Ladies power to National League final win over Wexford

NFL Division 3 final

Cavan 2-10

Wexford 0-9

Kevin Óg Carney in Drogheda

Cavan ladies out-scored Wexford in Drogheda by 1-6 to 0-1 in the final 20 minutes of the first half en route to claiming a third-ever National Football League Division Three title on Sunday afternoon last.

After a chess-like opening quarter, Breffni’s finest took the game by the scruff of the neck with an opportunist goal (26) from Lauren McVeety providing the vehicle for a long and successful ride home.

It was the Model County who bagged the only goals of the game when the sides met in the league last February with Cavan going down in extremely challenging weather conditions in Bunclody by 0-9 to 2-5.

However, last weekend, it was Cavan who bagged the all-important goals but, in truth, the silverware could have been garlanded in blue and white a long way shy of the final whistle and Wexford such was their control of the game either side of the majors.

Even with the claustrophobic nature of the opening exchanges, the writing was on the wall for the Leinster girls in the embryonic stages of the game with a swashbuckling move and a classy finish (7) by player of the match Sineád Greene giving the vocal Cavan support a glimpse of what their ambassadors had in their locker.

And then a sweet point (12) from the aforementioned McVeety provided the momentum for Cavan to go on and dominate the game with a swagger and a poise that augurs well for the team’s intermediate championship ambitions in the weeks ahead.

Pre-match forecasts that little would separate the sides when the dust had settled seemed spot-on as the sides shared four points inside the opening 12 minutes with late call-up Ellyanna Madden (Gowna) opening the scoring seconds after the throw-in.

Lauren McVeety’s sweet left-footed effort (12) edged Cavan ahead by the odd point in five and that’s where they stayed. In truth, the blues never looked like being trumped; emphatically ticking boxes marked pressing, efficiency in front of goal, switches, changes and, most particularly, composure and maturity on the ball.

Emmet Daly’s charges were forced to forge a winning path the hard way though with the rather harsh sin-binning of midfield dynamos Ellie Brady and Micaela Fitzpatrick in the 32nd and 35th minutes respectively.

True to form though, Cavan worked in dervish-like fashion to combat a numerically superior Wexford side and a stiffening breeze to successfully cement their second quarter ascendancy.

With a supreme concoction of youth and experience, Cavan slowly but surely began to engineer some clear water between them and opponents who rigidly stuck to the game that had served them so well.

Wexford fought the good fight but they just couldn’t deal with Cavan’s superior athleticism, mobility, football nous and will to win with team-captain Shauna Lynch superbly leading a team replete with a galaxy of players with an essential winning mentality.

The game was an interesting contest throughout, even allowing for the control exerted by Cavan for large tracts of the match. Wexford got a lift when centre half-back Aisling Halligan Wexford landed an impressive score (25) but once before Crosserlough ace McVeety stabbed home a minute goal seconds later - after an initial shot by Niamh Keenaghan was saved by Wexford netminder Siobhan Cloake – marked the beginning of the end of Wexford’s aspirations.

The loss of the Fitzpatrick/Brady midfield combo threatened to derail Cavan’s cause despite the blues’ handsome 1-8 to 0-3 interval lead but matters turned out to be an illusion for the fans from the sunny south east.

Points from sub. Grace Donovan and Sherene Hamilton (46) cut Cavan’s lead to a more manageable five points (1-9 to 0-7) but less than 90 seconds later, Wexford’s growing bubble was burst with Ellie Brady making a dramatic return to the fray following her yellow carding by palming the ball to the net after some great foraging from the likes of McVeety and Catherine Dolan.

With their eight point cushion restored, Cavan looked comfortable on the cusp of the winner’s enclosure with the sun showers unable to rain on the blues’ parade.

Wexford nipped away at Cavan’s heels ‘till the death but, crucially, the Yellowbellies failed to draw any blood.

Although Wexford’s impressive subs helped keep Cavan honest down the back straight, the challengers desperately needed goals to get them out of jail. However, if the truth be told, there was more of a chance of Cavan fans making the throw-in up in Omagh.

Cavan wisely and effectively used their bench to see the game out with Niamh McGorry taking advantage of yet another driving run by the tireless Greene to put the cherry on the cake.

A tasty tilt with Monaghan in the Ulster IFC semi-final is next up.

Cavan: Evelyn Baugh; Lucy Crowe, Sineád Kelly, Eimear Corcoran; Mona Sheridan, Shauna Lynch, Sineád Greene (0-1); Micaela Fitzpatrick, Ellie Brady (1-1); Ellyanna Madden (0-1), Lauren McVeety (1-2), Catherine Dolan (0-1); Niamh Keenaghan, Aishling Sheridan, Aisling Gilsenan (0-3).

Subs: Niamh McCorry (0-1) for N Keenaghan (45); Kerri McCormack for A Gilsenan (49); Annie Deneher for E Madden (inj, 49); Rebecca McLoughlin for E Brady (58).

Wexford: Siobhan Cloake; Sadbh McCarthy, Maria Byrne, Aoife Tormey; Ciara Banville (0-1), Aisling Halligan (0-1), Katie English; Ciara Donnelly, Róisín Murphy; Bebhinn McDonald, Catriona Murray, Orlaith Byrne; Ailis Neville, Caoilfhionn Ní Nualláin, Chloe Foxe (0-4, 4f).

Subs: Sherene Hamilton (0-1) for McDonald (inj, 10); Aoife Cullen for Byrne (33); Grace Donovan (0-1) for Ní Nualláin (33); Emma Tomkins (0-1) for Murray (40); Amanda Power for Neville (48).

Ref: Gerard Canny (Mayo).