TG4 All-Ireland Ladies’ JFC final
Fermanagh 1-11 Louth 0-12
EIMEAR Smyth’s first-half goal proved decisive as Fermanagh held off Louth to land the All-Ireland junior championship in Croke Park.
The Erne sharp-shooter finished with a personal tally of 1-9 and picked up the player-of-the-match award, but this was a team performance from CJ McGourty’s side, who had to fight hard in the second half as Louth came back and threw everything at them.
They also finally claimed their first win in Croke Park. Their 2017 final against Derry ended in a draw with them winning in Clones the next day, while the 2020 final, which they won, was played in Parnell Park. The 2022 final against Antrim ended in a draw, with them losing the replay in the Athletic Grounds.
Their reward will be intermediate championship football next season.
Twice they were reduced to 14 players in the second half with two sin-bins, but they weathered the Louth storm, thankful too for some poor wides from the opposition, who will certainly look back on those missed opportunities.
The Ulster champions led 1-5 to 0-5 at half-time and perhaps deserved to be further ahead after a very controlled first half, but a couple of points late on for Louth had them back to within one score as they headed down the tunnel.
Fermanagh were very controlled and used the width of Croke Park well. They worked their kick-outs well, winning eight out of nine and a couple led to well-worked scores, including the only goal of the match.
Smyth did not miss a free all day and had just one wide, an effort late in the second half tailing off, while there were superb performances from Megan Maguire in goals, Blaithin and Cadhla Bogue, Molly McGloin, captain Shannan McQuade, Courteney Murphy, Aoife McCabe and Danielle and Lisa Maguire.
Championship top-scorer Smyth opened the scoring on All-Ireland finals Day with a point from a free in the second minute and Blaithin Bogue doubled the Ulster side’s lead four minutes later, the Tempo Maguires player being afforded too much time and space as she sold a dummy and popped the ball over the bar.
Louth saw five attacks break down, a culmination of being wasteful and Fermanagh making vital interceptions, before they got their opening score from a Kate Flood free in the ninth minute.
It was from the resulting kick-out that Fermanagh found the back of the net to lead 1-2 to 0-1 with not even 10 minutes gone. It was a well-worked team move, Megan Maguire finding Bogue and with Molly McGloin, Joanne Doonan and Lisa Maguire all involved, the ball ended back up with Bogue whose effort for a point dropped short. But Smyth contested the ball, outjumping goalkeeper Rebecca Lambe Fagan, and with her out of position, she fired home from close range.
Smyth made it 1-3 to 0-1 before Flood got Louth’s second point, again from a free, in the 13th minute. She was off target from a placed ball while Fermanagh goalkeeper Megan Maguire pulled off a fine save from Lucy White to keep her side four ahead.
Flood again was off the mark from another free but the same could not be said for Smyth, who converted after Aoife McCabe was fouled.
Niamh Rice, who looked dangerous when on the ball, got Louth’s first from play when she sent over a super point five minutes from the break and she added another after shaking off two Fermanagh players. Flood, from a free, had the final say of the half, an important score after missing two scoreable frees, to bring them back to within one score.
There was a greater sense of urgency from Louth in the second half and they got the first score through Aoife Russell to make it a two-point game.
Fermanagh could, and should, have sewn up the game as early as the 34th minute when three opportunities arose to find the back of the net, including two in the one move, but they failed to take any.
Niamh McManus, who had started in place of Bronagh Smyth, saw her first effort well saved by Fagan and when the rebound fell into McManus’ hands, her shot came back off the post and Louth swept up the danger.
However, Fermanagh immediately won the ball back and for the second time in a minute, McManus saw her shot saved by Fagan again. They did get a ‘45, which Bogue took short, picked up the return ball and sent it between the posts to make it 1-6 to 0-6.
Flood’s afternoon of frustration continued as she was wide from a free again, while Smyth made no mistake by adding another point for Fermanagh to stretch their lead to four, 1-7 to 0-6, after 38 minutes.
Louth missed their own glorious goal chance when Cadhla-Cara Bogue cleared off the line just as it looked like Lucy White’s effort was going to trickle over the goal-line.
Fermanagh were put on the back foot when Ciara Clarke was yellow-carded, sent to the sin-bin in the 40th minute, during which Louth outscored them four points to one to make it a one-point game, 1-8 to 0-10 with 12 minutes remaining. Flood Scored three of those, two from frees, and substitute Mischa Rooney got the other ,but Smyth had also converted an important free for Fermanagh.
Smyth doubled her side’s lead after her sister Bronagh, just introduced, had won a free, but Flood replied with her own converted point and it was back to the minimum, 1-10 to 0-11 with eight minutes left.
Smyth (free) pushed Fermanagh out to two once more while at the other end, Flood pushed another effort wide. She did convert their final free, the result of a foul by Shannon McQuade, which ended up with her seeing out the game from the sin-bin, and with three minutes remaining, it was a one-point game once more.
Fermanagh kept pressing and although Bogue went wide, the resulting kick-out was turned over, Bronagh Smyth winning possession, laying it off to her sister, who wrapped up the scoring for the winners.
There was still over two minutes on the clock and once more Fermanagh won the Leitrim kick-out, holding possession until the final 10 seconds and seeing out a historic win.
Scorers - Fermanagh: E Smyth 1-9 (0-6f), B Bogue 0-2.
Louth: K Flood 0-8 (7f), N Rice 0-2, A Russell, M Rooney 0-1 each.
Fermanagh M Maguire; C Clarke, M McGloin, E Keenan; S McQuade, C Murphy, C Bogue; B Bannon, L Maguire; D Maguire, J Doonan, A McCabe; B Bogue, E Smyth, N McManus
Subs B Smyth for McManus (49), S Britton for D Maguire (57).
Louth R Lambe Fagan; L Byrne, E Murray, E Hand; H Lambe Sally, A Breen, C Nolan; A Halligan, E Byrne; L White, A Russell, C McDonald; N Rice, K Flood, S Matthews
Subs M Rooney for Lambe Sally (h-t), C O’Reilly for McDonald (49), R O’Connor Leonard for Russell (52), C Boyle for Matthews, K Doheny for White (both 60).
Referee Gerard Canny (Mayo)
