Gaeltec U16E County Final
O’Loughlin Gaels 2-6 Mooncoin 1-6
Big hearted O’Loughlin Gaels showed great resolve to turn around an U16E final against Mooncoin under lights in St Johns Park last Wednesday evening. This well attended match brought the U16 finals to a close for 2025 and what a cracking contest these girls served up over 80 minutes of action with many fine performances throughout this time from many players on both sides. For O’Loughlin Gaels, this win capped a memorable end to an U16 campaign which didn’t look likely to end in championship glory after the earlier group matches but Mick Kinchella’s girls dug deep in both their semifinal win over a fancied Erins Own side and again in this decider to ultimately shade this contest after extra time. For Mooncoin, they did look the stronger side for the opening 40 minutes and a failure to have a greater advantage on the scoreboard ultimately proved costly when O’Loughlin Gaels mounted a comeback in the closing stages to force extra time.
On a very pleasant October evening, O’Loughlin Gaels did have the opening score through a well taken point from Chloe Collins but Mooncoin started to dictate proceedings soon afterwards driven on by Meabh Mackey, Anna Reddy and Saoirse Mackey and they had opened up a 1-3 to 0-1 lead by the 12th minute through scores from Caoimhe Fanning (1-1), Sophie Phelan and Siobhan O’Donnell. Indeed, they could have been further ahead at this time but for a number of fine saves by Ruby Hogan in the O’Loughlin Gaels goal. O’Loughlin Gaels did settle more into the contest in the second quarter and received a lifeline with a goal from the impressive Lauren Daly in the 16th minute and although Saoirse Mackey extended the Mooncoin lead to 1-4 to 1-1 before the half time break, they would have felt that three points was a relatively small lead to overcome given how the first half had unfolded.
The opening ten minutes of the second half yielded no scores for either side with both defences on top and when Mooncoin went on to add two scores from play by Grace O’Keeffe in the 42nd and 50th minutes, they looked strong favourites to claim the tile. However, O’Loughlin Gaels backed by new energy given by a number of substitutions refused to give up and they managed to score a late 1-2 in the last five minutes of normal time – thanks to a pointed free by Beth Dowling-Holohan and 1-1 from full-forward Ellen Gault. With the sides level after normal time, we entered two ten minute periods of extra time and O’Loughlin Gaels continued to enjoy the ascendancy during this period driven on by centreback Stephanie Cooney. They outscored Mooncoin by 0-3 to 0-0 thanks to points from Lauren Daly and two from Chloe Collins and this proved enough for a win for the city girls in a match which showed that teams that battle to the end are never beaten. By way of a closing comment, the standard of play throughout this match was very good for the 5th division in Kilkenny U16 camogie and credit to both sides for the high participation rates of girls at this grade continuing to play camogie.
O’Loughlin Gales: Ruby Hogan, Leah Tyrrell, Anna Ryan, Sadie Kinchella, Clara Cooney, Stephanie Cooney, Millie Hendra, Liaden Blanche, Lauren Daly, Beth Dowling Holohan, Emily Knox, Millie Lennon, Chloe Collins, Ellen Gault, Willow Carter. Subs: Muireann Greene, Rachel Kavanagh, Kaysie O’Neill Rodgers, Sophie Wall, Aine Morgan, Erin Hanrahan, Rachel Kavanagh, Ava McGuirk, Kate Skehan, Annie Rochford, Ruth O’Brien, Pippa Gault, Chiara Di Florio, Melissa Martins, Lucy Dowling, Ali Dowling.
Mooncoin: Bella Fitzgerald, Hannie Murphy, Olive Dermody, Aoibheann O’Donnell, Katie Walsh, Meabh Mackey, Briona Vereker, Anna Reddy, Maebh O’Keeffe, Sophie Phelan, Siobhan O’Donnell, Leah Twomey, Matilda Tyler Walsh, Saoirse Mackey, Caoimhe Fanning. Subs: Anna Tyler, Ciara Lynch, Grace O’Keeffe, Alexi Walsh, Siofra Cross, Aoibhe Cronin, Anna Winters.
Referee: Paul Hunston
By PRO Thu 16th Oct
