Delaney is the trump card as St Brendan’s snatch it

Eastern Harps 2-06

Gerard Mulreaney in Ballyhaunis

ST Brendan’s captured the Connacht ladies junior football title after a thrilling one-point victory over Sligo’s Eastern Harps in Ballyhaunis on Saturday.

Playing with the aid of a strong wind, St Brendan’s got off to a blistering start, and opened up a three-point point lead after just four minutes with points from Sinead Langan, Linda Booth and Liadan Greally.

But two goals from Player of the Match Tara Philips put them under tremendous pressure, the first coming on six minutes when she pounced on some indecision in the St Brendan’s defence, and the full-forward struck again on 24 minutes when she got on the end of a beautiful pass from Lisa Casey to blast the ball past Sinead Kelly in the opposition net.

St Brendan’s responded with points from Ellen Muldoon, Linda Booth, Aoife Martin and two Michelle Delaney frees, while Megan McCormack and Lisa Casey knocked over scores for Eastern Harps as the sides went in level at half-time.

The Galway champions were probably guilty of not using the wind to their advantage in the first half, sticking with the short passing game instead of playing the ball in long over the heads of the Harps defence. However, that passing game would stand to them in the second half.

Lisa Casey and Tara Philips had the Harps two points in front on 35 minutes, and at that stage you felt that St Brendan’s would need a goal to win the game.

John Kilroy’s charges are nothing if not resilient, and their battling qualities shone through. They say in sport that defence wins titles, and their rearguard was superb in the second half, winning ball they probably shouldn’t have, and ever-willing runners from the back, Sarah Kelly and Maria Mitchell, along with midfielders Ellen Muldoon and captain Leann Walsh, drove their team forward.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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