CLANN EIREANN REMAIN ULSTER CHAMPS
CLANN EIREANN 2-17 LURGAN 2-8
Richard Bullick at Healy Park
Inspirational skipper Niamh Henderson led the way yet again as Ulster Club champions Clann Eireann retained their provincial crown with a convincing victory over Cavan challengers Lurgan in Sunday’s showpiece at Omagh’s Healy Park.
A superb start which yielded seven unanswered points in the opening nine minutes of the big game paved the way for a win which was even more comfortable for the Armagh representatives than the scoreline suggested, with Lurgan grabbing a late consolation goal.
Schoolteacher Henderson had made history last November by becoming the first female footballer from the Orchard county to captain a club team to the Ulster title when Clann Eireann beat Belfast’s Bredagh at the same venue.
Now Greg McGonigle’s side are back-to-back provincial champions, with Ulster LGFA President Gerry Doherty from Mullaghbawn handing Henderson the trophy again just like he had done a year ago.
But it has been a remarkable 12 months meantime for the accomplished Henderson, whose successful return to Orchard duty after a nine-year absence included picking up the Player of the Match award for this season’s inter-county Ulster final.
So Sunday’s award win in her other orange jersey of Clann Eireann completed a tremendous double for the 29-year-old, who also received the accolade for this autumn’s Orchard county final before lifting the Marie Hoye Cup for the third year running.
A stupendous point in first-half injury-time by Niamh’s 15-year-old niece Cassie Henderson, her third of the game, gave the reigning provincial champions a healthy 0-12 to 1-2 interval lead and their skipper pressed home Clann Eireann’s ascendancy after the resumption.
Scoreless in the opening period, captain Henderson raised a white flag and delivered her team’s first goal of the game within three minutes and, although Lurgan replied promptly with a free and never dropped their heads, Clann Eireann were worthy winners.
Magnificent full forward Niamh Murray, who had picked off some glorious scores early in the game, topped the Clann Eireann charts with seven points – all from play – in the final followed by the tremendous Tiarna Grimes raising four white flags.
Niamh Henderson and Eimear McConaghy each contributed 1-1, Cassie Henderson hit those three points in her first Ulster Senior final having been not allowed to play on age grounds last year, and there was also a fisted effort from Armagh midfielder Niamh Coleman.
At the other end of the age scale to Cassie Henderson, the oldest woman on the field deserves special mention, for 37-year-old defensive veteran Grainne McAlinden snuffed out numerous Lurgan attacks in the course of this match.
So too did majestic county captain Clodagh McCambridge, who along with Cait Towe opted not to attend the All Stars banquet in Dublin the night before the final and they had their commitment to the cause duly rewarded with winners’ medals.
Having started with away wins over Monaghan’s Emyvale and Kinawley of Fermanagh before beating Antrim’s Moneyglass in a home semi-final, Clann Eireann went into this Ulster showpiece as favourites against surprise package opponents.
Like Clann Eireann last year, this was Lurgan’s first provincial final, though they have proved formidable at underage level and reached the decider with a very impressive victory over fancied Donegal team Termon in the semis.
The newcomers could have done with a steady start to help ease any understandable nerves but instead quickly found themselves on the receiving end of a Clann Eireann scoring spree, albeit that flow was confined to points rather than also including goals.
Niamh Murray registered the first score with just 26 seconds gone after Niamh Coleman had tapped down to Towe at the throw-in and there were two great interventions in defence by Grainne McAlinden before Murray doubled her team’s lead, this time with her left foot.
The cool Cassie Henderson went through the middle to split the posts with her left foot, Grimes swung over a point after Towe won the opposition kick-out and then she herself stole the next one leading to Murray putting Clann Eireann five ahead in the sixth minute.
The one-way traffic continued, with another confident finish from Cassie Henderson after being played in by fist passes from Murray and Niamh Coleman and the former kicked a huge point in the ninth minute, her fourth and Clann Eireann’s seventh.
Clodagh McCambridge made a superb block after another great run by the dangerous Emma Tolan just before Lurgan made an early substitution and Aoife Brady finally got the underdogs on the scoreboard when a shot went over off an upright in the 14th minute.
But it was quickly cancelled out by another towering effort from Murray and McConaghy, who had an earlier shot come back off the crossbar, got in on the act early in the second quarter after a return pass from her captain.
McConaghy was off target with a left-footed free, won by Aoibhin Donohue, after Cassie Henderson had shown fantastic composure in keeping possession and nonchalantly finding a team-mate while being bottled up by four opposition players.
