Awesome Glencar Manorhamilton in seventh heaven as they stroll to Leitrim LGFA SFC crown

An awesome ​Glencar Manorhamilton equalled Aughawillan’s record of seven Leitrim LGFA SFC titles in a row on Saturday but after they outclassed a battling St Joseph’s in Heartland Credit Union Pairc Sean Mac Diarmada with almost supernatural authority, it is hard to know where the champions will stop in the years to come such was their complete dominance.

​St Joseph’s came into the game as underdogs as Glencar Manorhamilton sought to win a record equalling seventh Leitrim LGFA Senior crown in a row but from the very first ball, it was the defending champions who set the tone of the contest, reeling off three unanswered points in the opening ten minutes from the boot of Muireann Devaney.

With Player of the Match Anna Devaney and the superb Dearbhla Rooney dominating the battle for possession in the middle of the park, Glencar Manorhamilton’s press kept St Joseph’s locked into their own half, a constant barrage on their goal that eventually saw the champions land the game’s first goal after 25 minutes, Sophie Devaney tapping to the net after an expansive move that left St Josephs’ gasping.

The contest might have been different had St Joseph’s found the net in a real goal chance in virtually the next play, a great move going the length of the field with Aoife McKiernan playing Kate Gormley through on goal but with only the keeper to beat, an obviously injury restricted Gormley blasted her goal chance wide of the near post in a real let-off for the champions.

St Joseph’s needed everything to go their way and that miss summed up their day, feeling they left 1-4 behind them in the first half. Yet Glencar Manorhamilton were even more profligate, missing probably 1-6 themselves but never allowing St Joseph’s to build up any sort of momentum.

And as they usually do, Glencar Manorhamilton started the second half determined to kill off any notion of a St Joseph’s fightback, Leah Fox and Muireann Devaney adding points before Fox landed Manor’s second goal, palming home Devaney’s free seven minutes into the half to kill off the game completely.

It was a tough second half for St Joseph’s as they failed to register a score and ominously for the rest of the county as they survey Glencar Manorhamilton winning another title, the north Leitrim kingpins’ 21 point winning margin was the second largest in the competition’s history, surpassed only by their own 2020 winning margin of 22 points.

Anna Devaney deservedly won Player of the match, a tireless display in the middle of the park, but it could have been any of half a dozen of her teammates with Muireann Devaney landing 11 points, Leah Fox 1-4 from play while Dearbhla Rooney was a dynamo in the middle of the park, Lauren Devaney, Emma McLoughlin and Rebecca Rooney tigerish in defence while the impact of young players like Sophie Devaney and Nessa Fox give rise to the belief that the champions won’t be stopped any time soon.

The game opened with a Leah Fox wide, advantage being played, while Muireann Devaney’s free fell short, the ball spilled and worked back to Muireann Devaney for the game’s opening score. Three minutes later, a foul on Fox allowed Devaney tap over her first free of the game.

St Joseph’s first attack, six minutes in, resulted in a Michelle Heslin wide and despite leaving a free short, Muireann Devaney made amends when she scored on the turn, set up by Sophie Devaney after nine minutes.

Glencar Manorhamilton were devouring St Joseph’s kickout but it wasn’t showing on the scoreboard with wides from Muireann and Anna Devaney while a rare St Joseph’s attack ended with a wide from Rachel McIntyre.

Leah Fox played a long free into her sister Nessa who made a great catch and got the ball back to her elder sis for a curling point on 14 minutes. Grainne O’Malley almost sneaked in for a score, getting onto the end of a wayward Aoife McKiernan effort but her palmed effort went narrowly wide.

St Joseph’s got their first score 17 minutes into the contest, Kate Gormley punishing a foul on Carmel McGovern with a successful free but Glencar Manor hit back a minute later with a Muireann Devaney free after a foul on Aoife Gilmartin. Glencar Manorhamilton should have plundered their first goal when Muireann Devaney intercepted a Joseph’s kickout but despite good work from Sophie Devaney and Nessa Fox, they could engineer a goal chance and St Joseph’s cleared the danger.

