ARMAGH HOLD OFF LATE RALLY BY DUBLIN
DUBLIN 2-4 ARMAGH 0-11
Richard Bullick at Parnell Park
Niamh Reel led the way with five points and half a dozen others chipped in with a single score apiece as champions Armagh made it three wins from three in their defence of the National League title with a deserved victory over Dublin.
It was a tense final few minutes as Armagh hung on after Dublin’s late second goal gave the hosts a lifeline at Parnell Park but, like last season, this Orchard crew have shown they know how to come out the right side of tight games.
In the absence of ace markswoman Aimee Mackin and former skipper Kelly Mallon, Silverbridge forward Reel has stepped up to top-score in all three matches this season so far, but her fellow medics deserve a special mention too.
Still incredibly fit and driven at the age of 40, the incomparable Caroline O’Hanlon was at the heart of the Orchard’s rearguard effort in the closing stages while the utterly relentless Emily Druse put in another enormous shift for Armagh.
That Druse did so on the back of her herculean efforts for Queen’s University in their O’Connor Cup match on Thursday night and ahead of an important Medicine exam today (Tue) just sums up this whole-hearted, outstanding young woman.
Like Reel up front, national All Star nominee Cait Towe has taken extra responsibility at the back in the absence of Orchard captain Clodagh McCambridge, her Clann Eireann clubmate, and she was a worthy Player of the Match recipient.
Armagh goalkeeper Anna Carr was a typically imposing presence, captain Lauren McConville made numerous surging runs, her fellow stalwart Aoife McCoy really put herself about and young sub Caoimhe McNally confidently took a lovely point.
McConville and McCoy had both netted in the Orchard’s only previous away win against Dublin, a National League game at Abbotstown in 2017, Armagh having achieved their first ever victory over them the season before in the Athletic Grounds.
Aimee Mackin scored 1-7 from play, supplemented by two frees, that last time Armagh defeated Dublin but they had to manage without her here along with McCambridge, Mallon, Ulster All Star Dearbhla Coleman and the versatile Sarah Quigley.
Dublin weren’t at full strength either with former Irish rugby international Hannah Tyrrell watching on in civvies while their main midfielder Jennifer Dunne has opted out for the season to focus on the AFLW career with Brisbane Lions.
Under new managers Joe Feeney and Darnell Parkinson, Armagh have shown last season’s historic triumph was no flash in the pan with early away wins over All Ireland champions Kerry and Dublin, who have claimed the top prize five times in the past eight seasons.
Having two of their first three fixtures on the road either side of defeating newly-promoted neighbours Tyrone in Lurgan, means Armagh can look forward to home comforts in three of their remaining four regular league games.
By contrast, Dublin’s new joint managers have now tasted defeat twice in their first three fixtures at the helm after failing to bounce back from the shock reversal against newly-promoted Kildare last time out.
Compared to the run-on line-up against Tyrone six days earlier, Armagh made just one change with classy Clann Eireann captain Niamh Henderson coming in for her first start of the season in place of promising Wolfe Tones teenager Eimear McGeown.
Although lacking some of the household names of their highly-decorated recent past, Dublin still fielded the likes of Rowe, Leah Caffrey, Martha Byrne and the physically-imposing midfield duo of Grace Kos and Niamh Hetherton.
With Armagh having already qualified for the first NFL showpiece in their history courtesy of six consecutive victories, the then manager Greg McGonigle fielded a very experimental line-up in the final regular league game at home to Dublin last spring.
Dublin crushed their hosts by 7-10 to 1-4 that day but never looked like repeating that in a low-scoring game on a gloomy afternoon albeit the earlier rain had stopped prior to this televised clash getting underway.
This was the only the fifth time that Armagh had played the Dubs since losing the 2015 All Ireland semi-final on their previous visit to Parnell Park, with the last serious encounter coming in the corresponding game in 2020 which the team in pale blue also won.
Armagh won the initial throw-in on Saturday but were soon blown for over-carrying and, after the linesman missed a Dublin foot in touch, Carr had to block with her shins when a ball broken down by Towe fell to the hosts.
Niamh Coleman dabbed a shot past the right post after a big break up the middle but Reel got the opening point of the day after interplay featuring Henderson, McCoy, Maeve Lennon, Henderson again and Moya Feehan.
Towe made her first great tackle after Druse had won the Armagh kickout but then been dispossessed and Dublin registered two wides before the second of two superb bursts by Druse in quick succession led to a seventh minute point for Lennon.
O’Hanlon was awarded a free on her own 65 as she tried to battle forward and McCoy set Blaithin Mackin running but she lost possession bearing down on goal and Dublin soon kicked a wild wide at the other end.
Mackin was wide with a speculative effort and Reel also drew a blank before Armagh went three up when Feehan found McCoy and her shot was tipped over the Dublin crossbar by goalkeeper Abby Shiels.
Dublin corner back Jess Tobin was sinbinned by bearded Sligo referee Gus Chapman midway through the half for what appeared to be dissent, though McCoy was clattered around the same time and Reel’s free put Armagh four up.
Henderson was crowded out and flicked the ball on the ground after Druse had won possession strongly and surged forward, and Dublin drew level in the blink of an eye through a goal and follow-up free.
Captain Carla Rowe made a great run before playing a long ball to Kate Sullivan, who held off an isolated Mulligan and calmly placed her shot past Carr from an acute angle on the right. The straightforward free was kicked by Chloe Darby.
