Kildare are Minor A Champions!
Kildare are Minor A Champions!
April 14, 2024
Leinster LGFA Minor A Championship Final
Kildare 1-11
Meath 2-05
By Aisling Clery
Ruth Dillon hit 1-1 as Kildare were crowned Leinster Minor A Champions for a third successive season in Bray Emmets on Sunday afternoon. Meath hit 1-3 late on to set up a nervous finish but time ran out for the Royal comeback and Kildare hung on for victory.
Erin Healy opened the scoring for Kildare with a free, the first of four first half frees for Healy. Poppy Byrne responded from a free and Meath took the lead when Orlaith Reilly timed her pass well and Byrne buried the ball in the Kildare net.
Healy added two further frees while Aoife Murnane’s point drew Kildare level. With Aisling Irhue and Erin Healy setting up the Kildare attack, they continued pressing forward and putting the Meath defence under pressure. This pressure eventually cracked on twenty minutes. A well worked Kildare move reached Ruth Dillon and she lobbed the Meath keeper who was off her line. This pushed Kildare into a lead they were to keep for the remainder. Eimear Behan, Healy, Dillon and Abi Whelan kept the scoreboard ticking over and a terrific Sophie Knightly save kept Kildare 1-9 to 1-2 at the break.
Kildare substitute, Freya Healy, was first on the scoreboard in the second half while Knightly made another terrific save from Orlaith Reilly to keep the Meath attack at bay. Caoimhe Egan added a further point for Kildare but this was to be their last score. Lauren Woods pointed for Meath to reduce the deficit by one and the Royals were given a lifeline when Poppy Byrne fired to the net. Anna Moyles and Byrne also added points for Meath but Kildare hung on for victory.
Speaking after the match, Kildare manager, Darren Kendrick was full of praise for his team: “I think the focus, the heart, the commitment, their discipline was excellent. They knew they had to keep going to the end. Even if Meath were after getting a couple of scores, they knew they had to keep going. I’m just thrilled.”
SCORERS: KILDARE: R. Dillon 1-1, E. Healy 0-4 (4f), C. Egan 0-2, A. Murnane, E. Behan, A. Whelan, F. Healy all 0-1 each. MEATH: P. Byrne 2-2 (1f), K. Cole, A. Moyles, L. Woods all 0-1 each.
KILDARE: S. Knightly (C), C. Noone, K. Harney, M. Molloy, J. Brannigan, L. Dunlea, H. Murphy, E. Healy, A. Irhue, A. Murnane, E. Behan, A. Whelan, R. Dillon, C. Egan, K. Kealy.
Subs: F. Healy for Kealy (26 mins), A. Tyrell for Egan (54 mins).
MEATH: G. Ní Laoire, A. Gardiner, M. Canny, R. Kato, I. Thorp, E. Lynch, E. Comerford, K. Cole (C), N. McDermott, A. Moyles, E. Morgan, S. O’Gorman, L. Woods, O. Reilly, P. Byrne.
Subs: N. McGuinness for Morgan (20 mins), R. Larkin for Kato (40 mins), G. Grehan for McDermott (46 mins), M. Nelson for Comerford (50 mins).
Ref: Sinéad McHugh (Dublin)