Laois 0-1 Dublin 5-19
Ladies Leinster Senior Football Championship Round 2
Annabelle Timothy scored a hat-trick of goals as Dublin recorded a comprehensive win over Laois in O’Moore Park this afternoon.
After defeat to Meath last week, this comprehensive loss, by 33 points, means Laois can no longer reach the Leinster final.
They will play Kildare in their final group game but this will merely decide their seeding for the All-Ireland series.
The Dubs were clinical and ruthless. They scored 4-16 from play and Laois just couldn’t contain them.
Boosted by the return of Sinead Goldrick, Dublin started with a real purpose. With their first attack Nicole Owens brought a save out of Laois keeper Eimear Barry.
In the third minute Chloe Darby scored from the penalty spot to open the scoring for the Dubs. Barry saved from Caitlin Coffey minutes later before Owens kicked over her first point of the game.
Kate Sullivan, Annabelle Timothy and Darby all hit over points before Goldrick scored a neat point in the 15th minute to extend Dublin’s lead to eight points.
Laois tried to muster up attacks but failed to trouble the Dublin defence. The home side were guilty of making mistakes which Dublin duly punished.
Darby, Coffey, Sullivan and Owens were on target to put 13 between the sides in the 26th minute. Dublin had been clinical in front of the posts and Sullivan kicked over their first point from a free in stoppage time.
Such was Dublin’s dominance in the opening half Laois failed to register a score in the opening half as they trailed by 14 points at the break.
Laois finally got off the mark in the 32nd minute when Mo Nerney kicked over a point. That score was cancelled out by a Niamh Hetherton point and by the 45th minute Dublin had stretched their advantage to 17 points. Barry had also saved an effort from Annabelle Timothy in the 41st minute.
Dublin got a second goal through Hetherton in the 51st minute and from the resulting kick-out the ball fell nicely to Timothy and she buried it to the net.
Darby followed that up with an excellent point. Substitute Carla Rowe got her first score in the 56th minute as Mick Bohan’s side kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Timothy got her second and Dublin’s fourth goal in the 60th minute and minutes later she completed her hat-trick with the final score of the game.
SCORERS – Laois: Mo Nerney 0-1 Dublin: Annabelle Timothy 3-3 (0-1 free), Chloe Darby 1-3 (1-0 pen), Kate Sullivan 0-4 (0-1 free), Niamh Hetherton, 1-1, Nicole Owens 0-3, Carla Rowe 0-2 (0-1 free), Sinead Goldrick, Grace Kos and Chloe Coffey 0-1 each
LAOIS: Eimear Barry (Shanahoe); Sinead Farrelly (St Joseph’s), Clodagh Dunne (Ballyroan), Isabelle Finlay (Shanahoe); Grainne Lalor (Sarsfields), Mary Cotter (St Conleth’s), Aerin Ryle (Sarsfields); Orla Hennessy (Timahoe), Anna Moore (St Joseph’s); Lauren Kearney (Sarsfields), Ciara Malone (Killeshin), Grainne Moran (Portlaoise); Mo Nerney (Timahoe), Emily Lacey (St Joseph’s), Katie Donoghue (Timahoe). Subs: Rebecca Reddin (Portlaoise) for Dunne (12), Alice Walsh (Shanahoe) for Hennessy (32), Aoife Gorman (Timahoe) for Malone (39), Roisin Allen (Crettyard) for Kearney (46), Aoibhe Byron (St Conleth’s) for Lacey (55), Aoife Cummins (St Conleth’s) for Reddin (62)
DUBLIN: Rachel Fleming; Niamh Donlon, Jessica Tobin, Sinead Goldrick; Hannah McGinnis, Clare Kirwan, Kate Murray; Olwen Carey, Grace Kós; Nicole Owens, Chloe Coffey, Kate Sullivan; Chloe Darby, Annabelle Timothy, Niamh Hetherton. Subs: Emma Deeley for Sullivan (ht), Hannah Hegarty for Curran (37), Aisling Nyhan for Murray and Carla Rowe for Owens (46)
REFEREE: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow)
SEE ALSO – Ladies Football: Losing start to Leinster championship as Meath prove too strong for Laois
