LADIES GAA | Flood signs off with a bang as St Patrick’s add league title to their intermediate crown
St Patrick’s 0–17 Roche Emmets 1–11
Louth Ladies Division Two League final
2019 will be a year to remember for St Patrick’s as they completed a league and championship double with victory over Roche Emmets in a cracking Division Two final played out in front a big crowd in Kilkerley on Sunday morning.
An enthralling game played out between two extremely passionate sides, produced a thoroughly thrilling spectacle with the outcome in the balance right up until Finbarr Shanahan blew his whistle three minutes into added time.
County star Kate Flood, who leaves for Australian Rules duty with Freemantle over the next few days, was pivotal to the Lordship side’s latest success, the Louth captain scoring 11 points over the course of the hour.
Pat’s enjoyed the lion’s share of possession early on but a combination of some outstanding Roche defending and a failure to take their chances saw the sides level at three points apiece midway through the half.
Flood then saw a venomous drive crash off the woodwork before she swapped points with Seona Halligan. Sarah McArdle, with a superb effort, put the Faughart side ahead for the first time in the 22nd minute, 0–5 to 0–4.
Roche enjoyed their best spell of the half after that and added further scores through Halligan, Aisling Begley and midfielder Louise Byrne to lead by 0–9 to 0–6 at the interval.
Pat’s looked in real trouble when captain Aine Breen was shown a yellow card for a challenge on Halligan early in the second half but the normally reliable Jenny McCourt missed the target from the subsequent free. Moments later, Aisling Begley’s quickly taken free found Louise Byrne in space but, once again, Roche failed to take the chance and increase their lead.
They got the goal their enterprising played deserved when Sarah McArdle finished a fine move with a sensational strike from 25 yards which left Shannagh Toner in the Pat’s goal helpless. That put Mickey Heaney’s side five in front, 1–9 to 0–7, with 41 minutes played.
The Lordship outfit created a goal chance of their own moments later when Roche keeper Claire McCann did well to push an Aisling O’Doherty piledriver over the bar but it signalled the start of a Pat’s revival which saw Flood take centre stage.
Three wonderful points followed from her boot, two of them from what appeared to be impossible angles close to the sideline, which saw her level the scores, 1–9 to 0–12 with 48 minutes played. And with the noise level from the Lordship support rising, Meg Woods edged them ahead before Flood converted with another spectacular score from distance to give Pat’s some breathing space.
The woodwork came to Roche’s rescue again on two more occasions with Aine Breen and Katie Conlon both denied by the post but two further scores from Flood edged Pat’s 0–16 to 1–9 ahead with just seven minutes left to play.
To their credit, Roche didn’t give up and a Jenny McCourt free followed by a superb left-footed point from Sarah McArdle reduced the deficit to just two points with five minutes left to play. Flood, however, settled any late nerves with another brilliant score to secure a double for Pat’s and ensure they made amends for losing the 2018 decider against Mattock Rangers.
ST PATRICK’S: Shannagh Toner; Melissa O’Hanlon, Naoimh Butterly, Ellen Barry; Denise Finnegan, Anna Whyte, Deirbhile O’Doherty; Aine Breen, Kate Cumiskey; Jacqui McArdle, Kate Flood (0–11), Aisling O’Doherty (0–1); Mary Loughran, Katie Conlon, Meg Woods (0–5). Sub: Nicola Connor for K Conlon.
ROCHE EMMETS: Claire McCann; Katie Halligan, Arlene Marmion, Lauren Meehan; Caoimhe Treanor, Niamh Callan, Anna Murphy; Aoife Halligan, Louise Byrne (0–2); Aisling Begley (0–1), Tracey Rogers, Sarah McArdle (1–2); Jenni McCourt (0–3), Seona Halligan (0–3), Caoimhe Maxwell. Sub: Claire McDonald for C Maxwell.
REFEREE: Finbarr Shanahan (Dublin).
