Finuge/St Senans capture first title after hard-fought win
HISTORY MADE: Finuge/St Senans captain Sara Murphy with the cup after her team won the Kerry Senior Ladies final at Austin Stack Park. Pic: Domnick Walsh/Eye Focus Ltd
There are new kids on the block in the Kerry senior football championship as Finuge/St Senans gained some measure of compensation for last year’s dramatic loss to the champions Southern Gaels. The underdogs were hell bent on no repeat this year and they managed to get over the line in balmy weather after another epic battle.
Finuge/St Senans were worthy winners thanks to a strong spine from keeper Rachel Horgan right up to her older sister and camogie star Jackie Horgan who kicked 0-5 and two massive points when Southern Gaels closed the gap to just one (2-5 to 0-10) in the 50th minute. But hard though Southern Gaels and Rachel Dwyer tried, the North Kerry girls defence, led by Sara Murphy, Niamh Leen, Aideen Cronin, and Patrice Diggin, were not going to wilt.
It was fitting that star midfielder Louise Galvin should rise highest to fetch a dangerous free kick that was dropping in the Finuge/St Senans danger area in the fifth minute of added time, and the ghost of 2022 was finally banished when referee Jason O’Brien blew for time.
Miriam O’Keeffe was the star of the opening half as Southern Gaels just could not handle her pace on the wing and she struck for a superb goal in the third minute. At the other end Rachel Horgan was in inspired form saving from Jessica Gill, but Rachel Dwyer was keeping Southern Gaels in touch with two frees.
Louise Galvin and Niamh Carmody were driving their side forward but another O’Keeffe point and two from Jackie Horgan was all they had to show on the scoreboard. Cliona Murphy and Rachel Dwyer added Southern Gael points but Ellie O’Connell saw her goal-bound shot cannon back off the post.
Dwyer then struck the crossbar and Patrice Diggin scrambled the ball off the line, before Rachel Dwyer and Megan O’Connell leveled the contest at 0-6 to 1-3 on the half hour mark. But in added time, lady luck smiled on the North Kerry side as Miriam O’Keeffe saw her effort for a point drop under the crossbar for a goal and Jackie Horgan added a free from the kick-out to see Finuge/St Senans retire 2-4 to 0-6 in front and they would need it all.
The second half was end to end stuff with some outstanding scores and big hits on both sides. Southern Gaels rattled off three early second points to close the gap to the minimum and Finuge/St Senans looked in trouble. Niamh Carmody and Rachel Dwyer swapped frees as Southern Gaels hit the crossbar and then Rachel Horgan brought off two stunning saves to deny Rachel Dwyer and Ellie O’Connell.
It was then that the Finuge/St Senans leaders stood tall and they withstood a tremendous Southern Gaels barrage as Horgan was catlike in goal. Her sister Jackie then fired over two glorious points and Aoife Behan put the icing on the cake on a first senior championship title for Finuge/St Senans.
M O’Keeffe (2-1), J Horgan (0-5, 1f), A Behan and N Carmody (1f) (0-1 each).
Rachel Dwyer (0-7, 5fs), A Fitzgerald, J Gill, C Murphy and M O’Connell (0-1 each).
R Horgan; P Diggin, S Murphy, K Stack; A Cronin, N Leen, A Behan; C Dillon, L Galvin; A M Leen, N Carmody, K O’Sullivan; R Horgan, J Horgan, M O’Keeffe.
L Reilly for K O’Sullivan (45).
M Ellen Bolger; K Furey, S Fitzpatrick, C Dwyer; A Fitzgerald, J Curran, C Quinlan; A Galvin, C Teahan; J Gill, E O’Connell, C Murphy; M Lyons, R Dwyer, M O’Connell.
C Daly for M Lyons (50), N Moran for J Gill (58).
J O’Brien (Firies).
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