in All-Ireland finals, eleven of the Kilkerrin-Clonberne team that started were starting their third final in a row, while four of the other starting fifteen were starting their second All-Ireland final in a row.

Many of the players who lined out on the evening also had experience of playing at Croke Park when they won the 2022 title last December.

For three quarters of this game, the Galway side were the better team when it came to scoring. They won the toss and decided to play into the Canal End in the first half, opening the scoring after just two minutes when Chloe Miskell split the posts.
They added a second score two minutes later when Eva Noone fired over Lauren Fitzpatrick’s crossbar.

Either side of Noone’s score, KellyAnn Hogan and Claire Walsh scored points to level matters with five minutes played.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne got very much on top after this. The brilliant Eva Noone shot two points in a row to put her side double scores in front with ten minutes played.

When Olivia Divilly followed up with a brace of scores and Nicola Ward also scored, the three in a row-chasing champions were already putting daylight between themselves and Ballymacarbry on the scoreboard with 16 minutes played.

Lynsey Noone, voted player of the match, was the next Kilkerrin-Clonberne player to shoot a brace of scores, with Eva Noone adding to her tally in between.

KellyAnn Hogan pulled a point back for Ballymacarbry with time running down in the first half, but the Galway team headed to the dressing rooms with an eight-point advantage, as Lynsey Noone hit her third score of the game with just seconds remaining on the clock.

Ballymacarbry brought Grace Carrigan on for the second half in place of Muireann Boyce, but it was the Galway side who once again proved to be the stronger in the third quarter. Lynsey and Eva Noone hit the first scores of the second half to stretch their lead before Chloe Miskell hit four points in a row to put them 0-17 to 0-3 in front with 46 minutes on the clock.

Aileen Wall got Ballymac’s first score of the second half with 12 minutes remaining, starting a brave fightback by Mike Guiry’s side. From the resulting kickout Kilkerrin-Clonberne lost the ball and when it was played to Karen McGrath she appeared to be knocked to the ground.

Lisa Murphy in the Kilkerrin-Clonberne goal managed to keep the ball out but Claire Walsh, not for the first time this year, was lurking in front of the goal and she sent a looping shot over the head of Kilkerrin-Clonberne goalkeeper and just under the crossbar into the net.

KellyAnn Hogan and Bríd McMaugh followed up with further scores for Ballymacarbry before Eva Noone hit her side’s last score of the game with four minutes remaining.

Ballymacarbry refused to give up and hit late points from KellyAnn Hogan, with a brace, and Bríd McMaugh with her second of the game, but at this point they needed a second goal, which never came.

Ballymacarbry: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Gretta Nugent, Michelle McGrath, Maeve Ryan; Karen McGrath, Louise Ryan, Ruby Browne; KellyAnn Hogan, Aoife Barron; Aileen Wall, Bríd McMaugh, Sadhbh Hallinan; Summer Peters, Claire Walsh, Muireann Boyce.

Subs: Grace Carrigan for Muireann Boyce (h-t), Michelle Ryan for Aoife Barron (41), Orla Barron for Maeve Ryan (55).

Scorers: KellyAnn Hogan 0-5 (4 frees), Claire Walsh 1-1, Brid McMaugh 0-2, Aileen Wall 0-1.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne: Lisa Murphy; Chloe Costello, Sarah Gormally, Claire Dunleavy; Katelynn Mee, Nicola Ward, Lisa Finnegan; Siobhan Divilly, Hannah Noone; Olivia Divilly, Louise Ward, Lynsey Noone; Eva Noone, Chloe Miskell, Niamh Divilly.

Subs: Maeve Flanagan for Sarah Gormally (44), Aisling Madden for Niamh Divilly (55), Caoimhe Boyle for Lisa Finnegan, Caitlin Boyle for Eva Noone (both 58).

Scorers: Eva Noone 0-6 (1 free), Chloe Miskell 0-5, Lynsey Noone 0-4, Olivia Divilly 0-2 (1 free), Nicola Ward 0-1.

Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).