Ulster All Star Niamh Coleman showed opportunism followed by pragmatism in pilfering possession close to the Lurgan goal and then fisting over a point, though Ciara Tolan promptly replied to keep the gap at eight.
Lurgan got a lucky break in the 26th minute when experienced Clann Eireann goalkeeper Catherine McAlinden, who had been brilliant in the Moneyglass game, totally misjudged a shot which dropped over her into the net, reducing the gap to five points.
Young Erin Melanophy replaced county panellist Megan McCann moments later and Clann Eireann then lost Donohue to the sinbin for a hand-trip after another point by Grimes but the Breffni representatives couldn’t make their numerical advantage count.
Cassie Henderson’s superb point in stoppage-time, hoisted powerfully and confidently from distance as she went on an angled run, put seven between the teams at half-time and her auntie Niamh took charge at the start of the second period.
Corner back Grainne McAlinden broke from deep and Niamh Henderson showed her great core strength as she held off an attempted challenge and pointed with her right foot from quite a narrow angle on the right.
A brilliant goal soon followed, Clodagh McCambridge cutting out a Lurgan attack for the second time since the interval, Roisin Mulligan raiding from deep and Cassie Henderson displaying her kick-passing prowess in finding Dearbhla Coleman.
Now playing with great pace and conviction, Niamh Henderson came out to meet Dearbhla Coleman’s ball in and then the latter linked nicely with her sister Niamh Coleman to play the captain in for a shot which took a deflection on its way into the net.
Lurgan responded well with a free and a point from play either side of Donohue’s return from the sinbin but Melanophy won the ball back when Clann Eireann’s next attack broke down and nice interplay led to another Murray point.
A Lurgan shot bounced on Catherine McAlinden’s crossbar and Niamh Henderson had one blocked at the other end after a searing burst through the middle with the only remaining scores of the third quarter being Grimes cancelling out a point by Catherine Dolan.
That came following a glorious surge by Mulligan which led to a 45 when McConaghy’s shot was blocked and, after Melanophy showed great determination to win a turnover, fellow young gun Cassie Henderson pulled a low shot just wide following an outrageous dummy.
Murray scuffed a shot through to the goalkeeper and skipper Eimear Corcoran lifted Lurgan by pointing from an acute angle on the right but the former then pounced on a loose ball and played in McConaghy, who finished well to the net in the 50th minute, making it 2-15 to 1-6.
Lurgan got the next point and they kept pushing forward but there was no way back and McGonigle began giving some of his back-up players a taste of the action, starting with NI Under 17 netball co-captain Evie McCafferty replacing McConaghy.
Cassie Henderson ripped a stinging left-footed shot narrowly wide after being brought through in heavy traffic just before giving way to fellow Minor Anna Lavery while Ashleigh Fleville came on for Grainne McAlinden.
Aaliyah Delaney took over from last year’s Player of the Match and now Ulster all Star Dearbhla Coleman between Lurgan converting a free and scoring their second goal as the game entered injury-time, with Catherine McAlinden taking a heavy collision in the lead-up.
When the former Armagh netminder resumed after treatment, McCafferty did well with the angled kickout and launched an attack which culminated in Murray curling over a point from the right after good work by young Lavery.
Led by the increasingly prominent Mulligan, Armagh’s breakout star of this year, McGonigle’s young guns were enjoying themselves and Grimes rounded off the scoring before the final whistle in the seventh minute of injury-time confirmed Clann Eireann’s inevitable victory.
There wasn’t quite the euphoria which followed last year’s historic triumph in a tighter game that had been in the balance until the end, but justified satisfaction in a job well done by a very talented team in fantastic physical condition.
Captain Niamh Henderson swept her young son Noah up for a kiss before going to collect her Player of the Match award and the classy Clann Eireann general lifted the trophy after giving another gracious, unscripted speech which hit all the right notes.
Well beaten by Ballymacarbry of Waterford in their home All Ireland semi-final last December, Clann Eireann will welcome reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne of Galway to Lurgan for this season’s corresponding game on Sunday week.
CLANN EIREANN: C McAlinden; G McAlinden, C McCambridge, R Mulligan; M McCambridge, M McCann, D Coleman; N Coleman (0-1), C Towe; T Grimes (0-4), N Henderson (capt; 1-1), C Henderson (0-3); E McConaghy (1-1), N Murray (0-7), A Donohue. Subs used: E Melanophy for McCann (26mins), E McCafferty for McConaghy (53), A Fleville for G McAlinden (58), A Lavery for C Henderson (58), A Delaney for D Coleman (60).
