Balyna goals crush Graiguecullen’s Leinster hopes
Emer Cawley (Graiguecullen) is tackled by Lucy Cullinan ,and Grace Gallagher Balyna in the AIB Leinster Int Club LGFA Championship Photo Martin Rowe
GRAIGUECULLEN’S Leinster hopes were ended by Kildare side Balyna in Johnstownbridge on Saturday.
The old saying of goals win games rang true again, with two in the space of 60 seconds in the second half particularly harmful to the Laois champions chances.
Lauren Walsh and Kelly O’Neill scored early points to put Graiguecullen 0-2 to 0-1 ahead but the first of the goals arrived in the fifth minute when Grace Gallagher’s powerful shot proved too hot for Maryann O’Neill to keep out.
The majority of the remainder of the half was evenly matched, and if anything Graiguecullen were having slightly more of the ball. Walsh and O’Neill were proving accurate with their shooting and after three points in a row, there was just a point between the teams in the 26th minute, 1-4 to 0-6.
Just as Graiguecullen were thinking of getting into the dressing room on the back of a good first half, Balyna came up with a crucial scoring burst.
Gallagher and Aoibheann Birchall landed points and then on the stroke of half time, Leah Doran sent Birchall in on goal and she hit the net to leave the score at 2-6 to 0-6 at the break.
There was an element of fortune to their third and fourth goals, scored by Julie Brannigan and Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal in the 38 and 39th minutes as both shots dipped late and dropped over the head of O’Neill and into the net.
It felt like the game had been taken away from Graiguecullen in the blink of an eye.
A 44th minute yellow card, and resulting ten minutes in the sin bin, for former Kildare All-Ireland winner Erica Burke opened the door for Graiguecullen.
Mags McEvoy set up Kelly O’Neill for a shot at goal and her effort was only inches wide. A goal at that stage could have set Graiguecullen up for a storming finish. As it was, they scored five of the last seven points of the game but goals had done too much damage and the gap was too big to close.
Aoibheann Birchall 1-4 (0-3fs), Grace Gallagher 1-2, Julie Brannigan and Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal 1-0 each, Erica Burke 0-1.
Kelly O’Neill 0-6 (0-4fs), Lauren Walsh 0-5 (0-4fs), Caoimhe Fitzpatrick, Jade Nolan and Mia Branagan 0-1 each.
Ruth Bergin; Kate Langley, Sadie Cullinan, Holly O’Keefe, Lucy Cullinan, Ellen Morgan, Megan Cooney; Julie Brannigan, Leah Doran; Rachel Cribbin, Erica Burke, Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal, Lauren Dixon, Grace Gallagher, Aoibheann Birchall.
Siobhan Hurley for Ní Bhuircéal (b/s 30-h/t); Caoimhe Farrell for Langley (52m); Siobhan Hurley for Ní Bhuircéal (58m); Robyn Hurley 0-1 for Cribbin (59m).
Maryann O’Neill; Izzy Humphries, Caoimhe Brennan, Sara Kerfah, Sally Amond, Georgina Donovan, Jasmine Kinsella; Caoimhe Fitzpatrick, Jade Nolan; Lauren Walsh, Mags McEvoy, Emer Cawley, Mia Branagan, Kelly O’Neill, Ella Byrne.
Hannah Kerfah for Byrne (h/t); Kathlyn Timmons for Amond (42m); Shayna Howe for Cawley (48m).
Gerard Egan (Longford)
