'The good, the bad and the ugly' as Tipperary beat Westmeath

Tipperary 3-14 Westmeath 2-6

A virtuoso first half performance from returning marquee forward Aishling Moloney inspired Tipperary to an eleven-points win over Westmeath in the Round 5 clash of the Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 2 at Fethard Town Park on Sunday.

Moloney, in her first start of the campaign after picking up an injury while playing in Australia, orchestrated all that was good about the Tipperary attack in the first half, kicking 1-3 as well as providing the assist for a Kirsty Crotty Ryan goal.

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Tipperary were in sparkling form in that first thirty minutes, hitting the Leinster side for 3-11 while just conceding 1-1. But the difference between that first half and the second was like chalk and cheese, or as manager Ed Burke described it, going from brilliant to brutal.

The manager withdrew Moloney at half-time, not risking her for a full sixty minutes as she eases her way back to full fitness, replacing her with another long-term injury absentee, Aherlow’s Caitlin Kennedy, who was out for 18 months with a cruciate injury before also coming on as a sub in the previous week’s win over Clare.

Burke also replaced Elaine Kelly at the break and then made seven more substitutions in the second half when his side totally lost their shape and composure. They were outscored 1-5 to 0-3 in that second half by a Westmeath side still pointless after five games.

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“It can be best summarised as the good, the bad and the ugly,” said Burke, referencing a famous Clint Eastwood movie. “The first half was excellent but then we thought the game was over and we settled into a pattern of making mistakes when Westmeath had the momentum. We have to play for sixty minutes”.

However, he was delighted with the two points that ease the relegation concerns, and with the performance of Moloney. “She was excellent, and we could see the shapes that we wanted to see on the pitch. Players were in the right positions and could see the space that was opening up. A lot of good scores were made look easy and we also left a few scores behind us. We played aggressively and that created the chances for us.

“What pleased me most was the general working as a team in terms of structure and organisation, because when we do that we can make our players look really well when they are on the ball. When we are crowded and bunched and not doing what we need to do, even the best players can look very average”.

In a game of two distinct halves, it will be the first that will be most remembered by Tipp fans. Aishling Moloney was involved from the start, kicking the opening point in the third minute following great work up the wing from Sarah English. Emma Morrissey followed with the first of her six points and Kirsty Crotty Ryan made it 0-3 to no score after seven minutes.

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Moloney was at the heart of every Tipp attack and her pinpoint pass to Crotty Ryan allowed the Moyle Rovers player to palm to the net for the first goal in the eighth minute. However, the home side’s dominance was briefly halted when the defence was opened up with a great pass from Caoimhe Kilmurray to Anna Jones, and the Mullingar Shamrocks player beat Tipp goalkeeper Lauren Fitzpatrick from close range.

But Tipperary quickly regained control, Emma Morrissey pointing a free before the Aherlow player then set up Maria Curley for a superb goal. Moloney, Morrissey from a free and Aoibhe O’Shea followed up with points before Moloney struck for the side’s third goal, the Cahir player reacting quickest to a poor Westmeath kickout and hitting an unstoppable shot past Amy Donlon in the goal, for a 3-7 to 1-0 lead five minutes from the break.

Tipp didn’t ease up as they hit the next four points in a row – from Sarah English, Moloney after a great pass from ‘keeper Fitzpatrick, who had the time and space to venture outfield; Clara English and Anna Rose Kennedy with a great solo effort. The final action of the half resulted in a Westmeath point from Ashley Ruane, only their second score and first in 22 minutes.

Manager Burke accepted later that his use of nine replacements might have impacted on the performance, because after hitting 14 scores in the first half, they managed just three in the second, just one from play in injury time, and a gap of 18 minutes between the first and the second scores.

Westmeath needed an improved second half display to avoid embarrassment, and they got it. Within twenty seconds of the restart Sarah Dillon hit a fine point, and six minutes later Tipp were stunned when Vicky Carr put Anna Jones through for her second goal to make it 3-11 to 2-2.

A Morrissey free four minutes later settled Tipp but they never reproduced the fluent football of the first half. The Leinster side now enjoyed the cohesion that Tipp had lost.

Vicky Carr was in superb form at midfield but it was Anna Jones who provided the scoring power – she followed up a lovely point from play with three from frees to bring the score back to 3-12 to 2-6 with six minutes to go.

However, they didn’t have time to rein in a nine-points deficit, and it was Tipp who finished stronger with Morrissey’s second pointed free of the half, followed by another from play from the Aherlow player in added time.

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry), Elaine Kelly (Cappawhite), Lucy Spillane (Fethard), Emma Cronin (Moyle Rovers), Sarah English (Ardfinnan) 0-1; Maria Curley (Templemore) 1-0; Brid Condon (Aherlow), Anna Rose Kennedy (Aherlow) 0-1; Neassa Towey (Templemore), Kirsty Crotty Ryan (Moyle Rovers) 1-1; Ava Ryan (Moyne/Templetuohy), Aoibhe O’Shea (Mullinahone) 0-1; Clara English (Ardfinnan) 0-1; Emma Morrissey (Aherlow) 0-6, 4 frees; Aishling Moloney (Cahir) 1-3.

Subs: Caitlin Kennedy (Aherlow) for Moloney (HT), Nora Martin (Sliabh na mBan) for Kelly (HT), Hazel Brennan (Moyle Rovers) for Ava Ryan (42), Kate Cashman (Templemore) for Condon (42), Ava Fennessy (Clonmel Commercials) for O’Shea (47), Michelle Cronin (Moyle Rovers) for Sarah English (47), Nicole Shelly (Mullinahone) for Clara English (47), Eva Cremins (Arravale Rovers) for Crotty Ryan (50), Heather Spillane (Fethard) for Towey (52).

Westmeath: Amy Donlon, Lara McCartan, Sarah Murphy, Megan Ennis, Chloe Kelly, Lucy Power, Fiona Coyle, Tracey Dillon, Vicky Carr, Ashley Ruane 0-1; Anna Jones 2-4, 3 frees; Ayesha Roche, Grainne Byrne, Caoimhe Kilmurray, Sarah Dillon 0-1.
Sub: Caitriona Dunne for Ennis (21).

Referee: David Hurson (Monaghan).