LGFA National Master Plan


Clare V Cavan Rnd 1 NFL 2015

The Clare Ladies Football senior panel travelled to Kingspan Breffni Park last Sunday to meet Cavan in Round One of the Tesco National Football League. The division two opener showed a Cavan side in top form as they opened the scoring after winning the throw-in and continued the relentless pressure all the way to the final whistle. For the first eleven minutes of play Cavan had eleven scores (1-10) as their midfield corralled in the Banner defence who had no answer to Aisling Doonan and Roisin OâKeefe who had five points each in that period. Clareâs Ailish Considine had three points, two from frees earned by Roisin Looney and Niamh Keane and one from play in the fifteenth minute but Clare were rarely allowed into the Cavan half thereafter. A more cohesive approach by the Banner County in the second quarter saw more action in the other half of the field but unforced errors through poor handling and passing showed no dividend for a lot of effort by Clare. After the second throw-in, a slick Cavan machine continued to dominate a rattled Clare defence throughout the remainder of the game, scoring at will. Clare were denied a chance to kickstart a resurgence when Ailish Considine goaled at the end of the third quarter but referee Kevin Phelan from Laois blew for a square ball and took the wind out of their sails. It took a Louise Woods piercing run from mid-field on twenty two minutes to register the first score of the second half and Considine was there again with a pointed free on thirty minutes before the game blew up. Clare 0-5 to Cavanâs 4-25.

Clare will be very disappointed with this opening performance in the National League. With little football played to date, Clare were lack lustre in their handling and speed compared to a slick Cavan team playing at home on a very fast all-weather surface. With their main goalkeeper and other prominent players still to present for John Burkeâs side an improved performance is expected in their meeting with Meath next Sunday in Kilmihil at 2pm.  



Roisin Considine (Liscannor), Laurie Ryan Capt (Banner Ladies),Shauna Harvey (West Clare Gaels)Roisin Looney (Cooraclare), Louise Woods (0-1) (Banner Ladies), Fiona Tuohy (Doora Barefield), Eimear Hillery (Liscannor), Becky Mahon (Kilmihil), Aislinn Meaney (Doora Barefield), Ailish Considine       (0-4 1f) (Kilmihil), Grainne Nolan (Banner Ladies), Sarah Browne (Kilmihil), Grainne Harvey           (West Clare Gaels), Kate Coughlan (Kilmihil), Niamh Keane (Banner Ladies), Laura Egan (Kilmihil), Carol O Leary (Newmarket), Katie Connole (Burren Gaels), Emma O Driscoll (Banner Ladies), Roisin Howley Injured (Burren Gaels)