A foul on Muireann Devaney, after she had shot wide and appealed for the free, allowed the Leitrim star to fifth point of the game on 22 minutes, adding another two minutes later as the gap was starting to look alarming for St Joseph’s who unfortunately had two wides from Kate Gormley, one set up by a Rachel McIntyre run.

A goal did come and unfortunately for St Joseph’s, it was Manor who got it - Muireann Devaney took a long ball, fed it in to Nessa Fox who brilliantly side-stepped a defender before feeding the ball across to Sophie Devaney for a virtual tap-in to the Joseph’s net after 25 minutes.

St Joseph’s almost had the perfect response, a brilliant move that ended with Aoife McKiernan feeding the ball to Kate Gormley, under pressure from Manor defenders, but as everyone expected the net to bulge, the ball flew wide. Leah Fox and Muireann Devaney finished off flowing Manor moves with good points and Carmel McGovern got St Joseph’s second, and final, score in added time after playing a one-two with Aoife McKiernan, leaving Glencar Manorhamilton with an imposing 1-9 to 0-2 halftime lead.

Any hope St Joseph’s had of staging an improbable comeback in the second half was quickly ended with Leah Fox pointing after just 35 seconds and Devaney adding a free, despite the addition of Bronagh O’Rourke to their ranks at the break. St Joseph’s also replaced the clearly hampered Gormley while Manor lost Chloe Rooney to injury.

The contest was all but over in name seven minutes into the half when Leah Fox got a strong hand to Muireann Devaney’s dropping long range free, the ball going over the line despite the best efforts of the St Joseph’s defence to prevent the score.

To their credit, St Joseph’s didn’t give up, sub Jessie McManus shooting wide but two frees from Muireann Devaney was followed by a good Grace Devaney point on 44 minutes. With both sides starting to run the bench, the tempo of scoring slowed with Muireann Devaney (free) and Leah Fox both landing points.

Grace Devaney got her second of the game on 53 minutes and from that kickout, Glencar Manorhamilton should have had a third goal, Anna Devaney sent clear on goal but keeper Sarah Greene made a good point blank save and St Joseph’s managed to scramble the ball clear. The game petered out after that, both registering a wide as Glencar Manorhamilton added yet another title to their growing tally.

GLENCAR MANORHAMILTON

Scorers: Muireann Devaney 0-11, 8f; Leah Fox 1-4; Sophie Devaney 1-0; Grace Devaney 0-2

Team: Niamh Loughlin; Lauren Devaney, Mellissa Hewitt, Aine Mcloughlin; Rebecca Rooney Emma McLaughlin, Chloe Rooney; Dearbhla Rooney, Anna Devaney; Grace Devaney, Leah Fox, Aoife Gilmartin, Sophie Devaney, Muireann Devaney, Nessa Fox. Subs: Sarah Mulvaney Kelly for C Rooney (35); Aoife Boylan for S Devaney (47); Emma Fox for N Fox (49); Molly Gilligan for A McLaughlin (55); Aoibh Treanor for G Devaney (58)

ST JOSEPH’S

Scorers: Kate Gormley (f) & Carmel McGovern 0-1 each

Team: Sarah Greene, Caoimhe Casey, Eadaoin Casey, Shannen O’Rourke, Lorraine Moran, Vanessa Gallogly, Rachel McIntyre, Grainne O’Malley, Eabha McCartin, Deirdre Moran, Aine Heslin, Aoife McKiernan, Carmel McGovern, Michelle Heslin, Kate Gormley. Subs: Bronagh O’Rourke for M Heslin (HT); Jessie McManus for Gormley (34); Celine Shortt for McKiernan (36); Caoimhe Casey for A Heslin (45); Laura McIntyre for D McCartin (59)

Referee: Eugene McHale