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Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Junior C Club Championship Final
Garristown 2-08 Naomh Mearnóg 2-07
By Nigel McCarthy
Garristown claimed the 2025 Go Ahead Ireland, Dublin LGFA Junior C Club Championship title with a one-point victory over Naomh Mearnóg on Friday evening at a rain sodden St Patrick’s GAA club in Donabate.
The inclement weather contributed to a drama filled game which included a red card, four yellow cards and a ten-minute spell on the sideline for two players from each side and a late goal to snatch the win.
Underfoot conditions were slippery, as was the ball, all of which favoured both defences with possession turnovers high throughout the game.
Just before the half-time break a brilliantly executed goal from Player of the Match Amy O’Brien gave Garristown a three-point advantage at the short whistle.
Two minutes into the second half and Francesca Mifsud brought the teams level with a clinical finish to the top corner of the net.
Garristown hit back with three unanswered points from Shannon Rock with two and one from Emer Quinn.
Two pointed frees, one from Abbie Gogarty and the other from the boot of Alannah Tuite reduced the lead to a single point and with twelve minutes to go a well worked move finished to the net by Tuite put Naomh Mearnóg in front by two.
A pointed free from Amy O’Brien reduced the deficit to just one point and as the battle heated up down the home straight there was a flurry of 4 yellow cards two for each side and one red for Naomh Mearnóg’s Ciara Mullen.
A Francesca Mifsud point pushed the Naomh Mearnóg lead back out to two but in the dying minutes a shot at goal from the left, about twenty odd metres out from Amy O’Brien, looked to be covered by goalkeeper Niamh Browne but the slippery ball deflected off the net-minders fingers and into the net and Garristown held on to claim the slenderest of wins.
The game started in a nonstop sheet of hazy rain. Garristown opened the scoring in the third minute with a fine point from Player of the Match Amy O’Brien who proved to be a thorn in the side of the Naomh Mearnóg defence all evening with O’Briens hands all over the majority of the attacking play from the North County Dublin outfit.
The sides were level in the ninth minute courtesy of a fine point from Alannah Tuite. A pointed free from Amy O’Brien just moments later regained the lead for Garristown.
Naomh Mearnóg drew level again in the twelfth minute, the ball was worked into Francesca Mifsud, who despite wearing the number three jersey was stationed in the full forward line and Mifsud offloaded to Abbie Gogarty just to the right of the goal and the corner-forward struck the ball over the bar.
The Portmarnock side took the lead just past the midway point of the opening half, Issy Harrell directed a free kick just inside the Garristown half to corner-forward Ellie Reen, Reen offload to Francesca Mifsud who picked out full forward Ciara Mullen who stroked the ball over the bar to finish off a well worked move.
Abbie Gogarty grabbed her second point of the final to push the lead out to two points with thirteen minutes remaining in the half.
Garristown drew level with two pointed frees from Amy O’Brien. Both sides had opportunities to add to their tallies heading towards half-time, but the weather and underfoot conditions, plus strong defensive work from the two teams kept the teams deadlocked.
But just before the break Emma O’Brien overturned the ball in the Naomh Mearnóg half, O’Brien hit an accurate foot pass to the right to Amy O’Brien who offloaded to Emer Quinn, ran on to receive the ball back, went by two defenders and blasted the ball to the bottom corner of the net to give Garristown a three-point advantage at half-time on a scoreline of 1-04 to 0-04.
That lead lasted for just two minutes of the second half, Naomh Mearnóg transitioned the ball through the centre of the pitch into Francesca Mifsud in front of goal and she finished to the top corner of the Garristown net.
Garristown restored their half-time advantage with three unanswered points, two from Shannon Rock and the other from Emer Quinn after some excellent play from Laura McManus and Alana Rock.
Two pointed frees, one from Abbie Gogarty and one from Alannah Tuite once again put just a point between the teams.
With the game heading towards the final ten minutes a long ball from midfield found Francesca Mifsud on the right-hand side, Mifsud cut inside, looked up and found Alannah Tuite with a delightful foot pass in front of goal and the left half forward made no mistake and finished to the net to put Naomh Mearnóg two in front.
The lead was cut back to just one again with a pointed free from Amy O’Brien. With so much on the line things got a little heated in the middle of the park which resulted in Garristown’s Maria Duffy being shown a yellow card and ten minutes in the sin bin while Naomh Mearnóg’s Ciara Mullen shown a red card.
With six minutes left in the game Garristown were dealt another blow when Cali Power was also shown a yellow card and would spend the remainder of the game watching from the sideline.
With a player up Naomh Mearnóg took advantage, Ellie Breen made an incisive run through the middle of pitch, offloaded to Francesca Mifsud who’s thunderous shot at goal just cleared the crossbar for a point to put Mearnóg in front by two with just minutes left in the game.
But the drama was not over, Garristown worked the ball up field to Amy O’Brien who hit a speculative shot towards goal, it looked like Naomh Mearnóg goalkeeper Niamh Browne had it covered, but the greasy ball slipped off the keepers fingertips and into the net and Garristown led by one.
There was still time for Naomh Mearnóg to draw level but two late yellow cards in quick succession for Carla Brogan and Amy Gleeson scuppered any hope of a grandstand finish and Garristown held on for the slenderest of wins and the Junior C title.
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