Tinahealy vs Bray LGFA Senior

 

Tinahealy 3-16

Bray Emmets 2-6

 Bray Emmets GAA Club

Eoin Horkan

 

A strong second half performance from the Tinahealy was enough for them to overcome a valiant Bray effort on Saturday night in the north Wicklow venue.

It was the travelling side who opened the scoring firing a goal and three points early in the tie. It was centre forward Eimear O Sullivan who opened the scoring with a point. Tinahealy who moved full forward Jackie Kinch out the pitch from early on were causing havoc with a two women inside line. It was corner forward Laura Hogan who fired the ball high into the roof of the net inside five minutes before she pointed minutes later. The home side eventually went on the attack after Hogan’s latest effort, the ball landed into the hands of full forward Lauren Rowe whose long range effort found the net against the run of play. This was a brief moment of respite as Tinahealy kept on scoring at will as Emily Mulhall and Jackie Kinch both raised white flags for there side . The long direct ball from midfield into the forward line was still causing trouble as Hogan added two more to her tally firstly, from a place ball before slotting over from play. Rowe was Bray’s only threat as she pointed to reduce the margin slightly. The south Wicklow side grabbed there second major of the game from sharpshooter Hogan who finished neatly into the corner. With the game minutes away from half time the home side’s wing forward Aoife Gillen slotted over from a narrow angle. It was then the turn of midfielder Shauna Douglas as she burst through the defence before unleashing an effort into the net for her side . The final two scores of the half came from the away side as midfielder Aimee Maher and corner forward Ciara Byrne as they put six points between the sides at the break.

The second half of this tie was a much more one sided affair as Tinahealy powered to victory . They manged a goal and six points inside the opening quarter of the half  to put the tie out of Bray’s reach. It was Hogan who was the catalyst as she notched four  of the scores alongside Maher and O’ Sullivan. Not to be outdone by Hogan it was the other corner forward Byrne who netted the third goal after been expertly set up by Hogan. Bray’s solitary response was a dead ball from Mikaela Shelley. With six minutes left on the clock Hogan tapped over her final point of the game. The home side managed to narrow the gap as Shelley fired over before centre back Orla O’ Keefe drove forward to narrow the gap slightly. Tinahealy’s final score of the game was a minor from wing forward Eimear O’ Brien, this also meant all there starting forwards had scored in the tie. The final score of the tie came from the boot of Douglas  right on the full time whistle.

Tinahealy: Shona Byrne; Emily Hadden, Sarah Hogan, Ciara Stokes; Shannagh  Goetelen , Aine Byrne, Roisin Byrne; Aoife Gorman, Aimee Maher (0-2); Eimear O’ Brien (0-1), Eimear O’ Sullivan, (0-2) Emily Mulhall (0-1); Ciara Byrne (1-1), Jackie Kinch (0-1), Laura Hogan (2- 8 3fs).

Subs Used: Niamh Kenny for Ciara Stokes

 

Bray Emmets: Amy Butler; Emma Doyle, Jane Butler, Emily Deveney; Juliette Fortune, Orla O’ Keefe (0-1), Erica Brierton; Alice Fitzgerald, Shauna Douglas (1-1); Aoife Gillen (0-1), Mikaela Shelley (0-2), Una O’ Grady; Katrina Smyth, Lauren Rowe (1-1), Anna Craig.

 

Subs Used: April Harty for Una O’ Grady, Laura Butler for Katrina Smyth, Alanna Conroy for Lauren Rowe.

 

Referee Ian Culbert ( Rathnew)