Randles Bros Junior A final 

Spa 3-15 Miltown/Listry 2-3 

Spa were comprehensive 15 point winners over Miltown/Listry in the Randles Bros Junior A county championship final at Castleisland last Sunday. 

Miltown/Listry had no answer to the winners movement and support play throughout the game, and although they tried hard throughout, there was always going to be only one winner in the finish. 

The Killarney side played with a strong wind in the first half and raced into an early 2 points to nil lead after 2 minutes with Meghan Cronin and Mairead Finnegan from a free, slotting over.

Miltown/Listry soon came storming right back into the game and Lorna Hickey scored a goal after her shot for a point ended up in the back of the Spa net. Miltown/Listry were dealt a body blow soon afterwards when they lost Ella Teahan to what appeared to be an ankle injury. 

Miltown/Listry were enjoying some good passages of play but the resolute Spa defence were dealing well with everything that they threw at them. At the other end the Spa forwards were in top gear and they soon added 6 points without reply with Finnegan contributing 4 and Ciara Moynihan and Lynn Jones also finding the posts.

The central axis of Finnegan and Jones were instrumental in everything good that Spa were producing. Ciara Moynihan was also putting in an excellent shift at wing forward, whilst Cassandra Buckley, Kate Maher and Gina Crowley were well in control at the back.

It looked like it would be a cake walk for Spa, but credit to Miltown/Listry who kept plugging away and an excellent attack involving Clodagh Evans and Meabh Rochford saw wing back Niamh Broderick hit an unstoppable shot past Linda Bruggener for a superb goal. 

Spa took firm control once more however, and 3 unanswered points from Finnegan, Kearney, who was now in the full forward line, and Jones saw them take a 0-11 to 2 goals lead in at the break. 

Miltown/Listry needed a good start to the second half but unfortunately for them Spa corner forward Meghan Cronin was first to strike with a goal after just 30 seconds. Spa then enjoyed a 15 minute period of dominance thereafter, and added further points from Kearney, Ciara Moynihan, Finnegan and Jones, with goals sandwiched in between from Moynihan and Finnegan, to put them firmly out of sight. 

In fairness to Miltown/Listry they mounted a comeback of sorts for the remaining last quarter of the game and they forced Spa goalkeeper Bruggener into two great saves. They also added points from Louise O’Dowd, Lorna Hickey and 2 from Maeve Rochford, but it was too little too late as Spa were deserving winners. 

Spa had top notch performances throughout the field and as well as those already mentioned, Sinead Cronin, Loretta Maher,, Mairead Bennett,Mags Cronin and Claire Moynihan can look back with satisfaction on their performances. Equally so Eilish O’Leary who put in a massive amount of work for her side. 

For Miltown/Listry Lorna Hickey,Niamh Broderick, Mairead Lehane, Ciara Murphy and Caoimhe Evans  and Clodagh Evans did best. 

Spa;Linda Bruggener, Gina Crowley, Kate Maher, Mairead Bennett, Sinead Cronin, Cassandra Buckley, Ciara Moynihan(1-1),Niamh Kearney(0-2),Lynn Jones(0-4),Mags Cronin,Mairead Finnegan(1-6,2f),Eilish O’Leary,Meghan Cronin(1-1).Subs; Elizabeth Stack(S Cronin 47),Alma O’Mahony(M Cronin 52),Liath Tobin(L Maher 55),Joanne Lynch(M Cronin 57). 

Miltown/Listry; Tanya Joy,Christine Carroll,Helena Hayes,Emma Tangney,Niamh Broderick (1 goal),Ciara Tangney, Mairead Lehane,Lorna Hickey(1-1),Ciara Murphy,Ella Teahan,Caoimhe Evans,Ailis Murphy, Clodagh Evans, Lorraine Kennedy, Meadhb Rochford(0-2,1f). Subs; Louise O’Dowd(E Teahan 4),Lorraine O’Sullivan(A Murphy 52),Zeta Ashe. 

Referee; Tom McCarthy (Castleisland Desmonds). 

County League Division 1 Final 

Na Gaeil 4-8 Rathmore 1-13 

Na Gaeil added the Division 1 County league title to the Intermediate championship that they claimed a few weeks ago with an impressive victory over Rathmore in Scartaglin last Sunday. 

The foundation for the Tralee side’s victory lay in an impressive first half performance when they took a wind assisted 2-7 to 0-4 lead in a the break. Na Gaeil scored goals from Jadyn Lucey and Ayesha Roche in that first half while Meagan Sheehy (2),Meabh Barry (2),Megan O’Connor, Clodagh McHugh and Nora O’Connell added points. Rathmore’s 4 scores came from the boot of the very accurate Noreen Murphy. 

Rathmore came back strongly in the second half with Murphy, Aislinn Desmond and Aoife O’Callaghan especially prominent. An early Norma O’Mahony goal gave them some hope. but in spite of a plethora of scores from Murphy, Na Gaeil had too many aces in their pack and added further goals from Roche and Sheehy sealed their victory. Na Gaeil had fine performances from goalkeeper Laura Fitzgerald, Deirdre Kearney, Eilis and Brid O Connor, Sarah Barrett and Susan Fernane. 

Na Gaeil scorers; 

Meaghan Sheehy 1-2, Ayesha Roche 2 goals, Jadyn Lucey 1 goal,  Megan O’Connor 0-2, Meabh Barry 0-2, Clodagh McHugh (0-1),Nora O’Connell(0-1). 

Rathmore scorers; Noreen Murphy (0-10), Norma O’Mahony (1-2), Aoife O’Callaghan(0-1).

