:format(auto))
Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Intermediate Club Championship Final
Pobal Parnell 1-12 St Maurs 1-11 (aet)
By Nigel McCarthy
A Chloe Darby converted free in the last minute of extra-time secured the 2025 Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Intermediate Club Championship crown for Pobal Parnell in St Margarets GAA on Saturday evening against St Maurs.
Chloe Darby a central figure in Dublin’s Senior All Ireland success this season showed plenty of courage to knock over the winning score from the left-hand side seconds after missing a similar free on the opposite side.
It was a sweet victory for Pobal Parnell after agonisingly losing out in last season’s decider to O’Dwyers.
With both teams evenly matched the game was tight and tense throughout. It was certainly a tale of two halves in both normal time and extra-time with St Maurs getting their noses in front at the end of both first halves, but it was Pobal Parnell that enjoyed the better of both second halves to prevail at the finish.
Four points from Aoife Curley, who finished the game with an impressive nine points to her name, helped St Maurs take a three-point advantage into the half-time break.
Pobal Parnell struggled for scores playing against the very strong wind in the first half and could muster just two from Ceileigh McDonald and the other scored by Player of the Match Nicole Smith to leave the score at the break 0-05 to 0-02.
The rain stopped and the wind subsided slightly for the start of the second half and with seventeen minutes to go Pobal Parnell had got their noses in front.
A couple of points from Nicole Smith and one from Dominique Darby reduced the lead to just two points.
In the forty third minute Chloe Darby hit a high looping free towards the post, it hadn’t the distance to clear the crossbar, it bounced in the square and substitute Jessica Darby won the scramble for the ball and bundled the ball to the net to give Pobal Parnell a one point lead.
Two converted frees from Aoife Curley put St Maurs back in front, but with five minutes left Jessica Darby drew the sides level. An excellent point from diminutive corner forward Nicole Smith two minutes from the final whistle looked to have given Pobal Parnell the win, but in the final seconds St Maurs were awarded a free about twenty-five metres out and the ever accurate Aoife Curley converted and forced the game into extra-time with the full time score 0-10 to 1-07.
Aoife Curley and Chloe Darby exchanged frees in the opening minutes of the first half of extra-time. Then with four minutes to the break St Maurs were awarded a penalty for a foul in the square, it looked a harsh call and centre half back Colleen Moran dispatched the spot kick to the net.
Aisling Kane pulled a point back for Parnells just before the half-time break to leave the score at the break 1-11 to 1-09 in St Maurs favour.
St Maurs though failed to register a single score in the second half of extra-time and points from a converted free from Ceileigh McDonald and a fifth from open play for Nicole Smith drew the sides level with five minutes of extra time left to play.
In the seventy-eight-minute Pobal Parnell were awarded a free to the right of the goal about thirty metres out, Chloe Darby struck the free well but her effort went narrowly wide.
Pobal Parnell pushed high up on the resultant kick-out, won the ball and worked it from the right to the left-hand side and won another free kick. Chloe Darby having just missed one on the other side showed plenty of character to once again take responsibility for the kick to win the game and made no mistake the second time round and stroked the ball right between the sticks to secure the win and the Intermediate title.
Weather conditions were poor for the first half with strong winds and squally heavy showers. Pobal Parnell opened the scoring with a point from Ceileigh McDonald in the third minute.
St Maurs levelled the game in the sixth minute with a fine point from Aoife Curley. Both sides were finding it difficult in the conditions to further trouble the scoreboard, but two Aoife Curly pointed frees just past the halfway point of the first half gave St Maurs a two-point lead.
Ten minutes before the break Sinéad Moran broke down the right wing, hand passed to Eilise Stuart who cut inside past three players and struck the ball over the bar.
In the twenty fourth minute St Maurs patiently worked the ball around the Pobal Parnell half of the pitch before releasing Aoife Curley into a pocket of space and the acutely accurate Curley hit an excellent effort over the bar to put Maurs four points in front.
