Louth and Carlow booked their places in the Leinster Junior decider, while Dublin and Wexford claimed the spoils in dress rehearsals of their respective Senior and Intermediate Finals.
Leinster Senior Football Championship
Dublin made it three wins from three with an excellent win over Meath on Sunday afternoon. Nicole Owens (2), Carla Rowe, Jennifer Dunne and Caoimhe O’Connor scored the goals for the Dubs in what was a dress rehearsal for next Sunday’s Leinster Final.
On Saturday afternoon Kildare recorded their first win of the championship with a two point win over Laois. Holly Tyrrell with a brace of second half goals for the Lilywhites.
Kildare 3-03 Laois 0-10
Kildare registered their first win of the Leinster Championship with two points to spare at home to Laois on Saturday afternoon.
Laois kicked over the opening score of the game and had chances to add to that but failed to do so. Aoife Rhatigan scored a goal in the first half to give the Lillywhites a 1-02 to 0-03 going in at the break.
Holly Tyrrell scored two goals after the break for Diane O’Hora’s side. Laois fought back and continued to press Kildare but could only get to within two points of the home side in the end.
Dublin 5-13 Meath 0-08
Four first half goals set Dublin on their way to victory over Meath in Parnell Park. The two sides meet again next Sunday in the Leinster Final.
Dublin manager Mick Bohan named a strong side for this game. Nicole Owens got her first and Dublin first goal in the fourth minute. Goals from Carla Rowe, Jennifer Dunne and Caoimhe O’Connor saw Dublin hold a 4-08 to 0-05 half-time lead.
The second half was a tame affair. Owens got her second goal of the game in the 42nd minute. Meath got a few scores but Dublin ended the game with points from Hannah Hegarty and Dunne.
Leinster Intermediate Football Championship
In what was a dress rehearsal for the Leinster Final in two week’s time, Wexford had a four point win over Westmeath in Enniscorthy. Goals in either half from Grace Donovan and Beibhinn Donald for Liz Kent’s side.
Offaly registered their first win with a good win over Wicklow in Tullamore. Three first half goals set the Faithful County on their way.
Offaly 4-09 Wicklow 1-06
Offaly ended their Leinster Championship campaign with a win over Wicklow in Tullamore this afternoon. For Wicklow it was their third defeat in a row.
Early goals from Roisin Cockram and Emma Hand coupled with three points gave Offaly a nine point lead after 16 minutes of play. Wicklow got their first score in the 17th minute. Roisin Ennis scored a third goal in the 25th minute as Offaly led 3-05 to 1-03 at the break.
Wicklow had it all to do in the second half and couldn’t close that gap. Offaly got their fourth goal in the 52nd minute when Ciara Walsh found the back of the net.
Wexford 2-07 Westmeath 1-06
Wexford made it three wins from three with a win over Westmeath, who they will meet again in the Leinster Final.
In a tight first half just one point separated the side at half-time 1-03 to 0-05. Wexford held that narrow lead thanks to a goal from Grace Donovan.
The home side grabbed a second goal in the 46th minute through Beibhinn Donald to extend their lead to seven points. Westmeath scored a goal in the 53rd minute to close the gap to three points. Orlaith Byrne scored a point late on Wexford to leave four between the sides at the end.
Leinster Junior Football Championship
Carlow and Louth will meet in the Leinster Junior Final. Louth booked their place on Friday night with a good win over Longford in Darver. After a tight first half Louth pulled away in the second half.
It was too easy for Carlow as they defeated Kilkenny on Sunday afternoon. Maeve O’Neill and Sara Doyle scored a brace of first half goals for Carlow.
Louth 2-13 Longford 1-08
Louth advanced to the Leinster Final with an excellent win over Longford in Darver on Friday night. There were just two points between the sides at the break but Louth upped their game in the second half.
Louth made a fine start to the game with two early points. Longford’s first score didn’t come until the 11th minute; a pointed free from Niamh Brady. Louth were reduced to 14 in the 25th minute when Ceire Nolan was sin binned. Louth held a 0-07 to 0-05 lead at half-time.
Aoife Russell scored a goal for Louth at the start of the second half. Kate Flood grabbed their second goal and there was no way back for Longford. Brady scored a consolation goal for the Midlanders.
Carlow 4-17 Kilkenny 0-02
Carlow booked their place in the Leinster Final with a comprehensive win over Kilkenny in their final group game.
Maeve O’Neill got Carlow’s first goal in the 19th minute as they led 1-05 to 0-00. O’Neill added another goal while Sara Doyle also scored a brace as Carlow held a 4-08 to 0-01 lead at the interval.
Carlow kicked over nine more points in the second half while the Cats could only score one point.
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