Scariff-Ogonnelloe 6-22
O’Connells Tullysaran 0-5
It was all too easy for Scariff-Ogonnelloe as they won the first of the two AIB All-Ireland Junior Club semi-finals with consummate ease at TEG Cusack Park in Mullingar.
It was a procession for the Munster champions and hard though O’Connells tried, they were out-gunned and under pressure in almost every sector of the pitch, although Joanne Mullen did present some problems for an otherwise on-top Scariff rearguard.
Mairéad Scanlon ended with 12 points as the Clare side made their return to the final, having fallen at the last hurdle to Myshall three years ago, while Rachel Minogue pounced for a late hat-trick of goals to put the exclamation point on what was an already impressive performance.
Scanlon shot three early points and Scariff were four clear when captain, Aisling Corbett was forced into a good save.
The winners were unerring in availing of their opportunities and Aoife Power added another brace of points before Colette McSorley finally got O’Connells off the mark from a free at the end of the opening quarter. She repeated the trick soon after to make it 0-9 to 0-2.
It was an uphill battle all the time for the Armagh girls though, who just could not attend to every threat. Points from Sarah O’Donnell, Scanlon and Power opened up a 12-point gap.
McSorley stopped the rot by converting another free but it was a momentary respite, as Danielle Sheedy drilled two points to make it 0-16 to 0-3 at half time.
Tullysaran's Louise Mackle with Aoife Power of Scariff Ogonnelloe. Image: INPHO/Tommy Dickson
Tullysaran boss, Paul Monahan had a tough task at the interval but would have been pleased to see his side registering the first score of the second half, McSorley finding the target from another free.
Unfortunately for them though, it was not a portent of better things to come as Scariff-Ogonelloe ran riot, with Róisín O’Brien excelling around the middle. Scanlon helped herself to two more points.
McSorley went for goal from a free but Corbett was up to the task once more and after 43 minutes, O’Donnell grabbed the first goal. The floodgates opened thereafter.
O’Donnell secured her second goal two minutes later after Scanlon had dropped a 45 short and Sheedy and Minogue followed suit with further green flags.
Siobhan Mackle struck for O’Connells’ only score from play but their pain was not at an end as Minogue pounced for two injury-time goals to set the seal on a wonderful effort by Pat Mingoue’s crew.
SCORERS FOR SCARIFF-OGONNELLOE: M Scanlon 0-12(5fs), R Minogue 3-2, A Power 0-4, S O’Donnell 2-2, D Sheedy 1-2
SCORERS FOR O’CONNELLS TULLYSARAN: C McSorley 0-4(fs), S Mackle 0-1
SCARIFF-OGONNELLOE: A Corbett, S Skelly, M O’Brien, L Horan, A Madden, A Barrett, S McNamara, R O’Brien, H McGee, R Moloney, M Scanlon, A Power, R Minogue, D Sheedy, Sarah O’Donnell. Subs: C Madden for Power, A O’Brien for Sheedy, Sorcha O’Donnell for Sarah O’Donnell, C O’Gorman for McGee, A Moloney for R Moloney
O’CONNELLS TULLYSARAN: P McKinney, S McGahan, C Finnegan, C Fanthorpe, A McKenna, Leanne Mackle, Louise Mackle, E Hayes, A Mackle, L Duffy, C McSorley, E Mullen, E Mullan, S Mackle, C Mullen. Subs: C Moen for McGahan, JA Garvey for Louise Mackle
REFEREE: J Dermody (Westmeath)
Words: Daragh Ó Conchúir
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
