Youthful Limerick suffer defeat to Laois in Lidl Ladies National Football League clash

A YOUTHFUL Limerick side fell to a heavy 5-15 to 0-7 defeat to Laois in their Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 3 fixture at Mick Neville Park in Rathkeale on Sunday.

Limerick, who are without some key players from 2025 due to retirements, battled bravely throughout, but had to give second best to an impressive Laois side who pulled clear in the second half.

It was a first win in this year’s Ladies National Football League for the O'Moore County, while Limerick are still seeking their first points of the campaign.

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Laois opened the scoring after four minutes as Emily Lacey curled over a score off her left foot. Caomihe McGrath got the home side off the mark with a fine score before Laois hit two points in two minutes in reply through Katie Donoghue and Ciara Crowley.

Battling Limerick replied with something similar as Meadbh MacNamara and Caoimhe McGrath pointed to make it 0-3 each after 13 minutes.

From here, Laois took control of the contest and scored 2-3 without reply in the space of six minutes. The three points came from Lacey (two) and a free from Emma Lawlor. It was the latter who raised the game’s first green flag as clubmate Shifra Havill played her through on goals and she tucked the ball into the bottom corner.

From the resulting kick-out, Laura Marie Maher won the ball and played a one-two with Eva Galvin before she smashed the ball into the top corner of the Limerick net.

The half ended with three more points, two of which came from the boot of Limerick’s McGrath from frees, with a point from Eva Galvin sandwiched in between. Laois led 2-7 to 0-5 at the break.

The second half was all Laois as they kicked the first four points from four different scorers. Lacey was given an easy chance to add to her tally as she kicked a free over from the 20-metre line after Limerick didn’t have three players in the Laois half.

Donoghue, Galvin and Crowley all added a point each to their accounts. Limerick eventually got a point in the second period when McGrath scored her fifth of the contest.

Another period of unbroken scores followed for Laois as they added a further 3-4 to the scoreboard. Mia Brannigan made it three goals in three games as she scored having just been introduced from the bench. Havill popped up a point with Lacey adding another free to her name. Caoimhe Fitzpatrick came off the bench to raise a white flag before Lacey added a goal to her five points. Laois’ fifth goal came soon after as Lauren Kearney rattled the back of the Limerick net.

There was a considerable amount of time added on due to an injury to a Laois play. Lorna Butler and Molly Creedon traded points late on as Laois recorded their first win of the campaign.

Next up for Limerick in Division 3 of the Lidl Ladies National Football League is an away date with Louth on Sunday, February 22.

SCORERS: Laois: Emily Lacey 1-5 (0-2 frees), Emma Lawlor 1-1, Laura Marie Maher, Lauren Kearney, Mia Brannigan 1-0 each, Ciara Crowley, Katie Donoghue and Eva Galvin 0-2 each, Lorna Butler, Caomihe Fitzpatrick and Shifra Havill 0-1 each. Limerick: Caoimhe McGrath 0-5 (0-2 frees), Meadhbh MacNamara and Molly Creedon 0-1 each.

LAOIS: Eimear Barry; Ciara Byrne, Aishling Saunders, Mary Cotter; Faye McEvoy, Andrea Moran, Anna Healy; Fiona Dooley, Shifra Havill; Ciara Crowley, Emma Lawlor, Katie Donoghue; Emily Lacey, Eva Galvin, Laura Marie Maher. Subs: Mia Brannigan for Maher (42 mins), Lauren Kearney for Galvin (45 mins), Sinead Farrelly for Cotter (47 mins), Lorna Butler for Dooley (50 mins), Sarah Larkin for Crowley, Jenny Murphy for Lawlor and Aoibhe Byron for Donoghue (all 52 mins), Caoimhe Fitzpatrick  for Byrne (55 mins), Kathlyn Timmons for Byron (60 mins, inj).

LIMERICK: Carol Bateman; Martha Stanley, Ciara Ryan, Aoife Dalton; Meadhbh MacNamara, Lucy O’Brien, Eadaoin Crowe; Orla Ryan, Shona Hickey; Caoimhe MacNamara, Lauren Ryan, Katie Heelan; Caoimhe McGrath, Rebecca Fitzgibbon, Laoise Browne. Subs: Emma Hickey for Dalton (HT), Aisling Enright for S Hickey (37 mins), Leah Coughlan for Stanley (41 mins), Gemma Leahy for Heelan and Summer Behan for L Ryan (45 mins), Aine Ryan for O Ryan and Tara Geoghegan for C MacNamara (50 mins), Alex Russell for C Ryan (52 mins), Anna O’Dea for Browne (53 mins), Clodagh Reale for Fitzgibbon (55 mins), Molly Creedon for McGrath (56 mins), Jillian Buckley for O’Brien (62 mins).

REFEREE: Patrick Smith (Waterford)