Kilkerrin-Clonberne 2-11 Clann Éireann 1-9 (SFC All-Ireland semi-final )
First-half goals from Aisling Madden and Ailish Morrissey paved the way for Kilkerrin-Clonberne to overcome Clann Éireann on their home ground in Lurgan and maintain their AIB All-Ireland Ladies Club SFC four in-a-row ambitions.
The reigning Galway and Connacht title holders built a 2-6 to 0-3 interval lead with a magnificent half-back line of Hannah Noone and Niamh Divilly flanked by recently crowned Players’ Player of the Year Nicola Ward providing a solid platform.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne never trailed and raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening quarter with Eva Noone, Nicola Ward, Chloe Miskell and 2024 All-Star Olivia Divilly (free ) all finding the target.
Niamh Henderson kicked Clann Éireann’s sole reply and though the Ulster standard bearers suffered a setback when Niamh Coleman spent ten minutes in the sin-bin, Greg McGonigle’s team moved to within a point through back-to-back Niamh Murray scores.
Kilkerrin-Clonberne delivered the first major blow on 19 minutes when a trademark driving run from Nicola Ward set Aisling Madden free into open country and she finished low with conviction to the Clann Éireann net.
That began a match-defining run of 2-2 without reply before the break from Kilkerrin-Clonberne as a brilliant individual goal from Ailish Morrissey followed in the 29th minute, while Ward and Madden added further points.
The winners’ lead reached a high of ten points with a Morrissey point straight after the restart, but a resurgent Clann Éireann battled back valiantly with Meabh McCambridge and Murray points cutting the deficit.
The Armagh club showed admirable resilience and closed to within six points when Murray, their best performer on the day, tucked away a 39th minute penalty to leave it 2-8 to 1-5. But Kilkerrin-Clonberne held firm with Miskell, Eva Noone and Olivia Divilly (free ) cancelling out efforts from Niamh Coleman and the excellent Murray who finished with 1-6.
“We got a fair test,” said Kilkerrin-Clonberne manager Willie Ward.
“Clann Eireann stuck at it all the time. We got two golden goals in the first half which were huge for us in the context of going in at half-time. Even though they came at us hard in the second half, we had enough built up. There was always the chance they'd get a goal and they did. But we had enough built up that we could take the goal. We're really happy. Any time you travel away in an All-Ireland semi-final and come back with a win, you're doing well because semi-finals are tough to win always.”
Kilkerrin-Clonberne march on to a mouthwatering final with Kilmacud Crokes at Croke Park on Saturday, December 14 — a repeat of their epic semi-final in 2023 that went to extra-time.
But Ward knows they are going to face a huge task against Kilmacud Crokes.
“They've improved and they've got a few players back, so they'll be better than last year,” added Ward. “We're going to have to find another level ourselves from today. But we're there, it's Croke Park and it's a different day,” he said.
Annaghdown 1-12 O’Donovan Rossa 1-9 (IFC All-Ireland semi-final )
A strong second-half performance saw 2016 champions Annaghdown reach the AIB All-Ireland IFC club final after a hard-fought win over reigning champions O'Donovan Rossa at Cregg pitch in Annaghdown.
Left half-back Bronagh Quinn struck a goal three minutes into the second-half for the Galway champions and it proved the decisive score as her side held on for a memorable win.
There was little to choose between the sides in a first-half where scores were at a premium. It was one of their heroes of that victorious 2016 team, Jemma Burke, who got the scoring underway with a fine point from play.
Cork minor Èabha O'Donovan levelled with a seventh minute free before points by Emma Keane and Riona Quinn put the Galway side two ahead.
O'Donovan Rossa then hit five consecutive wides while Ciara Haverty converted a free for Annaghdown to leave it 0-4 to 0-1 with five minutes of the opening half remaining.
O'Donovan Rossa finished the half strongly as Fionnuala O’Driscoll struck their first point from play in the 26th minute before O'Donovan got her second of the afternoon.
However, Quinn's goal after the restart put the Connacht champions on the front foot with Quinn, Hegarty and Ciara McCarthy all adding points to stretch the home side's lead.
There was no doubt the reigning All-Ireland junior champions were rocked by Annaghdown’s fast start to the new half but their cause wasn't helped by their mounting wides. They ended with eleven wides in total.
Their captain Laura O'Mahony did get them up and running and the lively Fionnuala O'Driscoll chipped in with two points as the Skibbereen club tried to claw their way back into contention.
Nonetheless, McCarthy added two brilliant points from play before Burke got her second of the day as the tie looked all but over.
However, points by O'Donovan and O’Driscoll along with an injury time Allie Tobin goal set up a grandstand finish but the Galway champions saw the game out to book their place in the decider against Bennekerry/Tinryland on Saturday, December 14.
