Dublin and Mayo have both reached the TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi-finals after tight victories over Donegal and Galway today.
Mayo 1-15
Galway 1-11
By Daragh Small
Sinéad Cafferky fired 1-2 from midfield as Mayo advanced to the semi-finals of the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship with a deserved victory over Connacht rivals Galway at MacHale Park in Castlebar.
Mayo suffered an 11-point defeat to Armagh last weekend but bounced back impressively to cruise into the final four after they held a 1-10 to 0-5 lead at half-time.
Cafferky scored the first-half goal to put the hosts in charge at the interval and although Mairéad Seoighe shot to the Mayo net in the second half they couldn’t find an adequate comeback.
Mayo manager Michael Moyles made four late changes and one of those almost made an instant impact when Lisa Cafferky forced a great save from Galway goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower.
Mayo were still 0-5 to 0-2 ahead at the first water break. They scored the first three points through Shauna Howley, Grace Kelly and Rachel Kearns.
Kate Slevin finally hit back for Galway in the ninth minute and she doubled her tally, while Sarah Rowe and Howley both added good points up the other end.
Mayo started the second quarter with another three unanswered points, with Kearns, Howley and Rowe all on target.
Megan Glynn and Leanne Coen looked to have started a Galway revival with good points, but Rowe scored her third, before Sinéad Cafferky grabbed the crucial goal in the 23rd minute.
The Kilmovee Shamrocks star burst through from midfield and when everyone expected her to pass she instead drove the ball low into the bottom righthand corner of the Galway net.
With Galway in need of a score Olivia Divilly scored her first point, but Sinéad Cafferky brought her first half tally to 1-1 in reply. Mayo were eight points clear at the end of the first half and that margin quickly became nine thanks to Grace Kelly’s score.
Goalkeeper Laura Brennan came up with stunning saves to deny Olivia Divilly and Glynn after the restart, and while Galway tried to stay in touch courtesy of points from Ailbhe Davoren and Seoighe they were cancelled out by Sinéad Cafferky and Kearns.
Galway were 1-13 to 0-7 behind before Seoighe stepped up to blast the ball past Brennan in the 45th minute, a move she was twice involved in, but Howley landed an important reply for Mayo just before the final water break.
Louise Ward (two), Ailish Morrissey and Seoighe cut into the deficit and Galway only trailed by a goal with less than ten minutes remaining, but they couldn’t conjure the goal they needed and Lisa Cafferky sealed the win late on.
Scorers — Mayo: S Cafferky 1-2, S Howley 0-4 (1f), R Kearns 0-3 (2f), S Rowe 0-3, G Kelly 0-2, L Cafferky 0-1. Galway: M Seoighe 1-2 (1f), K Slevin 0-2, L Ward 0-2, O Divilly 0-1 (1f), M Glynn 0-1, L Coen 0-1, A Davoren 0-1, A Morrissey 0-1.
MAYO: L Brennan; D Finn, S Lally, K Sullivan; T O’Connor, R Durcan, F McHale; C Whyte, S Cafferky; L Cafferky, R Kearns, N Kelly; G Kelly, S Howley, S Rowe. Subs: É Ronayne for Whyte (33), A Dowling for Rowe (44), M Reilly for Howley (49), D Caldwell for Sullivan (51), Rowe for Kearns (58).
GALWAY: D Gower; L Ahearne, S Lynch, S Molloy; C Cooney, K Geraghty, H Noone; S Divilly, A Davoren; O Divilly, M Glynn, L Coen; N Ward, L Ward, K Slevin. Subs: M Seoighe for S Divilly (24), A Morrissey for Coen (h-t), E Reaney for O Divilly (39), T Leonard for Glynn (45), R Leonard for Slevin (47).
Referee: Maggie Farrelly (Cavan).
Dublin 2-12
Donegal 2-7
By Aisling Clery
Carla Rowe struck 2-3 as Dublin booked their place in the TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi final after Mick Bohan’s charges saw off a spirited Donegal challenge at Páirc Seán Mac Diarmada.
Dublin were on the back foot when Donegal got off to a dream start, but the reigning champions never panicked and when Rowe hit the first of two goals, Dublin dominated affairs.
Donegal were handed the perfect opening when Geraldine McLaughlin hit 1-2 inside the first three minutes.
After converting a first-minute free, Donegal turned over the Dublin kick-out before an unmarked Geraldine McLaughlin slipped the ball past Dublin goalkeeper Ciara Trant. McLaughlin added to her tally with a second free a minute later.
Despite those ideal few minutes Donegal couldn’t built on their lead. While Dublin had to wait until the sixth minute before Hannah Tyrrell got the reigning champions’ first score, thereafter Mick Bohan’s settled into the contest.
Rowe converted a free to bring the gap back to three after ten minutes, while Sinéad Aherne also grabbed a point to reduce the deficit to two.
Dublin were given a lifeline just before the water break when Rowe found the net. Lyndsey Davey passed to Rowe, she turned two defenders and clipped the ball past Aoife McColgan, which gave Dublin the lead for the first time.
A brace of points from Tyrrell and Davey pushed the Leinster side three ahead, while substitute Siobhan Killeen pushed Dublin four in front with five minutes left in the half.
Without a score since their early salvo Donegal looked to be in trouble, but Katy Herron found the net at the end of a patient team move to close Dublin’s lead to 1-6 to 2-2 at half time.
Dublin's Jennifer Dunne with Niamh Hegarty of Donegal ©INPHO/John McVitty
However, Dublin hit the ground running in the second half. Rowe converted a free while Killeen followed it up with a point from play a minute later.
And although McLaughlin added her third free of the contest to bring the gap back to three, Rowe grabbed her second goal to increase Dublin’s advantage after quick free from Killeen created the chance.
Dublin continued to build on that advantage and Tyrrell added two quick scores, which opened up a seven-point gap.
Geraldine McLaughlin’s free taking kept Donegal in touch in the closing stages, but points from Davey and Rowe ensured Dublin progressed to a semi final meeting with Mayo.
Scorers — Dublin: C Rowe 2-3 (3f), H Tyrrell 0-4 (2f), L Davey 0-2, S Killeen 0-2, S Aherne 0-1. Donegal: G McLaughlin 1-7 (7f), K Herron 1-0.
DUBLIN: C Trant; M Byrne, N Collins, O Carey; O Nolan, S McGrath, L Caffrey; J Dunne, L Magee; L Davey, N McEvoy, C Rowe; S Aherne (C), H Tyrrell, C O’Connor. Subs: S Killeen for O’Connor (24), A Kane for Carey (38), N Hetherton for McEvoy (45), K Sullivan for Aherne (45).
DONEGAL: A McColgan; C Boyle, E McGinley, AM Logue; T Jenkins, Nicole McLaughlin, A Boyle Carr; K Herron, S Twohig; B McLaughlin, Niamh McLaughlin (C), N Boyle; N Hegarty, K Guthrie, G McLaughlin. Subs: K Kearney for B McLaughlin (41), R Rodgers for Boyle (45), S White for Logue (45).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).
