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Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Junior I Club Championship Final
Erins Isle B 3-07 Erin Go Bragh 2-09
Report by Nigel McCarthy
Erins Isle B are the 2025 Go Ahead Ireland, Dublin LGFA Junior I champions after a one-point victory over Erin Go Bragh on Wednesday night in Castleknock GAA club.
This final went right down to the wire in what can only be described as a game of two halves, Erins Isle built up a very healthy twelve point advantage by half-time, helped in no small measure by player of the match Naoise Finnegan who was the driving force behind the majority of the Isles attacks in the first half and the steady influence and constant out ball for her under pressure side in the second half.
Three goals before the break, two from McKenzie Lowe and one from Rebecca Fagan put the Finglas outfit in the driving seat and left Erin Go Bragh with a mountain to climb in the second half with the scoreline reading 3-07 to 0-04.
But Isles failed to register a single score in the second half and Erin Go Bragh after a poor first half by their standards, came storming back into the game after the break and two late goals from Amy Daly reduced the Erins Isle lead down to a solidarity point in the final moments of the game.
With the final whistle fast approaching the side from Littlepace, Clonee launched a last gasp attack, a point would bring the game to extra-time, so with it all on the line, the ball was worked out to the right hand side to Niamh Maher who had impressed throughout the game, Maher backed herself from about thirty odd metres out, but her effort just fell short of the required distance and Erins Isle cleared the ball and held on for win.
Both sides started the game brightly and Erin Go Bragh took the lead in the second minute with a pointed free from Niamh Maher.
A minute later it was all square, Emily Cahill received the ball about fifty metres from goal and took off on a great run through middle of the Erin Go Bragh defence and swung over a fine point.
Two minutes later and the side from Finglas took the lead for the first time in the game with a well struck free from Naoise Finnegan. Minutes later it got even better for Isles, a sweeping move from defence to attack was finished to the net by McKenzie Lowe.
By the tenth minute Erins Isle had stretched their lead out to six courtesy of a converted free from Niamh Finnegan and a sublime point from play from Lizzy Stafford Hoey.
Erin Go Bragh needed a response, Jessi Swift took off on a mazy run down the right, offloaded to Kate Moloney in the corner, Moloney picked out Aine Mulligan who shot a fine point over her shoulder to reduce the deficit.
But Isles stamped their authority on the game with two well taken goals in quick succession from Rebecca Fagan and McKenzie Lowe with her second of the half as the game headed into the final ten minutes before the break.
Erin Go Bragh were then hit with a further blow when Áine Mulligan was shown a yellow card for a foul and she had to endure ten minutes on the sideline.
Before the short whistle Isles added three further points to their tally, one from open play by Niamh Finnegan was sandwich in between two converted frees from McKenzie Lowe. Erin Go Bragh responded with two late points of the own, a pair of converted frees from the boot of Niamh Maher to leave the score at half-time 3-07 to 0-04.
It was a case of what might have been for Erin Go Bragh in the first half and they would have felt a tad unlucky at the break having hit the woodwork twice in the opening half.
With it all to do after the break Erin Go Bragh came flying out of the blocks, three unanswered points in the opening seven minutes, two from Niamh Maher, one from play and one from a free and a point from the now restored Áine Mulligan left three goals between the teams.
The free scoring Erins Isle side of the first half were now finding it very difficult to make any impact up front with attacking forays breaking down time after time due to a combination of tenacious tackling and wrong shot options.
Points from Jessi Swift and Áine Mulligan reduced the deficit to seven points with fourteen minutes left on the clock and the tension started to rise, not just on the pitch but among the supporters from both sides.
Seven minutes from the final whistle Erins Isle made a complete mess in defence trying to work the ball out and Amy Daly pounced on the loose ball to finish to the net and it was game on with only four points now separating the teams.
With time just up Erin Go Bragh pressed forward looking for another goal to set up a grandstand finish, a couple of blocked shots led to a scramble in the square for possession, among a crowd of bodies Amy Daly managed to poke the ball to the net to leave the bare minimum between the sides.
A last gasp attack for the equaliser ensued, the ball was worked from the left of the pitch to the right to Niamh Maher, knowing the final whistle was imminent, she backed herself from thirty plus metres out to score the equalising point, but her well struck effort just dropped short and Erins Isle cleared the ball as the final whistle sounded and they held on for the hard fought win.
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