Dee Blayney the darling of Dunboyne as Kinsale endure more final heartache

Dunboyne 2-13 Kinsale 2-12: A 54th-minute point from midfielder Dee Blayney was the difference at Parnell Park yesterday, when Dunboyne claimed their first-ever LGFA All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship title in a dramatic encounter against Kinsale.

This is the second year in succession that Kinsale have suffered All-Ireland final heartache, following their defeat to Dublin’s Naomh Maur in the 2016 junior decider. Cork senior star Orla Finn (in tandem with Sadhbh O’Leary) led the way for Michael O’Connor’s side, but thanks to Blayney’s terrific score in the closing stages, it was Dunboyne who ultimately prevailed.

The Leinster champions had broken the deadlock with an early point from corner-forward Aoife Thompson, and this was followed by a superb Emma Duggan goal in the eighth minute. Yet, after a Finn score got Kinsale up and running, a neat finish to the Dunboyne net by O’Leary (an All-Ireland minor winner with Cork this year) brought them on level terms.