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Final
Carnacon 8-17
Kilmovee 4-9

Daniel Carey
Charlestown

THERE are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Carnacon. The central Mayo side have been unbeaten in the county championship since the turn of the century, and despite getting off to a terrible start, they ultimately blitzed a game Kilmovee outfit in the 2010 final on Sunday.
For the first three minutes, Fr O’Hara Park in Charlestown played host to something we don’t see very often – a Carnacon side trailing. But once the reigning champions got in their stride, normal service was resumed. Kilmovee’s 4-9 would have won many games, but here, they weren’t close. Still, that 21-point haul in the ‘against’ column will be a source of concern. Cora Staunton’s 3-12 matched Kilmovee’s tally.
Yet for exactly ten minutes, some wondered if a shock was on the cards. Last Sunday was International Talk Like A Pirate Day, and Kilmovee began seemingly intent on carrying out a daring raid on the established order. With Claire Duffy prominent, they scored three points in the opening 90 seconds, two from Sinéad Cafferky on either side of one from her sister Lisa. Then Clodagh Martin fired a low shot into the net.
But Carnacon didn’t panic. Decent points from Cora Staunton, Natasha Beegan and Claire Egan steadied the ship, and three goals in a two-minute window turned the game on its head. Fiona McHale got the first two, finishing a move that spanned the length of the field and then netting at the second attempt after a fine stop by the excellent Philomena Tansey. Staunton blasted home in the very next attack, and thereafter Carnacon held their opponents at arm’s length – or further.
Eight of the remaining ten first-half points came from frees – five from Staunton (many of them self-earned) and three from Lisa Cafferky. There were also well-taken scores from Beegan and Kilmovee’s Emer Tansey, and four further goals, two at either end. Staunton took a pop pass before netting a beauty, a low shot to the corner, while McHale got her third after profiting from Michelle McGing’s approach work.
Kilmovee were given a glimmer of hope with two goals in first-half injury time. Clodagh Martin got her second following an Emer Tansey pass, while Leanne Foley netted soccer-style. The gap was back to eight (5-9 to 3-7) and we wondered if it might be a close encounter after all.
We should, perhaps, have known better. Sixteen seconds after the restart, Staunton got her third goal after McHale and Beegan linked up. Martha Carter, Staunton and Aoife Brennan tacked on points. Carnacon could even afford to miss a penalty, as Staunton’s shot hit the post before going wide, while Kilmovee had corner back Lorraine Kelly sin-binned.
Twenty second-half minutes had elapsed before Emer Grehan ended Kilmovee’s barren spell. Clodagh Martin and Deirdre Gordon saw their efforts come off the upright, while Leanne Foley was denied a goal by Michelle Higgins. Lisa Cafferky got on the mark soon after, but Staunton countered with four points. “Cora’s scored more than Kilmovee,” one man observed, and at that stage it was true.
Kilmovee centre back Michelle Kelly thumped home a great goal after a patient build-up, but there were more majors to come at the other end too. Majella Gill netted after Philomena Tansey had pushed Natasha Beegan’s effort onto the bar, and Beegan herself goaled moments later before the game finished – appropriately enough – with a Staunton point from a self-earned free. It sounds strange after a 20-point victory, but Carnacon need to get better. But then they probably will.

Carnacon
M Higgins; N Hurst, C McGing, A Lydon; Marie Corbett, A Loftus, S McGing; C Egan (0-1), M McGing; A Brennan (0-1), M Carter (0-1), N Tierney; F McHale (3-0), C Staunton (3-12, 0-9f), N Beegan (1-2).
Subs used: M Gill (1-0) for A Lydon; S Flannery for N Hurst; Michelle Corbett for A Brennan.

Kilmovee
P Tansey; R Towey, L Callaghan, L Kelly; C Duffy, M Kelly (1-0), M Horan; D Gordon, C Gorman; E Tansey (0-1), L Cafferky (0-5, 3f), E Grehan (0-1); L Foley (1-0), C Martin (2-0), S Cafferky (0-2).
Sub used: E Duffy for L Callaghan.

Referee: R Devine