Kildare ladies cruise into the knockouts with Louth win

All-Ireland Intermediate Championship Group Round 2

Kildare 2-8

Louth 0-3

Before they went to battle for the final time in 2023, the Kildare and Louth squads sat together in the centre of the pitch, their jerseys mixed red and white as you looked across the line of players as they faced the stand. 

They sat to protest their treatment and showed the united front that has been put forward by all ladies footballers and camogie players in the past week or so. Their gesture was met with a thunderous reception in Manguard Park as the fans and press alike rose to applaud their efforts to achieve what many believe is the bare minimum in player welfare.

Perhaps no two more perfect foes for this demonstration as these teams came together before the third instalment of their rivalry this year. They came in like all good trilogies at 1-1, Kildare’s only loss of the season that was avenged in the Leinster Championship and now the third clash that could have feasibly put either side out of the All-Ireland.

The game didn't begin with its typical fervour as Kildare looked comfortable in possession without totally finding their attacking rhythm. One reason for that could be identified as repeated infringement by the visitors as Louth began to accumulate marks in the foul department rather quickly. Those set-pieces were doing The Wee County no favours as after each blow of the referee's whistle, the ball would be tossed to Róisín Byrne to have an effort at the posts.

Barring a couple, Byrne was her typical reliable self on frees throughout and knocked her first two to give Kildare the lead.

Kildare held an 0-3 to 0-1 lead after 10 minutes as Byrne added a score from play to her tally with Kate Flood getting the Louth score. It hadn’t been barnstorming but undoubtedly a welcome level of control for those in Kildare colours after the all-out chaos in Carrick-on-Shannon last time out. 

The Lilies' control was aided by Louth’s set up as they got bodies behind the ball in big numbers as they attempted to frustrate Kildare. However, the lack of discipline and clean tackling would undo any good work visitors put into each defensive phase.

Kildare would flex their muscles soon after though and turn up the quality for perhaps the play of the game. The ladies in white upped the tempo and combined with several short and sharp passes in a move that found its way to Aoife Rattigan, who having marauded from midfield put her effort perfectly over the black spot.

The home side always looked comfortable in this game and began to build a lead slowly but surely. Another Róisín Byrne free extended further before Ellen Dowling added one to her tally to give Kildare an 0-6 to 0-1 advantage.

Louth’s Laura Collins would get the final score of the half to send her side in trailing with a far from insurmountable four-point deficit. Kildare’s wides began to accumulate as the first half wore on and with a less than enormous buffer there was still plenty on the table in this game for both sides.

The break had brought about a change for Kildare as Gráinne Kenneally replaced Aoife Rattigan, and a change of plan for Louth as when the second half restarted they had clearly opted for a more direct approach to goal.

Louth’s first three balls of the game were sent long into the full-forward line and each was as unsuccessful as the next. The hopeful send-ins were mopped up by the Kildare backline and in particular Laoise Lenehan who had a fine game.

The game would be all but put to bed four minutes into the second half as Róisín Byrne put a smart handpass around her marker to find Lara Curran. Curran unleashed a thunderous effort that two goalkeepers between the sticks would not have kept out as she planted the ball into the dictionary definition of the top left-hand corner. 1-6 to 0-2.

There would be just a point at either end for the next 20 minutes as the teams seemed respectively content and resigned to their fate. 

With five minutes left on the clock, Gráinne Kenneally woke everyone back up with a fine goal. The half-time substitute was sent through by Ellen Dowling and made no mistake as she found the back of the net with a driven effort. That makes it two goals in the last two Championship games for Kenneally who has become a real weapon off the bench for this Kildare side. 

Kilare would close out for victory and head into the draw as one of the four home sides in the pot after securing top spot in their group.

Scorers: Kildare, Róisín Byrne 0-6 (0-4 frees), Lara Curran 1-0, Gráinne Kenneally 1-0, Aoife Rattigan 0-1, Ellen Dowling 0-1 (0-1 frees).

Louth, Kate Flood 0-2, Laura Collins 0-1 (0-1 frees).

KILDARE: Mary Hulgraine; Lauren Burke, Laoise Lenehan, Aoife Clifford; Lara Gilbert, Ruth Sargent, Lauren Murtagh; Grace Clifford, Aoife Rattigan; Claire Sullivan, Neasa Dooley, Róisín Byrne; Ellen Dowling, Trina Duggan, Lara Curran. Subs: Gráinne Kenneally for Aoife Rattigan (Half-time), Ciara Price for Neasa Dooley (41 minutes), Orlaith Sullivan for Ciara Price (50 minutes), Mia Doherty for Trina Duggan (58 minutes), Fiona Troute for Lauren Burke (60 minutes).

LOUTH: Rebecca Lambe Fagan; Eimear Murray, Eilis Hand, Rachel Beirth; Seoda Matthews, Caoimhe Boyle, Niamh Rice; Áine Breen, Aoife Halligan; Mia Duffy, Kate Flood, Lucy White; Aoife Russell, Lauren Boyle, Laura Collins. Subs: Róisín Maguire for Kate Flood (31 minutes), Holly Lambe Sally for Rachel Beirth (39 minutes), Kate Flood for Lucy White (45 minutes), Aideen Dunne for Aoife Halligan (61 minutes), Michelle O'Hagan for Lauren Boyle (61 minutes).

Referee: Kevin Corcoran