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Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Junior A Club Championship Final
Raheny 1-09 Naomh Olaf 0-06
By Nigel McCarthy
Raheny finally laid the ghosts of the past on Saturday afternoon by lifting the 2025 Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Junior A Club Championship title with a six-point victory over Naomh Olaf in stormy conditions in St Margarets GAA club.
Competing in their third final in four years Raheny got the job done at the third time of asking after defeats in the 2023 and 2024 deciders.
Naomh Olaf won the Junior B title last season and were appearing in their very first Junior A final on Saturday afternoon and based on their gallant performance it won’t be long before they themselves will get their hands on the Junior A title.
The weather conditions on Saturday were extremely difficult for both sides to contend with, but it led to a tense, dogged affair that was in the balance till eleven minutes from the end.
With just two points separating the sides former Dublin senior star Siobhan Woods picked up the ball just inside the Naomh Olaf half of the pitch, offloaded the ball to Cliodhna McHugh running into space down the right hand side, McHugh then hit a sublime foot pass into Isabel Browne straight in front of goal and Browne just a mere three minutes on the pitch finished to the bottom right hand corner of the net to give Raheny a little bit of breathing space.
Naomh Olaf though were extremely unlucky not to hit straight back in the very next attack, Olaf transitioned the ball quickly up field to Grace McCoy and McCoy hit a thunderous shot at goal, it hit the underside of the bar, bounced on the line, but not over it and Raheny were relieved to clear the ball.
The southside club battled all the way to the finish, but the constant probing runs and ferocious work-rate from Player of the Match Aoibhin McCarthy and the experience and guile of Siobhan Woods who hit two wonderful points from about forty metres out in the closing minutes, kept Naomh Olaf at arms length and deservedly secured the Junior A title for Raheny.
Raheny opened their account in the fifth minute, Jane Murphy and Carla Fitzsimons exchanged a quick flurry of passes through the centre, Fitzsimons hit a pass out to the top right-hand side of the pitch to Siobhan Woods and Woods switched the ball back inside to Sophie Kinane who split the posts with a fine effort.
That lead was doubled three minutes later, Aoibhin McCarthy overturned the ball in her own half, offloaded to Siobhan Woods coming off her shoulder, Woods and Niamh Collins exchanged a quick succession of passes before releasing Carla Fitzsimons into space, Fitzsimons ran through the centre of the pitch and hit an accurate foot pass to midfielder Bronagh Fagan who hit a fine effort over just inside the left hand post.
Naomh Olaf opened their account in the tenth minute from the boot of Laura Corbally who was on the end of sweeping move through the middle of the park involving no fewer than seven Olaf players and popped over a well struck point.
Carla Fitzsimons restored Raheny’ s two point advantage with a converted free and just past the midway point of the first half, Aoibhin McCarthy went on a barnstorming run down the right hand sideline, hand passed to Carla Fitzsimons who burst past three players and blasted the ball over the bar to stretch the lead out to three.
Six minutes before half-time a point from Sophie Cunningham reduced the deficit. Rebecca Gaughran won the resultant kick-out, took two strides forward and hand passed to midfielder Grace Cotty running to her left and Crotty slotted the ball over the bar to leave just a point between the sides.
Two minutes later a point from Anna Murphy once again put Raheny two points to the good and that’s how it remained at the break with the score 0-05 to 0-03.
It took just a minute of second half action for Raheny to extend their advantage with a converted free from Carla Fitzsimons.
Naomh Olaf then worked the ball down the pitch, Grace McCoy and Laura Corbally combined along the end line with a quick interchange of passes and then switched the ball back out to Sophie Cunningham who cut across the centre past two players and struck a sweet point over the bar.
In the forty first minute Naomh Olaf transitioned the ball through the lines from deep in their own half, a high hanging point effort from Caoimhe O’Grady got caught up in the wind, the ball was caught by Grace McCoy just to the left of the goal and with her back to goal, hit a brilliant shot over her left shoulder and over the bar to leave just a point between the sides.
Raheny then suffered a double blow as before the game restarted Dina Patton was shown a yellow card and a ten-minute spell in the sin-bin for a high tackle in the build up to McCoy’s point.
Having scored the last two points and now with a player advantage, that should have been the catalyst for Naomh Olaf to drive on, but it was Raheny who grabbed control of the game.
Carla Fitzsimons powered down the left wing, popped the ball off to Jane Murphy who scored her first point of the contest.
Eleven minutes from the end came the crucial score, Raheny moved the ball into their opponents half, patiently recycled the ball from right to left looking for an opening, the ball was switched back to the centre to Siobhan Woods who found Cliodhna McHugh in space to the right and corner forward McHugh hit a sublime foot pass into substitute Isabel Browne in front of goal and Browne hit a low shot to the bottom right hand corner of the net.
Naomh Olaf almost responded in emphatic fashion seconds later, the ball was quickly transitioned from back to front to Grace McCoy who hit a thunderous effort at goal, the ball hit the underside of the bar, bounced on the line, but not over it and Raheny cleared the danger much to the relief of their large gathering of supporters at the game.
Eight minutes from time Siobhan Woods hit a stunning point from forty metres out to stretch the lead to six. A pointed free from Aobha Phelan pulled one back for Naomh Olaf.
As the game entered the final couple of minutes, Aoibhin McCarthy carried the ball down the left wing, hand passed the ball to Sophie Langan to the left of goal, the ball was recycled back out to an unmarked Siobhan Woods in the centre and from about the same distance as her previous point minutes earlier, Woods split the posts with another stunning effort.
In the dying embers of the game Raheny were once more reduced to fourteen players with Carla Fitzsimons shown a yellow card.
But there was little time left for Naomh Olaf to take advantage and Raheny cruised to the final whistle for a well-deserved win and the Junior A title.
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