Moynalvey Ladies retained their Kepak Junior ‘A’ Championship status with a comfortable nine point win over Royal Gaels (B) in the Relegation Play-Off at a wet and windy Dunshaughlin on Thursday evening September 26th.
Royal Gaels (B) 1-03
Moynalvey 1-12
Finalists and Runners-Up of the past two years, Moynalvey found themselves at the opposite end of the scale this year when contesting the 2024 Kepak Junior ‘A’ Football Championship Relegation Final.
On a miserable evening for football, it was the girls in maroon who retained their Junior ‘A’ status with this nine point win over Royal Gaels’ second team ensuring Junior ‘A’ championship football for 2025.
By the time Royal Gaels registered their first score in the 18th minute, Moynalvey already had three points on the score board through Siobhain Kelly, Jennifer McLoughlin and Louise Donoghue making it 0-3 to 0-1.
Another pair of Siobhain Kelly points, the first a free and the second from play was countered by the home side to leave it 0-5 to 0-2 with twenty seven minutes played.
The final score of the half came when a brilliant turnover won by Olivia O’Halloran in her own full back line found Abbie Killalea who raced forward to feed Jennifer McLoughlin who fired over for the final score of the opening half, leaving it 0-6 to 0-2 to the girls in maroon at half time.
Half Time Score:
Royal Gaels (B) 0-2
Moynalvey 0-6
Rachel Garrett extended Moynalvey’s lead three minutes after the restart, which was countered two minutes later for what would prove to be the home side’s final point of the evening.
Siobhain Kelly and Jennifer McLoughlin made it treble scores, 0-9 to 0-3, before Royal Gaels were give a glimmer of hope when an innocuous looking shot deceived Aoibheann Corcoran with the slippery conditions for the game’s first goal, narrowing the deficit back to three points, 0-9 to 1-3 eleven minutes into the second half.
However, that proved to be Royal Gaels last score of the game and Moynalvey ran out comfortable nine point winners, tagging of a further 1-3 before the full time whistle.
Siobhain Kelly tapped over her third free after good work from the same player in the build up, Jennnifer McLoughlin brilliantly pointed on the end of a move that saw the same player beating three or four players along the sideline in the build up. Kelly then sent over her sixth point of the evening, before Rachel Garrett rose highest to fist to the net to put the icing on Moynalvey’s win with a goal for the final score of the game, leaving the full time score 1-12 to 1-3.
In a fine all round team performance, up front it was the combination of top scorer Siobhain Kelly and Jennifer McLoughlin who accounted for ten points between them, with Rachel Garrett chipping in with 1-1, the guile of the industrious Louise Donoghue in the half forward line, while further out the field the outstanding Olivia O’Halloran proved a bundle of energy in both attack and defence covering almost every blade of grass on the field.
Moynalvey team & scorers:
Aoibheann Corcoran, Emma Thornton, Aideen Smith, Mairead McCabe, Ciara Mallee, Abbie Killalea, Olivia O’Halloran, Roisin Murphy, Clodagh Murphy, Stephanie Walsh, Jennifer McLoughlin (0-4), Louise Donoghue (0-1), Rachel Garrett (1-1), Siobhain Kelly (0-6, 3f), Charlene Murray.
Subs used:
Saoirse Corcoran for Murray, Bridgie Brennan for Walsh.
