Injury-time free breaks Tipperary's hearts in Mallow thriller

Munster Under 16 A Ladies Football Championship

Cork 1-10 Tipperary 1-9 

It took a five-minute settling-in period until the first score was registered in Sunday’s highly-anticipated game in Mallow. That score was supplied by Cork’s Caoimhe Foley.

Such was the ferocity of this game that only moments later the Cork ‘keeper was called upon to deflect a Tipp shot that seemed destined for the net.

Tipp were dominant for an eight-minute spell, when a wide ball off Amy O’Connor’s boot eventually led to a cracker of a goal from a Kate Nevin shot to register Tipp’s first score in the eighth minute. That was followed only moments later by an exquisite Evanne Duffy attempt that split the posts.

The pace of this game was incredible, with outstanding performances in every area of the pitch. Tipp were unlucky in the ninth minute when a Julie Grey ball was guided to Kate Nevin, only for her shot to brush past the outside of the upright. Cork, on the rebound, pointed through Carla O’Regan and on a second attempt from Nevin in the 13th minute no mistake was made – she shot straight and true to split the posts.

Tipp were defending with outstanding resilience, Nevin effortlessly dropping back from the forwards into the backline, coupled with an outstanding display of blocking from Louise McGrath.

Cork’s Laura Walsh got her first score in the 18th minute with a pointed free from a placed ball and her eye was now firmly on the target, as she pointed again from play within a minute.

The ball was then carried with fierce intensity back up through the Tipperary lines to the forward pairing of Grace Hogan and Abbie Horgan, who narrowly skinned the uprights from either side of the pitch.

Heather Kiely found herself unfortunate also to lodge a miskicked shot into the arms of the waiting Cork ‘keeper. However, Tipperary managed to keep the pressure on the Cork defence and the hard work paid off in the 22nd and 24th minutes with a placed ball point from Grace Hogan, followed by an Abbie Horgan point from play.

Neasa Dwan was sprung from the bench to act as blood sub cover for Julie Grey who, like many of her hard-working midfield partners, was getting battle-bruised in this enthralling encounter. Grey returned to the field in a matter of minutes and Cork needed to keep the bulk of their players in a defensive set-up to quell the Tipp attack. But still they failed to stop a superbly- taken Kate Nevin strike from sailing over the bar for what was the final score of this energy-sapping half, with the interval providing a welcome reprieve for both camps, as Tipp led by 1-5 to 0-4.

Within three minutes of the restart Cork’s Laura Walsh reduced the Tipp advantage by a point, which was followed by the killer blow of a goal from Cork’s O’Connor to level the scores in the fifth minute. Tipp knew it was now game on and the workrate that preceded Cork’s dominant spell paid off in under two minutes with a well-taken Grace Hogan point from play to give Tipp the lead by the minimum.

Tipp introduced fresh legs in the form of Neasa Dwan to relieve Abi Ryan, who had covered every blade of grass in midfield. Tipp’s Emma Kiely was brought on for the injured Grace Hogan and Kate Nevin converted the resultant free to put Tipp two points ahead.

At this mid point in the half the ever-threatening Laura Walsh started to assert her dominance and began to find space among the Tipp defence. She slotted over two points in as many minutes to achieve parity on the score board yet again.

However, the Premier County were not going to back down, and up popped a determined corner back Ava Gleeson to give a little daylight to her Tipp side in the 20th minute. Tipp’s Neasa Dwan forced a spectacular save from the Cork net minder before a Nevin converted free brought it back to a two-point margin.

Tipp called to their bench again in the 24th minute and Emer Brennan was handed the gauntlet by Heather Kiely.

With legs and minds running solely on adrenaline at this point Cork’s hero of the hour, Walsh, brought equality to the scoreboard yet again with two well-taken placed balls. Evanne Duffy relieved Nicole Buckley for Tipp in the 29th minute and it was a nail-biting passage of play that saw Tipp hearts break when Laura Walsh’s injury time free sealed the win for Cork.

Tipperary: Kate Hennessey, Ava Gleeson (0-1), Tara Bourke, Nicole Buckley, Sienna Ferris, Louise McGrath, Julie Grey, Rosie O’Brien, Abi Ryan, Amy O’Connor, Eavann Duffy (0-1), Heather Kiely, Abbie Horgan (0-1), Kate Nevin (1-4, 2 frees), Grace Hogan (0-2, 1 free).

Subs: Neasa Dwan for Abi Ryan (38), Emma Kiely for Grace Hogan (inj)(46), Emer Brennan for Heather Kiely (54’), Evanne Gleeson for Nicole Buckley (59’).

Referee: Paddy Smith (Waterford).