Dublin started their league campaign with a six point win over defending league champions Meath while beaten All-Ireland finalists Kerry left it late to claim a win over a battling Waterford side.
Dublin 1-11 Meath 0-08
An early goal from Carla Rowe set Dublin on their way to victory over defending Division 1 champions Meath at DCU.
Rowe hit 1-2 for Mick Bohan’s side while Hannah Tyrrell contributed three points. Stacey Grimes fired over four points for Meath.
Dublin were always in control and Bohan will be pleased with the contribution his bench made when introduced.
Galway 0-11 Donegal 0-06
Kate Slevin kicked 0-6 points as Galway had five points to spare over last year’s beaten Division 1 League Finalists Donegal at Tuam on Saturday afternoon.
Slevin kicked the final five points of the game to seal the win after two Suzanne White frees had levelled matters for the Ulster side.
It looked like Donegal’s tails were up when White’s free drew them level but the final quarter belonged to Galway and in particular Slevin.
Mayo 0-12 Cork 2-11
Cork got their league campaign off to a winning start with victory over Mayo at the Connacht Centre of Excellence. Melissa Duggan and Katie Quirke with the goals for Shane Ronayne’s side.
The Rebelettes made a fine start to the game and were ahead by seven points at the break – 1-6 to 0-2; Duggan with the goal. Mayo struggled in the opening half to break down Cork’s resolute defence.
Mayo came back into the game in the second half with Fiona McHale leading the charge. It was Quirke’s late goal that killed off Mayo’s comeback.
Waterford 1-08 Kerry 1-09
A point from Danielle O’Leary in stoppage time earned Kerry a hard fought win over a battling Waterford side. In an entertaining clash O’Leary fired over the winning score in the third minute of stoppage time.
Kerry made a great start to the game and opened up an early six point lead. Siofra O’Shea with the Kingdom’s goal.
Credit to Waterford they were back in the game with Lauren McGregor finding the back of the net. Waterford will rue missed chances as they chased the win and were dealt a cruel blow at the end when O’Leary won the game for Kerry.
Deniese O'Flaherty
Deniese is a freelance sports journalist/broadcaster. She has worked for several local and national media outlets. GAA and soccer are her great loves and she also follows rugby league and snooker. She's a big supporter of her local clubs St. Mary's GAA Granard and Longford Town. She also follows Celtic, Liverpool and Leeds Rhinos. She presented and produced a popular sports podcast last year where she interviewed Ray Houghton, Chris Kamara and John Hartson. Deniese is currently Head of Communications for Boccia Ireland