Congratulations to our own Aislinn Desmond and Sarah Houlihan who are among the 45 players shortlisted for 2018 All Stars . Aislinn is nominated at full back and Sarah is nominated at left corner forward. The All Star Awards will take place in the Citywest Hotel on Saturday, December 1.

Below is an extract from the LGFA website.

FOLLOWING another record-breaking season of Ladies Football championship action, the 45 nominees for the 2018 TG4 All Star team have been revealed.

Senior champions Dublin, who made history by claiming back-to-back titles in front of a 50,141 attendance at Croke Park on September 16, lead the way with 14 nominations, while runners-up Cork are honoured with 12 players on the list.

There are eight nominations for Ulster champions Donegal, who lost out to Cork at the semi-final stage.

Galway, the Connacht champions who were beaten by Dublin in the last four, have three players included on the long list.

Kerry may have suffered relegation from Division 1 of the Lidl National League but the Kingdom rallied to reach the TG4 All-Ireland Senior quarter-finals.

They’ve been rewarded with two All-Star nominations while Armagh, Cavan, Mayo, Sligo, Tipperary and newly-crowned TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Champions Tyrone have one player each on the list of nominees.

Seven players from the 2017 All Star team are nominated for awards once again.

Dublin goalkeeper Ciara Trant is joined on the 2018 list of nominees by team-mates Leah Caffrey, Nicole Owens, Sky Blues captain Sinéad Aherne and Noelle Healy, who was also the 2017 Senior Players’ Player of the Year.

Cork’s Emma Spillane and Donegal’s Ciara Hegarty were 2017 All Star recipients and they’re nominated for awards again.

Dublin’s other nominees for 2018 are Martha Byrne, Sinéad Goldrick, Siobhán McGrath, Niamh Collins, Olwen Carey, Lauren Magee, All-Ireland Final player of the match Carla Rowe, Lyndsey Davey and Niamh McEvoy.

Joining Spillane from Cork on the list are goalkeeper Martina O’Brien, Eimear Meaney, Róisín Phelan, Melissa Duggan, Máire O’Callaghan, Ashling Hutchings, Eimear Scally, Áine O’Sullivan, Orla Finn and sisters Ciara and Doireann O’Sullivan.

Donegal are well represented by Hegarty, Treasa Doherty, Nicole McLaughlin, Deirdre Foley, Katy Herron, captain Karen Guthrie, 2018 Senior Championship top scorer Geraldine McLaughlin, and Yvonne Bonner.

Having defeated Mayo in the Connacht Final, before progressing to the All-Ireland semi-finals, Galway have Sinéad Burke, Nicola Ward and Tracey Leonard in the running for All Star awards.

Aislinn Desmond and captain Sarah Houlihan are the Kerry duo nominated while Armagh’s Caroline O’Hanlon, Cavan’s Aisling Maguire, Rachel Kearns from Mayo, Sligo goalkeeper Noelle Gormley, Tipperary’s Aishling Moloney and Neamh Woods from Tyrone, who captained the Red Hands to Intermediate glory, complete the list of nominees.

Woods and Sligo’s Noelle Gormley, who was also nominated for the goalkeeper’s position last year, are the Intermediate representatives on the 45-player list.

One player will be chosen from three shortlisted in each of the 15 positions to make up the final selection.

The 2018 TG4 All Star team will be announced at a gala banquet at the Citywest Hotel on Saturday, December 1, along with the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Players’ Player of the Year award winners, the Provincial Young Players of the Year and the 2018 inductee into the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA) Hall of Fame.

2018 TG4 All Star nominations

Goalkeepers

Ciara Trant (Dublin), Martina O’Brien (Cork), Noelle Gormley (Sligo).

Right Corner Back

Treasa Doherty (Donegal), Martha Byrne (Dublin), Eimear Meaney (Cork).

Full Back

Róisín Phelan (Cork), Nicole McLaughlin (Donegal), Aislinn Desmond (Kerry).

Left Corner Back

Sinéad Burke (Galway), Leah Caffrey (Dublin), Melissa Duggan (Cork).

Right Half Back

Sinéad Goldrick (Dublin), Máire O’Callaghan (Cork), Rachel Kearns (Mayo).

Centre Half Back

Ciara Hegarty (Donegal), Nicola Ward (Galway), Siobhán McGrath (Dublin).

Left Half Back

Niamh Collins (Dublin), Emma Spillane (Cork), Deirdre Foley (Donegal).

Midfield

Lauren Magee (Dublin), Neamh Woods (Tyrone), Ashling Hutchings (Cork)

Olwen Carey (Dublin), Caroline O’Hanlon (Armagh), Katy Herron (Donegal).

Right Half Forward

Ciara O’Sullivan (Cork), Karen Guthrie (Donegal), Carla Rowe (Dublin).

Centre Half Forward

Tracey Leonard (Galway), Noelle Healy (Dublin), Aisling Maguire (Cavan)

Left Half Forward

Lyndsey Davey (Dublin), Eimear Scally (Cork), Aishling Moloney (Tipperary).

Right Corner Forward

Geraldine McLaughlin (Donegal), Sinéad Aherne (Dublin), Áine O’Sullivan (Cork).

Full Forward

Doireann O’Sullivan (Cork), Yvonne Bonner (Donegal), Niamh McEvoy (Dublin).

Left Corner Forward

Orla Finn (Cork), Nicole Owens (Dublin), Sarah Houlihan (Kerry).

County by county breakdown:

14 Dublin

12 Cork

8 Donegal

3 Galway

2 Kerry

1 Armagh

1 Cavan

1 Mayo

1 Sligo

1 Tipperary

1 Tyrone