Carnacon return to ladies football summit

Carnacon return to the summit


Mayo champions mark 25th anniversary in style

Final
Carnacon 2-14
Na Fianna 2-4

Mike Finnerty
Ballymahon

AN awful lot has changed in Mayo ladies football circles since the halcyon days of the county team ten years ago, but one thing has remained the same — Carnacon.
Through thick and thin the club that Jimmy Corbett built back in 1986 has continued to compete at the highest level and last Sunday they scaled the All-Ireland peak once more.
Great and unbridled were the celebrations as Carnacon players, supporters and their ever-present management team of Corbett, Beatrice Casey and Michael McHale shared in the moment of a fourth All-Ireland senior title success.
The manner of Carnacon’s victory means that this will go down as one of the West Mayo club’s greatest days.
From the early stages it became apparent that not only was this about reclaiming a title they last won in 2008, but it was about making a statement.
They were women on a mission.
You could see it in the way Caroline McGing, Claire Egan, Martha Carter and Fiona McHale bossed the area around the ‘midfield diamond’ in the opening half.
This quartet led by example, contested each and every loose ball fiercely, and drove forward at every opportunity.
Behind them, the entire Carnacon defence worked in unison to shut out Na Fianna’s shooters.
Noelle Tierney directed operations from full-back while Nicola Hurst, Sharon McGing, Marie Corbett, Aoife Loftus and the aforementioned Caroline McGing went to work.
At the other end, the pace, movement and cohesion of the Carnacon forwards was both impressive and effective.
The half-forward line of Michelle McGing, Fiona McHale and Doireann Hughes dominated their opponents and took them on constantly, while Natasha Beegan and Aoife Brennan buzzed around Cora Staunton in the inside line.
Carnacon’s tactic of using Cora as both a target and a decoy in that first half paid handsome dividends; she finished the day with 1-9 to her credit but also created space for many of her colleagues on occasion.
The most telling example was her final pass to Aoife Brennan for Carnacon’s opening goal on 17 minutes.
The teenage corner-forward finished brilliantly to the Na Fianna net after a move that started with goalkeeper Michelle Higgins.
Na Fianna were appearing in their first All-Ireland final but hit the opening point from Orlagh Egan to settle the nerves.
Remarkably, Carnacon then rattled off 1-5 without reply in the space of 16 minutes; Aoife Brennan’s classy finish supplemented by three points from Cora Staunton and two from the captain, Fiona McHale.
The Connacht champions had the breeze at their backs and the wind in their sails; ironically, a missed penalty from Cora Staunton in the 22nd minute was their only major regret.
Even so, Carnacon still led by 1-7 to 0-2 at the break.
Any doubt about the outcome seemed to be put to bed six minutes into the second half when the irrepressible Cora Staunton cracked in an outrageous goal, even by her own high standards, to push Carnacon clear by 2-8 to 0-3.
Her barnstorming run up the middle ended with a 20 metre strike that flew into the top corner of the Na Fianna net.
That inspirational score looked set to put the game beyond their shell-shocked opponents, but they refused to wilt.
The breeze allowed the Dublin champions to keep things simple and their ‘route one’ approach set up a flicked goal from Orlagh Egan in the 42nd minute that threw them a lifeline.
A dubious decision by the match officials five minutes later then threatened to scupper Carnacon’s 25th anniversary celebrations.
The sense of disbelief among their ranks was palpable when referee, MJ O’Keeffe, ordered one of his umpires at the Carnacon goal to raise the green flag, after it was decided that Michelle Higgins had carried the ball over the goal-line.
Now the gap was back to four points with 13 minutes left.
It was at that stage that Carnacon, once more, proved their mettle as worthy champions. They used all their experience and quality in the last quarter, holding Na Fianna scoreless and nailing four points at the other end.
Three frees from Cora Staunton, and one point from play, were the end result of more good play from the likes of Michelle McGing and Fiona McHale. They knew what had to be done.
The final minutes were vintage Carnacon, as they defended in packs, kept possession, ran down the clock and made sure of victory.
This was one that wasn’t going to get away.

Carnacon
M Higgins (1-0 OG); N Hurst, N Tierney, S McGing; M Corbett, C McGing, A Loftus; C Egan, M Carter; M McGing, F McHale (0-3), D Hughes; N Beegan, C Staunton (1-9, 4fs), A Brennan (1-0).

Na Fianna
S Turnbull; E Cassidy, L O’Sullivan, S Quinn; A Cushen, B O’Donnell, C O’Hara; A O’Donnell (0-1), C McDermott (0-1); M Nevin, N Doherty, L Walsh; M O’Gorman, B Finlay, O Egan (1-2).
Subs used: N Stapleton for O’Gorman; L Collins for Cushen; A Nolan for Nevin.

Referee: MJ O’Keeffe (Cork)