Ruthless Dublin punish Cavan errors

All-Ireland Ladies Football SFC

Cavan 1-8

Dublin 5-15

On Sunday afternoon last in Kingspan Breffni the Cavan ladies opened their All-Ireland senior championship campaign against a Dublin side hurting from an opening round defeat. After Kerry had got the better of the 2020 All-Ireland champions, Gerry Moane’s Cavan side had the chance to dump them out of the championship but it was always going to be a difficult task.

Cavan stood toe-to-toe in the first quarter as they attacked at pace and with numbers and tigerishly fought for every ball but missed chances soon caught up with them.

The Breffni side started on the front foot and with Aishling and Geraldine Sheridan winning their individual battles, Dublin were being asked tough questions early on but the talent and experience of Carla Rowe proved too much for Cavan to curtail.

Inside the first minute, Cavan’s desire was shown as Dublin worked the ball close to goal but a brilliant diving block by Shauna Lynch set Cavan on the attack. Within seconds Cavan were awarded a free at the other end and Aisling Gilsenan sent it over the bar to give Cavan the lead.

The Dubs replied with a Hannah Tyrrell point three minutes later and edged in front when they turned over the Cavan kick-out before Rowe hit her first of the day. With the temperature rising, Cavan responded with a driving Aishling Sheridan run resulting in her being fouled and again Gilsenan made light work of converting the free.

Towering Dublin midfielder Jennifer Dunne turned their kick-out into a point to regain the lead with a great run through the heart of the Cavan defence. On the 13th minute a Tyrrell free doubled the visitors’ lead to two but in truth Cavan should have been ahead having sent two frees wide and dropped one short.

Cavan deficiencies were punished on the 17th minute when an incomplete hand pass on the Cavan ’45 was quickly turned into a Dublin goal with Eilish O’Dowd finishing to the net. Two more points from play by dominant midfielder Dunne left the Dubs with a seven-point advantage after 21 minutes of play.

After a Rowe free, Cavan won their own kick-out and sent the ball forward to Geraldine Sheridan who brushed her way past two Dublin defenders before splitting the posts, ending a 17-minute wait for a Cavan score.

Dublin, who were now finding themselves with a little more time on the ball, added another point through Sinead Wylde to leave eight between the sides.

With half-time approaching Cavan were holding on to the coat-tails of the Dubs but were by no means out of the game. Their endeavor was almost rewarded with half-time in sight as Aisling Gilsenan broke through on goal but her shot curved wide of the post.

Dublin added a point immediately from Annabelle Timothy and, showing their ruthless side, they won the Cavan restart and after a one-two, Rowe finished it to the back of the net.

The half-time rain shower, thunder and lightning couldn’t drown out Dublin’s 12-point advantage but Cavan ignored the conditions as they started the second half with a bang. A long direct ball into space was collected by Geraldine Sheridan and she easily rounded her marker and blasted to the net.

Dublin sent over two frees from Wylde and Rowe on the 3rd and 5th minutes to keep the scoreboard ticking but Cavan were causing them problems again. A trademark Aishling Sheridan run through the middle of the Dublin defence with sky blue jerseys hanging out of her almost ended up in the back of the Dublin net but her shot grazed the top of the crossbar and went over.

Tyrrell sent over her third point of the day as the frantic pace of the game continued. With nine second-half minutes played, Dublin captain Rowe delivered another knock-out blow when she hit the top corner of the net from outside the 13-metre line.

Cavan continued to battle but goal chances were hard come by at the other end as the Dublin players got behind the ball quickly with Cavan in possession. Dublin also showed their experience in cleverly fouling Cavan’s key goal-getter as Geraldine Sheridan experienced with 18 minutes remaining which allowed Gilsenan to send over her third point of the day.

At the end of the third quarter, a push on Gilsenan while shooting saw her tap over another free to leave 12 between the sides. Shortly after being introduced, Niamh Keenaghan sent over a point to wipe out Jodi Egan’s one at the other end. With six minutes remaining ,Niamh Hetherton blasted in the Dubs’ fourth goal which made a Cavan comeback impossible.

A well-taken point in the pocket by sub Cara McCaffrey four minutes from the end was Cavan’s final contribution to the scoreboard. Dublin, sensing the wind, was out of the Cavan sails, went for a strong finish and added a goal and two points from captain and Player of the Match Rowe after she missed a penalty three minutes from the end.

Cavan: Roisin O’Reilly, Caoimhe Madden, Shauna Lynch, Christina Charters, Zara Fay, Ciara Brady, Rebecca O’Reilly, Neasa Byrd (capt), Ally Cahill, Aisling Walls, Aishling Sheridan(0-1), Emma Halton, Geraldine Smith, Geraldine Sheridan(1-1), Aisling Gilsenan(0-4f)

Subs: Niamh Keenaghan(0-1) for E Halton, Cara McCaffrey(0-1) for C Charters, Ellyanna Madden for Ally Cahill, Áine Smith for G Smith

Dublin: Abby Shiels, Niamh Crowley, Gráinne Fitzsimons, Niamh Dolan, Faye O’Connell-Bell, Lauren Magee, Eilish O’Dowd(1-0), Jennifer Dunne(0-3), Niamh Hetherton(1-0), Annabelle Timothy(0-1), Dannielle Lawless, Carla Rowe(3-5,3f), Hannah Tyrrell(0-3,1f), Sinéad Wylde(0-2,1f), Kate Sullivan

Subs: Sinead Ahern for A Timothy, Jodi Egan(0-1) for K Sullivan, Chloe Darby for H Tyrrell.