Football

Monaghan thump Kerry while Cavan falls to Rebels

 Caoimhe Mohan was a change to the starting line up for Monagha
 Caoimhe Mohan was a change to the starting line up for Monagha  Caoimhe Mohan was a change to the starting line up for Monagha

TG4 All-Ireland Ladies’ Football Senior Championship quarter-finals: Monaghan 6-17 Kerry 1-16; Cork 3-17 Cavan 1-3

MONAGHAN set up a mouth-watering TG4 All-Ireland senior championship semi-final against champions Cork following a scintillating performance against Kerry in Saturday’s quarter-final in Birr on Saturday.

The Ulster champions ran out 6-17 to 1-16 winners over the Kingdom, while Cork eased to a 3-17 to 1-3 victory over Cavan. For Monaghan, seven unanswered points in the last seven minutes of the first half turned a two-point deficit into a five-point lead to turn the game on its head.

Caoimhe Mohan was a change to the starting line up for Monaghan, coming in for Danica Tavey and she, along with the other five forwards and two midfielders got themselves on the scoreboard.

Manager Paula Cunningham said she could not have asked for anything more from her players.

“We are delighted. The girls were awesome today,” she said.

“They put in a serious shift of football and they ran themselves into the ground and we couldn’t have asked for more from start of the game to the finish of the game. They ran and ran, just didn’t stop and they were clinical,” she said.

“The foundation for winning the game was that purple patch at the end of the first half. It was against a very difficult breeze that was hard to judge at times.

“Seven unanswered points, we kept pegging away and pegging away and to come from two points down to four up it was great going in with the heads up.

“At half-time, we said it was so, so important to start the second half well and we had a brilliant start.”

“We probably know about Monaghan’s goals came from six different players with Laura McEneaney, Sharon Courtney, Eimear McAnespie, Ciara McAnespie, Rosemary Courtney and Therese Scott all finding the net.

It wasn’t to be for Cavan as Cork’s superiority shone through in the second half of the quarter-final double bill in Birr on Saturday with a 20 point win. The Breffni county, playing their first senior game against Cork, can be proud of what they achieved in 2016 reaching the Ulster senior final and the last eight of the All-Ireland series.

Manager Conor Barry said: “We made a couple of mistakes but it is what it is.

“You train to play these teams and I think if anyone was in doubt of where we have come in two years, today those players hugely stepped up. We really gave the All-Ireland champions a scare today for 35 minutes.”

“It’s very, very disappointing. They are absolutely gutted in the dressing room that we didn’t push on in the second half and get what we felt that we could do. I’m hugely, hugely proud of them.”

The final score may somewhat flatter the defending champions, who certainly did not have everything their own way. Cavan were just a point adrift at half-time, 0-7 to 1-3, their goal coming through Caitriona Smith, and were still in the game although they were playing into a stiff wind in the second half.

Rhona Ní Bhuchalla, a half-time substitute, scored Cork’s first goal before Ciara O’Sullivan raised another green flag for the Rebels.

The All-Ireland champions then put the foot down with a succession on points and another goal from Orla Finn.