Semi Final 1: Laois 4-14, Wexford 4-16 (AET)
Semi Final 2: Kildare 5-14, Offaly 3-6
TG4 Leinster IFC Final - Kildare v Wexford - Sunday 15th May. Details to be confirmed.
TG4 Leinster LGFA IFC Semi Final
Kildare 5-14
Offaly 3-06
By Aisling Clery
3-03 from an impressive Neasa Dooley was key as Kildare booked their place in the TG4 Leinster Intermediate Final in a sunkissed Manguard Plus Hawkfield CoE this afternoon. Kildare were impressive all over the field with the game control of Ciara Wheeler and Grace Clifford pulling the strings for Sean Finnegan’s squad.
They lead by 4-4 to 1-3 at the half time interval and with key goalkeeping saves from Dervila McGinn and an impressive attack, Kildare booked their passage to next week’s final with relative ease.
Kildare got off to a perfect start when Neasa Dooley found the net on two minutes. Grace Clifford won the ball deep before exchanging with Lara Curran and finding Dooley, she tapped home from short range. Saorah Doyle reduced the gap from a free, but Kildare cancelled this out with points from Dooley and Aoife Rattigan.
Offaly got themselves right back into contention when Marie Byrne got herself in behind the Kildare defence and made no mistake hitting the net with the finish. Michelle Mann added a point after a clever exchange with Saoirse McGuinness.
However, Kildare upped the gears and in a devastating spell hit 3-3 without reply. Lara Curran and Orlaith Sullivan both found their range with points before Neasa Dooley hit her second goal, an absolute rocket in the top right corner after terrific work from Ciara Wheeler. Wheeler, in fact, had a hand in each of the Kildare goal attacks in this period with Sullivan and Grace Clifford also hitting the Offaly net to open up a 4-4 to 1-2 lead after twenty minutes of play.
While Offaly had chances to reduce the gap, Kildare netminder Dervila McGinn was solid and cleared her lines resolutely with Mia Doherty and Laoise Lenehan in terrific form in the Kildare defence. The teams traded points before the break with Hazel McLoughlin pointing for Kildare, while Saorah Doyle converted her second free on the stroke of half time to leave the scoreboard 4-6 to 1-3 in the Lilies favour at the break.
On the resumption, it was Offaly who were first to strike with Saorah Doyle and Ellee McEvoy both hitting points from play but Kildare had answers to all of Offaly’s questions and the impressive Dooley and Rattigan both pointed for Kildare to keep them at arm’s length.
Neasa Dooley hit her second hat trick of this Leinster campaign when she converted a penalty after substitute Gillian Wheeler was fouled and while Kildare were reduced to fourteen with Ciara Wheeler sin binned, it did not affect the scoreboard. Points from Sullivan, Rattigan and Dooley put a gloss on the Kildare scoreboard.
Take nothing away from Offaly though, they continued battling and were duly rewarded with two late goals as Sarah Kehoe and Marie Byrne found the net for the Faithful. However, Kildare were not to be outdone and they can look forward to a Leinster Intermediate Final next Sunday in Dr Cullen Park, their first since 2016.
Scorers: Kildare; N Dooley 3-3 (1 pen), O Sullivan 1-3 (2f), A Rattigan 0-5, G Clifford 1-0, L Curran 0-2 (1f), H McLoughlin 0-1.
Offaly; M Byrne 2-1, S Keogh 1-0, S Doyle 0-3 (3f), M Mann 0-1, E McEvoy 0-1.
KILDARE: D McGinn; C Nugent, L Lenehan, R Cribbin; M Doherty, L Gilbert, L Murtagh; G Clifford (C), H McLoughlin; C Wheeler, A Rattigan, C Sullivan; N Dooley, O Sullivan, L Curran.
Subs: G Wheeler for McLoughlin, S Kendrick for Murtagh, G Harnett for Gilbert, R Forde for Lenehan, E Dowling for Sullivan.
OFFALY: T Roe; B Bryant, E Nally, N Buckley; M Mann, E Maher, A Kehoe; E Hand, R Ennis (C); A Gavin Mangan, R Mealiff, S McGuinness; S Doyle, E McEvoy, M Byrne.
Subs: D Hannon for Nally, N Farrelly for Kehoe, E Kelly for McGuinness, C Walsh for Mealiff, S Kehoe for Doyle.
Ref: J Bermingham (Wicklow).
TG4 Leinster IFC Semi Final
Laois 4-14
Wexford 4-16 (AET)
By Aisling Clery
Tara Doyle hit 2-6 as reigning Leinster IFC champs Wexford recovered from an eleven point deficit against Laois to qualify for the 2022 TG4 Leinster IFC Final next Sunday. Wexford were trailing by 2-5 to 4-7 at the break, but 2-5 unanswered in the final quarter forced extra time.
