Tyrone go one better to beat Laois to intermediate title

Irish Times

4 days ago

All-Ireland women's intermediate football final: Tyrone 2-16 Laois 1-13
Goals in either half from Aoife Horisk and Katie Rose Muldoon proved pivotal as
Tyrone
edged out
Laois
by six points to capture the TG4
All-Ireland intermediate title
at Croke Park.
Having succumbed narrowly to Leitrim in last year's decider, it was Tyrone's turn to celebrate as they finished strongly to secure the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup for the first time since their sole success in 2018.
Tyrone enjoyed a 1-7 to 1-5 interval lead, with Horisk's 27th-minute goal cancelling out an equally superb finish from Laois' Shifra Havill four minutes earlier.
There was little to separate the teams throughout a nervy second half, but the decisive moment arrived in the 54th minute as Muldoon left Laois goalkeeper Eimear Barry helpless with a shot from close range.
READ MORE
It was Tyrone who seized the early initiative through points from Sorcha Gormley and Cara McCrossan before Laois struck back to level parity by the fourth minute, courtesy of scores from Jane Moore and Emma Lawlor.
Lawlor edged Laois in front in the seventh minute, immediately after Faye McEvoy produced a superb goal line clearance at the opposite end, with parity restored soon after through a Niamh O'Neill free.
The sides remained level as Emily Lacey and Aoife Horisk traded points by the end of the first quarter before the Ulster side re-established their two-point advantage thanks to Sláine McCarroll and the lively Gormley.
Aoife Horisk scores a goal Tyrone. Photograph: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
However, their inaccuracy up front undermined their general control as O'Neill placed her shot too close to Eimear Barry in the 22nd minute and that profligacy was punished in an instant as Lawlor worked well in releasing Havill for an emphatic finish to the roof of Amelia Coyle's net.
Frustration continued for Tyrone in the 26th minute as Gormley was denied from the penalty spot following a foul on Horisk, but the latter made no mistake a minute later as she drilled home from 10 yards to edge her side two points clear by half-time.
Laois wasted little time in getting back on level terms as Mo Nerney and Fiona Dooley both scored within three minutes of the restart.
Crucially, Laois were unable to get in front as O'Neill and Horisk responded for Tyrone, with the latter becoming increasingly influential as the contest evolved.
The same could be said for Nerney, who added two points in quick succession to bring Laois to within a point by the 43rd minute.
However, their momentum stalled 10 minutes from full-time as Ciara Crowley was yellow-carded and O'Neill's subsequent free helped double Tyrone's advantage.
The contest was effectively settled as Muldoon followed up well to net after fellow substitute Emer McCanny had been denied and they pulled away by the final whistle thanks to insurance points from O'Neill, Gormley and captain Aoibhinn McHugh.
TYRONE:
A Coyle; J Lyons, G McKenna, E Quinn; C Campbell, M Mallon, C Canavan; A McHugh (capt, 0-1), S McCarroll (0-1); E McNamee, S Gormley (0-3), A Horisk (1-3, 0-1f); N O'Neill (0-7, 3f), C McCrossan (0-1), M Corrigan.
Subs:
E McCanny for McCrossan (36 mins), K Muldoon (1-0) for McNamee (45), A McGahan for Campbell (53), C McCaffrey for O'Neill (58), J Barrett for Horisk (59).
LAOIS:
E Barry; S Farrelly, C Dunne, F McEvoy; A Gorman, A Moore, A Moran (capt); F Dooley (0-1), J Moore (0-1); S Havill (1-0), E Galvin, C Crowley; E Lacey (0-1), E Lawlor (0-5, 3f), M Nerney (0-5, 3f).
Subs:
L Kearney for Gorman (39 mins), M Cotter for McEvoy (45), K Donoghue for Lacey (47), A Fitzpatrick for Havill (56).
Referee:
S Curley (Galway).