Coleman sent McConville up the middle but the Orchard captain lost control of the ball after getting it back from Henderson and, with Dublin now looking dangerous, Armagh were glad of a great block by Mulligan and pressure from Towe which forced Rowe to shoot wide.
An O’Hanlon shot was deflected for a 45 from which the visitors kept possession and probed patiently but eventually McCoy undercooked a pass for Druse and Dublin were able to come away only to drop their shot into the arms of Carr.
O’Hanlon, McConville, Towe, Reel, Lennon and McCoy combined before Reel looped round and Coleman nudged Armagh back in front with a point from the left in the 25th minute just before Tobin returned from the sinbin.
Reel doubled the lead with a free after being bundled over by Niamh Donlon before Armagh spurned two goal chances late in the half, Henderson’s shot from a narrow angle on the right going past the far post and then Feehan pushing her attempt past the right post.
Just before the hooter went to end what Armagh coach Barry Grimes in his interval interview described as a ‘quite frantic’ first half, Rowe reduced the arrears to just a single point by kicking a free awarded against O’Hanlon much to her indignation.
Mackin kicked a wide within 10 seconds of the resumption, McCoy had a shot blocked and O’Hanlon was dispossessed in attack before Reel converted a 34th minute free when McConville was chopped down.
Great defending from Maeve Ferguson averted danger at the other end and McConville made a wonderful burst up the middle but this time Druse shot wide and then the next attack ended with Reel being crowded out.
Sullivan agonisingly rolled a low shot across the face of the Armagh goal and just past the far post after collecting a long ball by Rowe but Carr and Mulligan deserve credit for their efforts to shut her down which may have been a contributing factor.
Druse just couldn’t get a touch in the Dublin goalmouth after a return ball from Feehan and sub Rebecca McDonnell kicked a wide for the hosts just before McNally replaced her Derrynoose clubmate Lennon on 39 minutes.
O’Hanlon converted the free awarded when Druse was knocked about after collecting a hack-on by Coleman and scooting forward at pace, and the Armagh great then showed her worth at the other end.
After a Darby shot was deflected for a 45, O’Hanlon produced a brilliant block in front of the Armagh goal, mopped up possession and, from a return pass, won a free after breaking from deep with Sullivan being ticked for the foul.
McNally extended Armagh’s advantage by kicking a beautiful point on the run after Ciara Garvey and Henderson attacked down the left, and good pressure from Mulligan forced Dublin into a wayward shot.
Rowe got hurt running into Towe and Mackin, with the Armagh free out rubbing salt in her wounds, and after the latter tipped Carr’s kickout on to Druse, the Harps livewire’s great run led to a point from Henderson, with McCoy and McNally having handled in between.
This was a fast and physical contest but Druse not flinching following a big smash from the Dublin kickout epitomised Armagh’s resolve. The experienced Eve Lavery replaced Feehan early in the final quarter on an afternoon when the Orchard bench again delivered.
Sullivan hit a post high up from a free and then kicked a wide before sub Jodi Egan did convert a set-piece, but Reel quickly cancelled that out with a free won by Henderson against experienced defender Leah Caffrey.
Hetherton kicked a point after the Dubs were forced back initially. Druse did well off Carr’s kickout, Henderson went forward and put the ball out in front of her namesake Reel but the Orchard forward’s shot was well saved by Shiels on her first appearance of the season.
Egan drew a blank with a free just before a cramping Mackin was replaced by McGeown and a Henderson shot at the other end went just wide of the left post. More good Orchard defending by Towe and Maeve Ferguson took the game into the final five minutes.
All Star Grace Ferguson had come on in place of Garvey for her first action of the season and she began getting more involved along with the still-lively Druse, but a Dublin goal with just under three minutes remaining set up a nail-biting conclusion.
Carr made a great save from Hetherton but the big midfielder hacked the rebound into the Orchard net just as Killeavy youngster Rebecca Cunningham – a late goal hero in the opening game away to Kerry – was about to replace Reel.
With the home crowd really into it now, the pressure was on Armagh, and although that woman O’Hanlon won an important ball and then a free out, the visitors soon gave away possession, enabling the pale blue waves to come again.
The Dubs weren’t happy when Lavery and an opposition player crashed into each other hard deep in the Orchard’s defensive sphere in the final minute but this contest still wasn’t quite over as Armagh got pinned deep in their own left corner.
A brave burst by McCoy won a free out but, when the stop-clock resumed, the seven seconds left felt like a long time for Carr after McConville played the ball back to her. However she held her nerve and rolled it off the field as the hooter brought great relief.
DUBLIN: A Shiels; J Tobin, L Caffrey, A Nyhan; H McGinnis, M Byrne, A Curran; G Kos, N Hetherton (1-1); K Sullivan (1-0), C Darby (0-1; 1f), K Murray; A Timothy, C Rowe (capt; 0-1, 1f), N Donlon. Subs used: R McDonnell for Murray (ht), S McIntyre for Timothy (41mins), J Egan (0-1; 1f) for Darby (46).
ARMAGH: A Carr; M Ferguson, C Garvey, C Towe; E Druse, L McConville (capt), R Mulligan; N Coleman (0-1), C O’Hanlon (0-1; 1f); A McCoy (0-1), M Feehan, B Mackin; N Reel (0-5; 4f), N Henderson (0-1), M Lennon (0-1). Subs used: C McNally (0-1) for Lennon (39), G Ferguson for Garvey (44), E Lavery for Feehan (47), E McGeown for Mackin (53), R Cunningham for Reel (57).
Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).
