Galway and Dublin advance to semi-finals

Galway 0-17 Monaghan 0-14
Dublin 2-12 Kerry 1-10

Galway joined Dublin in the TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football semi-finals after they edged out Monaghan in a cracker at St. Brendan's Park in Birr.

A spirited second half display was good enough for the Connacht champions as they knocked out last year’s beaten All-Ireland finalists. Ten different Galway players were on the scoresheet but it was the Farney girls who started brightly when Ciara McAnespie split the posts after 25 seconds to mark their early intent, before Barbara Hannon squared the game with a well-taken Galway score.

Therese McNally-Scott and Cathriona McConnell then gave the Ulster champions a two-point cushion, before they were controversially awarded a penalty on seven minutes when Noelle Connolly was judged to have foot-blocked a shot from McConnell.

Galway will feel justice was done when Monaghan goalkeeper Linda Martin’s low kick sailed wide to the left of the posts.

Caitriona Cormican and Ellen McCarron swapped scores before Niamh Kindlon restored Monaghan’s two-point advantage. However, a Galway purple patch saw Kevin Reidy’s charges turn the game on its head in the space of 5 minutes, with Louise Ward, Lorna Joyce, Geraldine Conneally, and Lucy Hannon putting Galway 0-6 to 0-5 ahead.

Both sides were then reduced to 14 players in the space of two minutes, with Monaghan’s Cora Courtney off for charging on Nicola Ward and Geraldine Conneally soon joined her for her heavy challenge on McNally-Scott.

Kindlon levelled the game at 0-6 each for her second score of the afternoon but Galway stalwart Annette Clarke ensured the Connacht champions held a slender 0-7 to 0-6 advantage when she sailed over a late free.

A pulsating second half saw Galway suffer a huge blow early on as skipper Sinéad Burke limped off with an ankle problem, as Monaghan introduced All-star Caoimhe Mohan, who made an immediate impact on her return from the New York.

Mohan’s double and a score from McNally-Scott gave Monaghan the edge once more before Clarke and McConnell swapped scores from frees to see the game level once again at 0-10 apiece.

The game was now end-to-end as Mohan and McConnell’s latest placed ball gave beaten Ulster finalists Monaghan a two-point edge once again. But Galway again came back at John Morrison’s side to hit the front once more thanks to Aoibheann Daly, Cormican and a double from Olivia Divilly.

Ellen McCarron kept Monaghan in touch but Galway had enough in the tank to get over the line and kill Monaghan’s momentum, with Tracey Leonard’s point and Clarke’s free enough to seal a three-point win.

Dublin booked their place in another TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football semi-final as they overcame Kerry at St. Brendan's Park in Birr.

Sinéad Aherne scored 0-8 for the winners, while goals in either half from Niamh McEvoy and Noelle Healy proved crucial.

Although Kerry fought hard, particularly in the second half, Leinster champions Dublin simply had too much quality throughout the pitch.

GALWAY: J Connolly; N Connolly, M Coyne, O Dixon; N Ward, E Flaherty, S Burke (S Egan, 33); A Clarke, G Conneally; L Hannon (O Divilly, 37), C Cormican, L Ward; A Daly, L Joyce (T Leonard,45), B Hannon.

Scorers: A Clarke 0-4 (3f), B Hannon 0-3, C Cormican, Olivia Divilly 0-2 each, G Conneally, L Ward, L Joyce, A Daly, L Hannon, T Leonard 0-1 each.

MONAGHAN: L Martin; J Geoghegan (M Atkinson, 39), Y Connell, C Reilly; G McNally, S Courtney, A McAnespie; A Casey, N Fahey; C Courtney, E McCarron, T McNally-Scott; C McConnell, N Kindlon (C Mohan, 31), C McAnespie (E O’Rourke, 50).

Scorers: E McCarron, C Mohan, C McConnell (2f) 0-3 each, T McNally-Scott, N Kindlon 0-2 each, C McAnespie 0-1.

DUBLIN: C O’Connor; R Ruddy, S Furlong, L Caffrey; M Byrne, S Goldrick, S McGrath; D Masterson, M Lamb (O Leonard, 54); N Healy, N McEvoy (S Woods, 50), C Rowe; L Davey, S Aherne (L Collins, 60), L Peat (N Hyland, 52).

Scorers: S Aherne 0-8 (7f), N Healy, N McEvoy 1-0 each, C Rowe 0-2, L Peat, L Davey 0-1 each.

KERRY: E Murphy; A Lyons, A Desmond, A Leonard (D Corridan, 45); C Kelly, C Lynch, D Hallissey; E Sherwood, B Breen; M Quirke (L Scanlon, 26), L Galvin (M O’Connell, 50), G Crowley (L Rogers, 45); L Ni Mhuircheartaigh, S Houlihan, P Dennehy.

Scorers: D Corridan 1-1, P Dennehy 0-3 (1f), S Houlihan 0-2 (2f), L Ni Mhuircheartaigh 0-2, E Sherwood, L Scanlon 0-1 each.