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Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) 2-9 Foxrock-Cabinteely (Dublin) 0-8

One of those games where the scoreline is an unreliable narrator, telling a story of a game - just not necessarily this game. Donaghmoyne completed back-to-back All-Irelands with seven points to spare but Foxrock-Cabinteely went back to Dublin’s southside knowing they weren’t seven points the lesser side.

They missed four clear goal chances and kicked a handful of thoughtless wides. It’s hard to argue they should have won, but certainly shouldn’t have taken such a numerical hiding. They also shouldn’t have reached the 28th minute without a score and they shouldn’t have been 12 points down three minutes after half-time. And yet they were, for the simple reason that they kept fluffing their lines in front of goal whereas Donaghmoyne were close to foot-perfect.

The Monaghan side are so well-versed at this level and were playing in their seventh All-Ireland final since 2005. Just like last year, they kept their opposition to a score of 0-8 and punished them at will down the other end. They keep coming back, sharp and physical and full of running. And merciless in front of goal.

“We just love it,” said player-of-the-match Sharon Courtney. “We’ve actually got no football this year at all - this is our ninth game all year, league and championship. There’s no football in Monaghan for us. We’ve played three league games all year because everyone just gives us the points. It’s the craic that keeps us going, just playing with friends really. And when you’re winning, that always helps too.”

The opening 10 minutes summed this game up perfectly. Both sides fizzed into the game and strung together necklaces of tight, intricate passing to create opportunities. Donaghmoyne took theirs, working clever scores for Cora Courtney, Cathriona McConnell and Louise Kerley.

Foxrock-Cabinteely actually made better chances but couldn’t take them, Amy Connolly blazing wide with the goal at her mercy on five minutes and Amy Ring seeing her shot smothered by Linda Martin soon after.

The Dublin and Leinster champions had parity everywhere but on the scoreboard and soon it started to get away from them. McConnell was in electric form at the heart of the Donaghmoyne attack and after she split the posts from distance on 12 minutes, she followed up with the game’s first goal, taking advantage of a mix-up in the Fox-Cab backline.

With only a quarter of an hour gone, the defending champions were 1-4 to 0-0 ahead and must have been a little baffled as to how they’d put so much clear water between themselves and the opposition. They were handed a soft lead and didn’t dawdle on it, instead kicking further clear with points from the excellent McConnell (twice) and tireless midfielder Amanda Casey.

The score was 1-7 to 0-0 by the time the Dublin side got on the board. Anne-Marie Murphy finished off a strong run from Laura Nerney and Connolly finally got on the board herself. It meant the sides went in with eight points between them at the and though the Foxrock-Cabinteely heads had clearly dropped somewhat, there was still a chance that a good start to the second half might light a fire under them.

But it was Donaghmoyne who got the flier after the break, a second goal coming from a bad mistake in the Fox-Cab goal by Laurie Ahern. She dropped a harmless bouncing ball three yards out and the lurking full-forward Kerley palmed home the killer goal. It put Donaghmoyne 2-8 to 0-2 ahead and well out of reach, even with 27 minutes still to play.

Foxrock-Cabinteely actually dominated the rest of the game, outscoring Donaghmoyne by 0-6 to 0-1. But their day was summed up by two points in quick succession around the 50th minute. For the first, Anne-Marie Murphy’s shot came back off the foot of the post with Martin beaten, leaving Ciara Murphy to pop a point. And straight from the kick-out Anne-Marie Murphy got through one-on-one again but blazed over.

Had both shots found the net, there would have been just three points between the sides with nine minutes to go and all the momentum with the Dublin side. But neither did and Donaghmoyne saw it out with a minimum of fuss.

“When you’re so far ahead, you can be inclined to drop off and fall back,” said Courtney. “And particularly with our forward line who are all a bit younger - there was a fear factor there that played into Foxrock’s hands. But look, we kept them out so it’s all good.”

Donaghmoyne: Linda Martin; Joanne Geoghegan, Fiona Courtney, Áine McElroy; Hazel Kingham, Sharon Courtney, Joanne Courtney; Amanda Casey (0-1), Cora Courtney (0-1); Cathriona McConnell (1-5, 0-2 free), Eileen McElroy, Rosemary Courtney; Louise Kerley (1-1), Niamh Callan (0-1), Sandra McConnell. Subs: Lauren Garland for Kingham, 39 mins; Sandra McConnell for A McElroy, 47 mins; Roisin Finnegan for Keenan, 55 mins; Gina Comiskey for Kerley, 58 mins;

Foxrock-Cabinteely: Laurie Ahern; Emma McDonagh, Niamh Collins, Sinead Delahunty; Sinead Goldrick, Ciara Ní Murchadh, Lorna Fusciardi; Sarah Brophy, Laura Nerney; Ciara O'Riordan, Anne-Marie Murphy (0-2), Niamh Ryan; Amy Ring, Fiona Claffey, Amy Connolly (0-5, 0-3 frees). Subs: Hannah O'Neill for Ring, 28 mins; Ciara Crotty for Delahunty, 35 mins; Ciara Murphy (0-1) for O'Riordan, 45 mins; Tarah O'Sullivan for McDonagh, 48 mins; Eimear O'Herlihy for Nerney, 56 mins

Referee: Gerry Carmody (Mayo)