Desmonds midfielder, Andrea Murphy cuts her way through the Kilmacud Crokes defence as wing-back, Anna O’Grady attempts to deal with the danger with Crokes centre-back, Phillipa Green looking on during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Desmonds wing-back, Tina Mangan getting in a pass in the final moments the All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final against Kilmacud Crokes in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Desmonds mid-fielder, Ashling Leonard looking for attacking options after stepping past Kilmacud Crokes wing-back and captain, Ann-Marie McBarron during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
A running jump landed Mariah Curtin into the arms of Desmonds coach, Steve Murphy after their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final win over Kilmacud Crokes in Castleisland on Sunday. in the background, Denny Lyons hugs his daughter, Aoife on their great win. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Desmonds’ tireless centre-back, Cáit Lynch in possession and in no mood to surrender it to Kilmacud Crokes corner-back, Aisling Whitely with her full-back, Claire Kavanagh in support during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph: John Reidy
One to keep: Videographer, Paudie Herlihy on his perch during the All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Club semi-final between Desmonds and Kilmacud Crokes in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
At the end of the day: The scoreboard can only tell the score on the day. It shows: Desmonds 16 points – Visitors 3-3. ©Photograph: John Reidy
Desmonds corner-back, Aoife Lyons shielding the ball from the attacking Kilmacud Crokes players, Aife Kavanagh (left) and Rachel Gallagher during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Pointing the way: Leanna Mangan about to bring Desmonds level with Kilmacud Crokes in the dying seconds of normal time in their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
The Castleisland Desmonds squad pictured after they qualified for the All-Ireland Intermediate Football Final by defeating Kilmacud Crokes on a score of 0-16 to 3-3 in Castleislanbd on Sunday afternoon. Front from left: Elaine Guiney, Marion Shine, Leanne Mangan, Eda Mangan, Shauna O’Connor, Lorraine Scanlon, captain; Mariah Curtin, Andrea Murphy, Alicia O’Sullivan and Tina Mangan. Back from left: Jane Lynch, Karen Mangan, Leanne O’Connor, Ashling Leonard, Eilís Lynch, Cáit Lynch, Áine O’Connor, Melissa Holland, Stephanie Murphy, Aoife Lyons, Rachel Cronin and Kayla O’Connor. ©Photograph: John Reidy 16-11-2014
A determined attack by Desmonds’ Leanne Mangan with Kilmacud Crokes players, Molly Lamb (left) and Michelle Davoren try to limit the damage during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Desmonds mid-fielder, Andrea Murphy gets a pass away in spite of the attentions of Kilmacud Crokes players from left: Ann-Marie McBarron, Aisling Whitely and Molly Lamb during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Celebrations and shadows of a winter’s evening as Desmonds coach, Steve Murphy is hugged by Tina Mangan after they defeated Kilmacud Crokes in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Taking the pain: Desmonds corner-forward, Leanne Mangan feeling the pain of this tackle by Kilmacud Crokes full-back, Claire Kavanagh during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Team mentors, Pa White (left) and Billy Mangan unwittingly frame this celebratory scene involving Stephanie Murphy and her dad, Steve Murphy, coach and Lorraine Scanlon, captain after their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final win over Kilmacud Crokes in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John
Kilmacud Crokes mid-fielder, Molly Lamb breaking upfield as Desmonds full-back Mariah Curtin moves in to curb her intentions with Desmonds, centre forward and captain, Lorrain Scanlon moving into position during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
Desmonds corner-back, Aoife Lyons targets Kilmacud Crokes centre-forward, Aife Kavanagh during their All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
The Smart-Phone era: Photographers line up to capture the smiling Desmonds ladies’ team after they defeated Kilmacud Crokes in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final in Castleisland on Sunday. ©Photograph:John Reidy
TESCO Home-Grown All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship Semi Final.
Castleisland Desmonds 0-16 Kilmacud Crokes 3-3.
Heroic is about the only way one could really describe the way the Castleisland Desmonds Ladies Intermediate team went about their task this afternoon.
Not for the whole hour – mind you – but for when it mattered most each and every one of them stood in the gap and didn’t blink. You couldn’t but think of the sleeping giant today if you were at the Desmonds headquarters in Moanmore.
‘Our Girls’ were up against their counterparts from Dublin based Kilmacud Crokes in the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship semi-final.
The Dubs stole away to a three-goal lead very early in the game and looked to be coasting off into the All-Ireland final in a couple of weeks time.
They looked stronger in every sector of the field. They are a team of fine footballers and it took a great team to eventually wear them down and beat them. They fielded every high ball flawlessly and punished the home team one way or another at almost every opportunity.
It was a game of three thirds and the Dubs dominated for two of those and they seemed destined to continue the pattern in the mid-November sunshine.
The home team looked under pressure to deliver in front of their local supporters.
Come the last third of the game and the giant slowly awoke and shook herself back to a realisation of her situation. It began to dawn on Desmonds that things were slipping away from them. This was strange territory and it didn’t suit them.
Attack after attack yielded a trickle of points until Leanne Mangan nailed the equaliser from a free. There was audible and palpable panic in the Crokes team and more so on the side-line and they were glad to hear the long whistle and delighted to be still in the game.
A long talk, peppered with encouraging words and team bonding in the Desmonds camp had the desired effect. They simply went mad in the opening period of extra time and there were points raining down over the Crokes posts with abandon and unerring accuracy. They caught the game by the scruff of the neck and didn’t let go.
Lorraine Scanlon and Leanne Mangan kicked points that drew gasps from the home crowd and groans for the visitors as they wondered what had hit them in this extra period of time. The boot was firmly on the other foot now and by the extra-time break the writing was on the scoreboard for the visitors. Heroics in all quarters of the field was what won the game for Desmonds. You could see from Cáit Lynch’s display why she earned an All-Star award a couple of years ago. She ran herself into the ground. The team ran themselves into the ground and more importantly, they ran the opposition ragged in doing so.
Tears flowed freely on both sides and the Dubs tried to come to terms with the fact that they lost a game that was theirs for so long. The emotion choked Desmonds camp shed its share of tears of relief and disbelief that their girls had done what few thought was possible as this ne’er to be forgotten game entered its final five minutes of normal time.
It will take a great team of footballers to beat ‘our girls’ in the final. If you were there today you’d simply have to be proud of them. I believe the final is fixed for two weeks time at a venue yet to be decided.
Desmonds lined out as follows: Melissa Holland, Aoife Lyons, Mariah Curtin, Marion Shine, Eda Mangan, Cáit Lynch, Tina Mangan, Andrea Murphy, Aisling Leonard, Eilís Lynch, Lorraine Scanlon, captain; Rachel Cronin, Áine O’Connor, Stephanie Murphy, Leanne Mangan. Subs: Karen Mangan, Elaine Guiney, Alicia O’Sullivan, Shauna O’Connor, Leanne O’Connor and jane Lynch. Team management: Billy Mangan, manager; Steve Murphy, Pa White and Dan Kearney. © John Reidy www.mainevalleypost.com
