Cooley take the bragging rights in All- Peninsula Ladies Senior Final

Halpenny Travel Ladies Senior Football Championship Final

Cooley Kickhams 0-15 St Patricks 0-9

Cooley Kickhams used all their big day knowledge to get over the line in Dunleer, getting the scores when it mattered and creating a vital early cushion which was never pegged back by St Patricks in this cracking Peninsula Derby.

Both sides had attacks capable of doing some serious damage, however St Patrick’s Kate Flood was far from her best and the presence around the middle of Aine Breen was impressively negated by Cooley.

This left the door open for Niamh Rice and Lauren Boyle to do the damage and in reality they could have been home and hosed well from the finish if taking even a couple more of the numerous chances that came their way.

The Lordship club used this slackness to stay within the realms of a comeback, even dictating the pace and flow of this final at some stages.

However, truth be told, on their first visit to Louth’s showpiece ladies football event, they lacked the guile and experience that Cooley had on the day and they were worthy winners. They now set their sights on the loftier goal of Leinster success.

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Interestingly it was the girls in Green and White that got us underway and in the first minute; county star Flood grabbing the first of her haul of four points.

Six minutes later she doubled her tally, but overall ventures on the posts were few and far between. They only registered two attempts in the first 20 minutes of the contest, both of which were wide.

Pats favoured a patient approach, going short from their kickouts and looking to create chances by working the ball up the field from the back.

Their Taliswoman is of course the former AFLW star, but she seemed unable to really impact the game from her starting position on the edge of square. Later in the tie she found herself playing a deeper role and it would help her team's cause.

Meanwhile shots on goal were a constant for Sean Connor’s side. They finished the half with seven points, having also recorded five wides and dropped five other attempts short.

It was just wave upon wave upon wave attack. The first score coming on six minutes via a Niamh Rice Free.

It came via a fast and free flowing style, which nearly always finished up with a long ball into the forwards, Niamh Rice and Boyle their target women. Both showed an ability to find space in confined spaces, Boyle grabbing three from play in the first half while, Rice drew foul after foul.

But due to the aforementioned misses, Pats stayed in contention as despite scores for Rice, her sister Eibhlin and Boyle, they led by just 0-7 to 0-3 at the break when it could have been so much more. A Flood free the Lordship’s side only respite during the Kickham’s dominance.

Karen Fealy’s troops needed to get out of the gates fast, but instead it was Rice that increased the Cooley lead, leading by example with a brace of scores.

Flood was starting to gain more of an influence from her deeper positioning, with Pats now drawing more fouls while maintaining the ball for longer periods. But even her placekicking was a little below par, as she dropped two attempts short from distances well within her range.

Even during their time ‘on top’, Cooley were making them work extremely hard for everything, putting pressure on the ball carrier and leaving them with as little space to work with as possible.

While they finally started to find their shooting boots via Grace Treanor and Flood (2), everything they threw at their opponents was ultimately getting cancelled out. Efforts from Boyle, Niamh Rice and Lucy White making sure they maintained a decent cushion over their neighbours at all times. 

There was plenty of fight left in Pats, seen by three points in a row from Flood (2) and Treanor, while a sinbin for Patsi Boland on 53 minutes may have given their supporters some hope.

However, the last two scores came the way of the Kickhams, who ran out deserving winners by six points.

St Patricks: Rebecca Lambe Fagan; Melissa O’Hanlon, Caoimhe O’Hare, Anna Whyte; Aisling O’Doherty, Deirbhile O’Doherty, Meabh Butterly; Aine Breen, Saoirse Butterly; Chloe Barry, Grace Treanor (0-2), Naomh Butterly; Niamh Holland, Kate Flood (0-7, 0-5 frees), Kate Cummiskey. Subs: Evelyn Donnelly for Cumiskey (HT), Kayleigh Goss for Holland (41), Dinese Finegan for Barry (45).

Cooley Kickhams: Sinead Rice; Lia McCarragher, Claire Donnelly, Hazel Malone; Shannen Walker, Roisin McDaid, Siobhan McCarthy; Renee McGlynn, Patsi Boland; Lucy Whyte (0-2), Niamh Rice (0-7, 0-4 frees), Chloe McCarragher; Lauren Boyle (0-4), Eibhlin Rice (0-1), Aoife McDaid.  Subs: Laura Traynor (0-1) for E Rice (42).