Tipp exit championship as relegation battle looms
Donegal 0-17
Tipperary 0-14
By Alan Foley in Castlerea
Geraldine McLaughlin had her shooting boots on in Castlerea on Saturday as Donegal ended Tipperary's All Ireland senior championship hopes.
McLaughlin was in irresistible form for the Ulster champions and her personal haul of 0-12 was hugely impressive despite being fouled incessantly throughout the course of the hour.
The result means that Donegal and Kerry, who play next weekend for top spot in the group at Hyde Park, are into the All-Ireland quarter-finals and Tipperary are out and now head into a relegation playoff.
After a glut of goals in the Ulster final, Donegal had to be content to chip over the points in this clash. By the break, the Ulster champions were 0-10 to 0-6 in front, with McLaughlin kicking eight of those – three from play – with Karen Guthrie and Katy Herron also on the mark.
Tipperary, who had trailed 0-4 to 0-0 at a stage, took a little while to settle but soon found their groove with the excellent Aisling Mooney at centre-field scoring three and Gillian O’Brien doing likewise.
McLoughlin was proving difficult to mark but the Tipp back line curtailed her to placed balls. Two further points from Gillian O'Brien who was posing real problems for the Donegal defence anytime she got the ball, the problem for Tipp was the ball wasn’t going into her quickly or often enough.
Aisling McCarthy contributed a point from a free after Moloney was fouled to leave the half time score Tipp 0-6 Donegal 0-10 and the game still in the melting pot.
Within 50 seconds of the restart, Donegal increased their lead with a fine point from Geraldine McLoughlin, her ninth of the day. Two points in as many minutes from Niamh Hegarty and Yvonne Bonner looked like Donegal were going to run away with this game but the hard working Aishling Moloney kicked her third long range point of the day to keep Tipp in touch.
Four minutes later, Samantha Lambert was penalised by referee Garryowen McMahon for a foul on McLaughlin and a penalty was awarded, but the ball fizzed high and over the bar.
That gave Tipperary hope and a minute later, Maloney scored her fourth point of the afternoon with a fine individual effort.
Both teams put in some splendid blocks in the second half as a goal never materialised. McLaughlin and Maloney, who kicked three in succession, traded points at both ends as Tipperary did reduce their arrears to four points – 0-14 to 0-10 by the 55th minute.
And when Maloney scored her eighth of the day – her second free – there was only three between them in the last minute. McLaughlin, though, popped over her 12th soon afterwards to restore the four-point cushion before Niamh Hegarty and Niamh Longeran’s injury time points. Maloney pulled it back to three again in the sixth minute of injury time with the last kick of the game.
For the last five minutes of the game Donegal’s strength and experience combined with McLoughlin’s proficiency on the day was just too much of a hill for Tipp to climb. The green triangle that had worked so well for Tipp throughout the league seemed to flounder and Donegal marshalled the Tipp danger players.
The Tipp back line were effective in curtailing Donegal and Lauren Fitzpatrick’s net was never breached but upfront Tipperary didn’t create enough chances and dropped too many balls into Laura Gallagher in the Donegal goals which allowed her to set-up attacks.
SCORERS - Donegal: Geraldine McLaughlin 0-12 (7 frees); Yvonne Bonner, Karen Guthrie, Katy Herron, N Hegarty; E Ward (pen) 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Aishling Maloney 0-9 (3 frees); Gillian O’Brien 0-3, Aisling McCarthy (free), Niamh Longeran 0-1 each.
TEAMS - Donegal: Laura Gallagher; Teresa Doherty, Nicole McLaughlin, Deirdre Foley; Terese McCafferty, Ciara Hegarty, Anne-Marie McGlynn; Katy Herron, Aoife McDonnell; Karen Guthrie, Niamh Hegarty, Sarah Jane McDonald; Geraldine McLaughlin, Yvonne Bonner, Eilish Ward.
Subs: Olive McCafferty for N McLaughlin (48), Ciara Grant for Guthrie (56), Eimear Gallagher for McDonald (60).
Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry); Laura Dillon (Ardfinnan), Maria Curley (Templemore), Brid Condon (Aherlow); Anna-Rose Kennedy (Aherlow), Samantha Lambert (Ardfinnan, Capt), Siobhan Condon (Aherlow); Aisling McCarthy (Cahir), Orla O’Dwyer (Cahir); Caoimhe Condon (Brian Borus), Aishling Moloney (Cahir), Niamh Longeran (Moyle Rovers); Roisin Howard (Cahir), Mairead Morrissey (Brian Borus), Gillian O’Brien (Moyle Rovers).
Subs: Kate Davey (Fethard) for Condon (56), Aoibhe O’Shea (Mullinahone) for Morrissey (59), Sarah Everard (Moyle Rovers) for O’Brien (59).
Referee: Garrywen McMahon (Mayo).