Senior Championship – Quarter Final
Sunday 27 September ‘26
PILTOWN 1 -26 St Brigids 0 -08
Piltown marched into another semi final and a date with Tullaroan, as they overpowered St Brigids of Ballycallan in an entertaining game played on a super surface in Dunnamaggin.
Aoife Doyle started them on their way in the first minute and they never looked back. It was a harsh looking score line on the Ballycallan side, but it was an accurate one.
Piltown had too much going forward and were very strong at the back and that combination, made it very hard for a very young St Brigids side to stay with them. Ruby Norris scored her first in the second minute, with the excellent centre forward, Kellyann Doyle getting the first of her five pointed frees in the sixth minute, Ruby Norris again in the seventh minute as Piltown got the start that the St Brigids management was telling their players to not allow happen.
But, knowing its coming and stopping it are two very different things. Sophie Holden took her turn at scoring next with a fine point off her right after great work from Aoife Doyle on a quick sideline, Ruby Norris with a cross field pass to Kellyann Doyle and she found Holden and Sophie blazed it over the crossbar.
Brigids were trying to work out the ball but were getting smothered by the Piltown forwards, they were going long and Piltown were winning the break. They switched Ava Brett, who started in midfield back to left wing back onto Ruby Norris to try change the flow of the game. It might have worked, but in the thirteenth minute, Sophie Holden got the ball into the back of the net past Miriam Walton. Katie Power got the ball in space on the right wing, she delivered a long high ball towards goal, maybe looking for a point, but it dropped short. Piltown’s Grace Farrell and St Brigids Moya O’Brien battled for it, the ball popped up and into the hand of the following up Sophie Holden and she buried it low to the left of the net.
We were now halfway through the half and despite their efforts there was no score from St Brigids. The switch of Brett and Tara Ronan helped Brigids in the midfield as Ronan battled with Laura Norris and the side in blue had an opportunity in the sixteenth minute through Tara Cody as she stood over a free after a burst through the middle by Tara Ronan and she made no mistake from a central position.
The black and yellow tide kept coming though, tagging on points, stretching the lead. But in fairness, the latter half of the half, Brigids came alive with a point from Claire Doheny after great build up play through midfield from Lauren East and then Ava Brett released Doheny and she made no mistake. Leah Brett followed that up with another as St Brigids seemed to just go for it. But amid shouts of “next score” from both sides management teams, it was Piltown that could reply, Katie Power got two points, Kellyann Doyle hit one from play. Brigids had more of the ball and yet Piltown still managed to score. Brigids hit the Right upright twice in the space of 3 minutes, from a free struck by Tara Cody that landed handily for Karen Duggan to clear, the other a long shot from Molly Conroy that also bounced down for Patsy Kenny to clear.
HALF TIME – Piltown 1 -11 St Brigids 0 -05
Piltown made two changes at half time, and they were back scoring from the restart, the two Doyles, Kellyann and Aoife took their points, Sophie Holden scored another two, as the game looked like it was all but over.
The scoreboard looked that way, but Brigids never gave up. Molly Conroy fared better with another shot as it went over the bar after ten minutes of the half gone, Tara Cody added a pointed 45, after a great run down the right wing and cut inside towards goal by Claire Doheny, and her lobbed pass across goal was batted out for a 45 by the hurley of Karen Duggan. Claire Doheny got her second of the game as they battled to eat into the Piltown lead. But try as they might they just couldn’t get close enough. They had a big chance after 25 minutes when Tara Cody was fouled as she went in on goal and a penalty was awarded. It was Chloe Teehan over the ball facing Aoife Norris in the goal. Teehan went to her right, Norris to her left and saved it.
It was a much better performance by Brigids in the second half, but some missed opportunities throughout the game, aligned with a strong Piltown performance, meant the southern team would once again head into a Senior Championship semi-final.
Final Score – PILTOWN 1 -26 ST BRIGIDS 0 -08
Piltown Panel -Aoife Norris, Lorraine Long, Alanna Gallagher, Jenni O’Dea, Karen Duggan, Laura Norris, Danielle Carroll, Aoife Landers, Alice Talbot, Ellen O’Keeffe, Kellyann Doyle, Laoise McKenna, Heather Phelan, Katie Power, Sophie Holden, Grace Farrell, Aoife Doyle, Aoife O’Shea, Aine Doyle, Leah Cooney, Maire Beth Kirby, Patsy Kenny, Sarah Tobin, Sinead McCarthy, Ruby Norris, Emma O’Shea, Antonia Power, Lisa Norris, Niamh Culleton, Hilary Power, Rachel Tennyson, Lorna O’Shea, Chloe Blackmore, Danielle Obrien, Aine Doyle, Rachel O’Shea
St Brigids Panel – Katie Brennan, Ava Brett, Leah Brett, Georgina Casey, Daisy May Cleere, Ella Cody, Tara Cody, Katie Comerford, Kitty Conroy, Molly Conroy, Reece Delaney, Claire Doheny, Lauren East, Roisin Foley, Siobhan Kenny, Ellie Lanigan, Margaret Maher, Kate McCluskey, Moya O’Brien, Ruth Purcell, Kate Purcell, Katie Ronan, Lauren Ronan, Tara Ronan, Chloe Teehan, Miriam Walton
By PRO Fri 2nd Oct