In extra time, Wexford got the brighter of the starts and with Tara Doyle and Amy Wilson on target from placed balls, they overcame a strong Laois team to book their place in next Sunday’s decider against Kildare.
While Wexford got off to a perfect start through a Bernie Breen point straight over the black spot, it was Laois that started stronger and Laura Marie Maher made no mistake when she finished low to the bottom left corner of Eimear Barry’s net. Maher followed this up with a point a minute later and Laois extended their lead through an Erone Fitzpatrick point and two from the boot of the impressive Mo Nerney to push them into a six point lead.
Wexford brought the gap back to three points when Aisling Murphy found the net, but the Laois attack were on top of their game and on the resumption, Laois got their second goal through Mo Nerney. Fitzpatrick added a point shortly after, but this was cancelled out by a terrific long distanced effort from Aisling Murphy at the other end.
Playing with the aid of a difficult breeze, Nerney added a point before Ellen Healy playing with number six on her back, popped up on the Wexford 21 yard line and found the net with her right boot for Laois’ third goal.
Caitríona Murray and Mo Nerney swapped points before Wexford upped the already frantic pace and added points through Tara Doyle (free) and Ellen O’Brien. Wexford could have gotten in for another goal when Doyle saw her effort smash off the Laois crossbar and the Laois defence got the ball away to safety.
Eva Galvin hit Laois’ fourth goal when Jane Moore and Anna Healy combined wide on the left to find a waiting Galvin and she buried it without hesitation. However, not to be outdone, Tara Doyle grabbed Wexford’s second goal, and the sixth of the half, to leave Lizzy Kent and John Nolan’s team eight points adrift at half time.
Laois got off to a quick start as the second half got underway with points from substitute Emma Lawlor and two from Mo Nerney. The first of Nerney’s points there could have been a fifth Laois goal, however Sarah Merrigan did brilliantly, and it went over the bar.
Wexford continued to take the fight to the Laois defence and were rewarded when substitute Emma Tomkins pointed before Tara Doyle also converted from play.
A brace of Tara Doyle frees reduced the gap back to seven points before Amy Wilson made it a six point game. With advantage firmly in Wexford’s favour, they continued to run at the Laois defence.
The impressive Tara Doyle grabbed goal number three for Wexford and while Laois tried to get a score, it was Wexford that hit first and Orlagh Kehoe popped up, burying the ball past Laois
goalkeeper Eimear Barry to ensure extra time would be played. The sides finished level at 4-10 apiece at full time.
While Erone Fitzpatrick converted a free as extra time got underway, Wexford took firm control of the fixture and two points each for Tara Doyle and Amy Wilson, alongside one from Orlagh Kehoe pushed Wexford into a 4-15 to 4-12 extra time interval lead.
Laois battled back in the second half of extra time and Mo Nerney’s two points reduced the gap back to a single score. With the game once again on a knife edge, Bernie Breen replaced an injured Aisling Murphy and the five time nominated All Star put Wexford back into a two point lead.
Laois did have an opportunity late on to get back into contention, but Mo Nerney’s free was saved by the Wexford defence on the line and scooped away just as the full time whistle went to send Wexford back into the Intermediate Final.
Scorers: Wexford: T Doyle 2-6 (3f), O Kehoe 1-1, A Murphy 1-1, A Wilson 0-3 (2f), B Breen 0-2, C Murray 0-1, E O’Brien 0-1, E Tomkins 0-1.
Laois: M Nerney 1-8 (2f), LM Maher 1-1, E Healy 1-0, E Galvin 1-0, E Fitzpatrick 0-3 (1f), E Lawlor 0-2.
LAOIS: E Barry; C Dunne, A Potts, A Kelly (C); R Williams, E Healy, A Donoher; J Moore, A Healy; E Galvin, LM Maher, E Fitzpatrick; M Nerney, SA Fitzgerald, S Havill.
Subs: E Lawlor for Maher, A Havill for Galvin, S Farrelly for Williams, A Moore for Fitzgerald.
WEXFORD: S Merrigan; S Harding Kenny, A Halligan, S Murphy; O Kehoe, R Murphy (C), C Donnelly; K Kearney, C Banville; S Hamilton, C Murray, E O’Brien; T Doyle, A Murphy, B Breen.
Sub: A Cullen for Kearney, A Walsh for Halligan, E Tomkins for Hamilton, A Wilson for Breen, C O’Brien for E Tomkins, B Breen for Murphy.
Ref: Paul O’Malley (Westmeath).