In the twenty-eight minute Pobal Parnell finally broke a twenty five minute barren scoring spell, the Coolock side were awarded a free deep inside the St Maurs half, Chloe Darby took a quick free to Nicole Smith who turned and hit a right footed effort over the bar.
Just before the half-time whistle St Maurs broke up field, the ball was played to Kelli Carthy just to the right of goal, Carthy took a quick look at the goal and let fly, but Aoife Manning reacted quickly and dived full stretch to block the shot out for a forty-five which came to nothing to leave the score at the break 0-05 to 0-02.
The rain stopped and the wind slightly subsided for the second half and two minutes in another excellent point from Nicole Smith reduced the lead to just two points.
But another good passage of patient build up play from St Maurs resulted in another point scored this time by Colleen Moran to restore the three-point cushion for the side from Rush.
In the thirty seventh minute Parnells were awarded a free kick on the right but they took too long to take the free and the referee blew for a throw-up, luckily Chloe Darby rose highest and flicked the ball to Emma Lawlor who switched the ball to the centre to Dominique Darby for a fine point.
A minute later Aoife Curley continued her incredible scoring return with another pointed free.
Then in the fortieth minute Donagh Lavery overturned the ball deep in the St Maurs half, offloaded the ball to Sophie Crook who released the ball to substitute Jessica Darby, Jessica almost lost the ball over the endline but recovered it and with her back to goal, passed the ball back out to Nicole Smith who broke past two players and popped the ball over the bar to leave Parnells two points adrift.
Parnells were awarded a free on the right three minutes later, Chloe Darby hit a high hanging effort towards the posts, but it didn’t have the distance to clear the crossbar and bounced in the square, Jessica Darby won the scramble for the ball and toe poked it to the net to give Parnells a one-point lead.
Another successful Aoife Curley free brought the sides level again with twelve minutes remaining. Moments later the Pobal Parnell goalkeeper Chloe Downs pulled off a spectacular save to tip Eilise Stuart’s powerful shot onto the crossbar and although Laoise Murtagh picked up the rebound the Parnells defence scrambled across to block Murtagh’s shot at goal.
Eight minutes from the full time whistle a successful Aoife Curley free put St Maurs back in front by a point.
But Dominique Darby won a St Maurs kick-out three minutes later, popped the ball to Sophie Crook, Crook tried to turn towards goal but found herself surrounded by three St Maurs players, Crook passed the ball back out to Jessica Darby who hit a stunning point from about forty metres out to level the scores once more.
Three minutes from the end Pobal Parnell thought another excellent point from Nicole Smith to give them the lead would be enough to secure victory, but in the dying seconds with the Parnells supporters calling for the full time whistle, St Maurs were awarded a free about twenty metres out Aoife Curley dispatched the ball over the bar to force the game to extra-time with score at full-time in normal time 0-10 to 1-07.
St Maurs regained the lead two minutes into extra-time with another pointed free from Aoife Curley. Pobal Parnell responded with a converted free from Chloe Darby to level the game once more.
Then four minutes before half time St Maurs were awarded a penalty for a foul in the square and up stepped centre half-back Colleen Moran to coolly dispatch the spot kick to the net and the side from Rush led by three.
Just before the break Pobal Parnell reduced the lead to two with a fine point from their own centre half-back Aisling Kane to leave the score at half-time in extra-time 1-11 to 1-09.
The game was deadlocked again five minutes into the second half courtesy of a pointed free from Ceileigh McDonald and a sweet point from open play scored by the ever-dangerous Nicole Smith.
Two minutes before the full-time whistle Pobal Parnell were awarded a free about thirty metres out and to the right of the goal, Chloe Darby struck the free well, but the ball tailed off and just went the wrong side of the post.
The Coolock outfit though won the resultant kick-out on the right hand side, switched the ball to the left and won another free, once again Chloe Darby took the responsibility to take the kick and this time made no mistake and hit the ball straight through the centre of the posts to claim the win and the Intermediate title and a place in the senior championship next season.
:format(auto))