Cora points Carnacon home

Cora points Carnacon home


Semi-Final
Carnacon 0-14
Inch Rovers 0-10

Willie McHugh
Islandeady

CARNACON and Inch Rovers made light of an energy-sapping pitch and a heavy drizzle to serve up a good sporting game of football in the All-Ireland Ladies senior club championship semi-final played in Islandeady on Sunday last. Both sides had the winning of it. It ebbed and flowed and kept the large attendance entertained right to the end.
And when the end came it was the ladies of Carnacon and the Mayo standard-bearers who had done enough to advance to another All-Ireland Final. But they had to bucket a few extra gallons from their deep reservoir of experience to see them through this tricky assignment.
They opened the scoring when Aoife Brennan pointed after good work by Natasha Beegan and Fiona McHale. But Annie Walsh and Orla Cotter were dominating around the middle for Inch Rovers and getting a good supply of ball into Mary O’Connor who was proving a handful for the Carnacon defence. She pointed two frees but Cora Staunton from play brought Carnacon back level.
Mary O’Connor inched Inch in front again after Amy O’Shea did the prep work. At the other end Fiona McHale was fouled and Cora Staunton stepped up to the free. You know the rest. Then she jinked and jived and posted one from play.
Inch Rovers centre back Angela Walsh moseyed up field and ran at the heart of the Carnacon defence before off-loading to Amy O’Shea who applied the finish to level it again.
Two Cora Staunton frees put Carnacon ahead but Mary O’Connor hit a purple patch and landed three points, one a beauty that sent Inch Rovers heading to the dressing-room a point to the good at the short blow.
Carnacon started act two with Fiona McHale at midfield and slowly but surely they broke the Walsh and Cotter dominance Inch Rovers had enjoyed in the first half.
They were getting more quality ball into their hard-working forwards and within seconds Cora Staunton had them back on parity. Nelly O’Donovan set up Annie Walsh and she hit a mighty score and a Mary O’Connor free had Inch two to the good again.
Carnacon were facing a battle now but they had the stomach for it.
Up popped Aoife Brennan to slot a peach of a point rewarding a good Fiona McHale run. Next came the score of the game from Cora Staunton when she hit a brilliant point that was vintage Cora. Pure class.
Even the two vociferous ‘Cha and Miah’ characters encouraging Inch Rovers from behind the Carnacon dug-out were temporarily shushed and even gobsmacked when they saw it bisecting the posts.
Next Cora lined up to a long range free. ‘Watch her, she’s going short’ the two boyos who got their vocals back alerted the Inch Rovers defenders. Useless information, they don’t know Cora like we know Cora. She doesn’t go short when a score is needed and over it went. 
The pendulum was swinging towards Carnacon now and Cora Staunton added another two frees to give them a lead they were not going to relinquish.
At the back Noelle Tierney cut out a threatening Inch Rovers attack and an alert Michelle Higgins between the sticks thwarted a goal attempt.
Aoife Brennan hit an inspirational point from the right wing and Carnacon were heading for another final. A Mary O’Connor point left a goal in it but the Mayo ladies had the final say and, yes, you guessed right. It was Cora who closed the scoring with another wonderful offering hit from way out in the country.
It was a tad closer than the four points margin suggests. But Carnacon were deserving winners. They took the best Inch Rovers had to offer and when the game was there to be won it was their guile, experience and a never-say-die attitude that saw them over the finishing line.
That and the wonderful talent that is Cora Staunton. She was the main difference between two determined sides.   

Carnacon
M Higgins; N Hurst, N Tierney, S McGing; M Corbett, C McGing, A Loftus; C Egan, M Carter; M McGing, C Staunton (0-11, 7fs), D Hughes; N Beegan, F McHale, A Brennan (0-3).

Inch Rovers
G Kearney; M Kennedy, Anne-Marie Walsh, Aoife Walsh; L Williams, Angela Walsh, D O’Shea; Annie Walsh (0-1), O Cotter; N O’Donovan, S Harrington, J O’Shea; A McCarthy, M O’Connor (0-8, 3fs), A O’Shea (0-1).

Referee: J Niland (Sligo)