Termon overcome Mourneabbey in Women’s football final

Women’s All-Ireland Club SFC final

Termon 3-12

Mourneabbey 1-13

Scoring 3-8, Geraldine McLaughlin produced a monumental display as Termon saw off the challenge of Mourneabbey in the Tesco Homegrown All-Ireland senior club football final in Tuam.

Mourneabbey managed to keep the 21-year-old Donegal sharpshooter fairly quiet in the first half, holding her to a goal from play, scored in the 10th minute after a sharp turn.

“I can’t believe it,” she said. “We went in at half-time four points down but that definitely wasn’t us. We knew we had to play our game in the second half and if we did we’d come through.”

It was 0-10 to 1-3 at the interval and, at that juncture, the feeling was that Mourneabbey’s greater array of threats would win the day.

Ciara O’Sullivan stretched the lead to five early in the second half with her fourth point, but by the time Laura Fitzgerald kicked Mourneabbey’s next score from her first touch of the second half 17 minutes in, the landscape had changed entirely.

High tackle

The sin-binning of Rebecca Larkin for a high tackle on McLaughlin in the 41st minute was crucial and, a minute later, the full-forward had her second goal, leaving a trail of defenders in her wake. She had already raised three white flags by that stage and added another before Róisín Friel had a rising shot palmed over by Méabh O’Sullivan. That made it 2-9 to 0-11.

Termon’s Emer Gallagher saw yellow 10 minutes from time though and within seconds Mourneabbey sub Katie Healy found the net to make it a one-point game.

With Mourneabbey now having the numerical advantage, you felt that they might turn it around but Sharon McLaughlin’s ability to continually feed her sister with her quick ball proved significant.

The captain toe-poked her third goal to the corner of the net to finally seal the deal and she added a point for good measure to round off an unforgettable day.

TERMON (Donegal): L Gallagher; E Gallagher, O McCafferty, P McCafferty; M Carr, N McLaughlin, T McCafferty; S McGroddy, R McCafferty; L McElwaine, S McLaughlin (0-1), G McDaid; R Friel (0-1), G McLaughlin (3-8, 0-4 frees), M O'Donnell (0-2, frees). Subs: N Friel for McElwaine (21 mins), D Kelly for P McCafferty (53 mins), L McElwaine for Carr (60 mins)

MOURNEABBEY (Cork): M O'Sullivan; S Conroy, CA Stack, A O'Sullivan; R Larkin, R O'Sullivan, E Meaney; M O'Callaghan, N O'Sullivan; C O'Sullivan (0-4), B O'Sullivan, R Harrington (0-1); K Coakley, L Fitzgerald (0-7, 0-4 frees), D O'Sullivan. Subs: K Healy (0-1) for Coakley (38 mins), M O'Callaghan for Harrington (50 mins), S O'Callaghan for Stack (52 mins).

Referee: G Chapman (Sligo).