*Roisin Considine in action for Clare. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
CLARE have been knocked out of the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate ladies football championship with a six point defeat to Monaghan seeing them exit at the quarter-final stage for a successive year.
Monaghan 1-14
Clare 1-8
Venue: Páirc Naomh Mhuire, Quilty
There will be no return to Croke Park for Clare’s ladies footballers as the beaten 2023 All-Ireland finalists exited at the quarter-final stage of the championship for the second year running.
It was a one point defeat to Tyrone which sent Clare crashing out of the last eight in Cusack Park last June while Páirc Naomh Mhuire in Quilty was the setting this time round where once again Ulster opposition sent
Clare packing, this time Monaghan prevailed by a margin of six points.
Such an outcome didn’t seem to be on the cards when Graham Shine’s Clare produced a strong start to hit 1-1 without reply in the first three minutes of the tie.
Edel McNamara set up Chloe Moloney for the first point with Moloney then making a fine pass to Ella Hanrahan and she offloaded to Megan Downes to fire a bullet to the top corner of the net.
Their early foundation soon crumbled when Monaghan picked off a goal of their own on the tenth minute. Sarah Tierney’s shot hit the upright and Éabha Sherry reacted to the breaking ball and slotted beyond Amy Lenihan to bring their charge to life.
Moloney and Rosemary Courtney swapped scores before Roisin Considine picked up a breaking ball and slotted between the posts on eighteen minutes to push Clare’s lead back to two points.
Courtney was on target again for the visitors while at the other end Lauren Garland made an excellent block to deny Edel McNamara a potential goal, the Kilmihil woman did win a free which was converted by Hanrahan.
Monaghan did kick five of the last six scores of the half to hold a 1-7 1-5 advantage by the sounding of the half-time whistle and momentum was firmly in their dressing room.
Scores dried up on the restart with only a single point apiece in the entire third quarter, Chloe Moloney and Jennifer Duffy adding to their tallies.
With twenty minutes to play, the gap was two points but Clare lacked firepower while Monaghan moved through the gears, they hit four points without reply to go five clear on fifty three minutes.
Two white flags from Moloney reduced the deficit but the belief appeared to be lacking within the saffron and blue side that they could claim a place in the semi-finals.
There was no shortage of confidence from Darren Swift’s side who popped over the final three points of the game including a penalty from Sherry as they recorded a six point win and set up a last four tie with Laois.
For the final ten minutes, Clare had fourteen players as goalkeeper Lenihan was sent to the sin bin for a tackle with her foot. Monaghan didn’t have the numerical advantage for the entire finish with Sarah Tierney sent to the bin on fifty seven minutes.
An element of indiscipline mixed with poor decision making saw referee Kevin Corcoran penalise Clare on two occasions for taking too long, one a kickout from Lenihan and one a free from Moloney while frees were also brought forward for dissent at different stages.
Energy was lacking from Clare, particularly from the second quarter on, this could be linked to a vomiting bog doing the rounds within the panel which affected captain Caoimhe Harvey and Teresa Collins.
Monaghan applied a high degree of pressure in their tackling and hunger to win the ball back, swarming Clare on many occasions and making it difficult for them to make inroads. Goal chances were spurned by Clare but their attacking threat was far from the dangerous lineup they possessed in 2024 and 2023.
For the winners, Éabha Sherry, Rosemary Courtney, Lauren Garland, Sarah Tierney and Aoife Burns excelled while Clare’s better performers were Joanna Doohan, Roisin Considine, Emer Burke and Chloe Moloney.
Scorers Monaghan: E Sherry (1-6 5f 1’Pen), J Duffy (0-2), R Courtney (0-2), H McQuaid (0-2), S Tierney (0-1), N Flanagan (0-1).
Scorers Clare: C Moloney (0-5 2f), M Downes (1-0), R Considine (0-1), E Hanrahan (0-1), L Conway (0-1).
Monaghan:
1: Orna Kelly (Carrickmacross)
2: Caoimhe Brennan (St Brigid’s)
3: Shona Brady (Castleblaney)
12: Lauren Garland (Donaghmoyne)
5: Amy Garland (Donaghmoyne)
7: Áine Loughman (Carrickmacross)
6: Aoife Burns (Donaghmoyne)
8: Casey Treanor (Scotstown)
17: Grace Hanratty (Castleblaney)
11: Rosemary Courtney (Donaghmoyne)
23: Sarah Tierney (Aghabog)
18: Caoimhe Kelly (Magheracloone)
14: Jennifer Duffy (O’Neill Shamrocks)
13: Éabha Sherry (Scotstown)
24: Holly McQuaid (Emyvale)
Subs:
10: Sophie Corley (Emyvale) for Hanratty (41)
15: Laura Connolly (Castleblaney) for McQuaid (57)
4: Aimee Clarke (Magheracloone) for Burns (61).
Clare:
1: Amy Lenihan (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
4: Rebecca Doohan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
3: Grainne Harvey (West Clare Gaels)
2: Emer Burke (Banner Ladies)
8: Teresa Collins (Burren Gaels)
6: Joanna Doohan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
5: Shauna Melican (Fergus Rovers)
14: Ellie Hanrahan (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
9: Roisin Martin (Éire Óg)
7: Roisin Considine (Liscannor)
15: Caoimhe Harvey (West Clare Gaels)
10: Megan Downes (Cooraclare)
13: Edel McNamara (Kilmihil)
11: Chloe Moloney (Kilmurry Ibrickane)
12: Lauren Conway (Doonbeg)
Subs:
24: Lucy Power (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield) for Hanrahan (38)
19: Lucy Shanahan (Doonbeg) for Collins (42)
16: Aoife Griffin (Fergus Rovers) for McNamara (50)
25: Ailish Considine (Kilmihil) for Martin (54)
17: Áine Slattery (Fergus Rovers) for Lenihan (64)
Referee: Kevin Corcoran (Mayo)
