Heartbreak for Limerick's Monagea after Munster Club Ladies Intermediate final loss

"JUST DIDN'T perform," was manager Martin O'Sullivan's reaction as Monagea's ladies footballers lost the Munster Intermediate final to Cork’s Glanmire in Mallow this Sunday afternoon.

Early play swung from a burst at one end to a burst at the other but neither side could open enough space to get the shot in until a long Catríóna Davis effort led to a scramble in the square before a free out was whistled. 

Monagea continued with the pressure while wind-assisted Glanmire relied on blanket defending and then moving quickly on the break but they struggled to make the final pass stick.

Twenty minutes into the game, the stalemate was finally unblocked as a long Michelle Dullea free bounced just outside the small square before the advancing Ciara O'Grady deflected the ball over the crossbar. 

Fired up, Glanmire applied the pressure on the kick out and extended their lead through Evie Twomey's snipe from a tight angle out right, 

Eibhlís Dillon, pouncing on the resulting kick out put three between the sides and Niamh McAllen followed up with a free before Monagea opened their account with a Davis free that narrowed the margin to three, 0-4 to 0-1.

Monagea threw caution to the wind on the restart and were rewarded by Deborah Murphy powering up the centre and laying off to Ashling Enright who crashed a shot to the net.

With the bit between the teeth, the Limerick girls then forced the turnover and fed Karen O'Leary to give them the lead.

It was a short lived after Dullea's free tied up the scores again, Monagea started taking the frees short rather than going for the score after their first effort came back off the crossbar.

Their caution came back to bite them when Glanmire broke a long spell of pressure for Abbie O'Mahony to restore their lead. 

Monagea tried to respond but anxiety riddled their movements with errors and O'Mahony and sub Ríona Crowley pounced on turnovers to put three between the sides.

Monagea's last gasp search of an equalising goal ended with Aoife Corbett's free skimming just over the crossbar with the final action of the game.

SCORERS for GLANMIRE: Michelle Dullea (0-2 frees), Abbie O'Mahony 0-2 each; Evie Twomey, Eibhlís Dillon, Niamh McAllen (0-1), Eíona Crowley 0-1 each.

SCORERS for MONAGEA: Ashling Enright 1-0, Catriona Davis (0-1 free), Karen O'Leary, Aoife Corbett (0-1 free) 0-1 each.

GLANMIRE: Ava Carey; Claire Murphy, Michelle Barry, Kayla O'Connor; Clodagh O'Donovan, Ellen Twomey, Eibhlís Dillon; Abbie O'Mahony, Ellen Murphy; Ally McCarthy, Niamh McAllen, Ava McCarthy; Evie Twomey, Orlaith Roche, Michelle Dullea. 

SUBS: Megan Sheehan for Claire Murphy (43 minutes), Ríona Crowley for Niamh McAllen (43 minutes), Lucy Greene for Amy McCarthy (57 minutes), Amy O'Lehane for Orlaith Roche (66 minutes).

MONAGEA: Ciara O'Grady; Róisín Browne, Yvonne Lee, Ashling Enright; Grace Lee, Laura Walshe, Liz Carmody; Grace Mullane, Ellie Woulfe; Karen O'Leary, Deborah Murphy, Amy Curtin; Brigid Cahill, Catriona Davis, Kate Geary. 

SUBS: Lily Duggan for Amy Curtin (51 minutes), Aoife Corbett for Catriona Davis (53 minutes), Éabha Collins for Liz Carmody (58 minutes).

REFEREE: Paddy Smith (Waterford).