O’Donovan Rossa (Cork) 2-7 Claremorris (Mayo) 0-11
O’Donovan Rossa manager James O’Donovan said their two goals were vital in the Cork side securing the currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Junior Club Championship title at Parnell Park.
His 16-year-old daughter Éabha O’Donovan got both of the goals in a magnificent haul of 2-5 to thwart Claremorris’ hopes of becoming the first club from Mayo win the All-Ireland junior crown.
"We were under pressure all the way through it,” said manager James O’Donovan.
"We managed to just get the key scores with the goals. Our defence again, as it has done all year, just didn’t concede the goals. That’s what won it for us.
"They were on top in the second half until the second goal. They were on top all over the field really. We were getting blocked down inside.
"We couldn’t get our shots away. They were turning us over and they were attacking us with numbers. We were under serious pressure, but that breakaway attack we got and Eabha finishing the goal, that was the key.
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"We looked a bit dead there in the second half, but that goal was a key, key score for us. The ball was floating into the square there at the end and there was a few hearts in mouths, but you’d still rather be two up than two down with a couple of minutes to go.”
2 December 2023; Éabha O'Donovan of O'Donovan Rossa in action against Anna Breen of Gusserane during the Currentaccount.ie All-Ireland Ladies Junior Club Championship semi-final match between O'Donovan Rossa of Cork and Gusserane of Wexford at O'Donovan Rossa GAA, Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
One point adrift heading into the closing moments, O’Donovan pounced for her second goal on 54 minutes to ultimately get the West Cork side over the line in dramatic fashion.
There are a number of family connections in this O’Donovan Rossa side to the team that won an All-Ireland senior men’s title for the club in 1993 and the Skibbereen outfit hit the ground running in this contest with back-to-back points from O’Donovan and midfielder Triona Murphy.
Claremorris restored parity with unanswered scores of their own by Bree Hession and captain Laura Kelly, but after Kate O’Connell and O’Donovan responded in kind at the far end, the latter superbly hammered an 11th minute shot to the roof of the net after intercepting a short opposition kick-out.
This moved the Cork and Munster champions into a 1-4 to 0-2 lead, but a Claremorris side that were aided by a strong breeze in the opening period cut their deficit to a bare minimum on 22 minutes following successive points from Ashleagh Salmon, Hession, Rebecca Kean (free) and Kelly.
17 December 2023; Éabha O'Donovan of O'Donovan Rossa receives the Player of the Match award from Dorothy Gallagher, Business Development & Relationship Manager, Payac, on behalf of competition sponsors currentaccount.ie, after the Currentaccount.ie LGFA All-Ireland Junior Club Championship final match between Claremorris of Mayo and O'Donovan Rossa of Cork at Parnell Park in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Yet with O’Donovan subsequently adding her second free of the game, O’Donovan Rossa were two points to the good (1-5 to 0-6) in time for the interval.
More than nine minutes passed before the opening score of the second half arrived, but a place-ball contribution by O’Donovan edged the Leesiders into a three-point cushion.
Yet with Kean, Nina Wallace and Kelly all on target for Claremorris, their buffer was wiped out just beyond the third-quarter mark. Momentum appeared to be on the side of the Mayo women at this juncture and they finally held an advantage for the first time when centre half-back Siomha McNulty split the posts with seven minutes remaining.
O’Donovan Rossa had earlier lost their goalkeeper Christine Fitzgerald to injury, but their travelling supporters were in raptures after O’Donovan clinically dispatched another green flag score off her ever-reliable left boot moments later.
While a second point from Ashleagh Salmon kept Claremorris in the hunt, O’Donovan found the range from another free in the dying moments to help O’Donovan Rossa towards a hard-earned win.
'I'm very proud of her..'@RossaGAA manager James O'Donovan saw his 16-year-old daughter Eabha score both goals and win POTM in today's https://t.co/Vw6tmh9VFi All Ireland Junior Final.
See Dad and daughter talk to @JeromeQuinn; @CorkLGFA @germccarthy74 @MunsterLGFA #LGFAClub pic.twitter.com/k6JWHyrccR— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) December 17, 2023
Scorers – O’Donovan Rossa: É O’Donovan 2-5 (0-5f), T Murphy, K O’Connell 0-1 each.
Claremorris: L Kelly 0-3, R Kean 0-2 (2f), B Hession, A Salmon 0-2 each, S McNulty, N Wallace 0-1 each.
O’Donovan Rossa: C Fitzgerald; M Donelan, E McCarthy, A Tobin; F Leonard, S Hurley, L Harte; L O’Mahony, T Murphy; J Beechinor, E Hurley, K O’Connell; É O’Donovan, K O’Donovan, F O’Driscoll. Subs: A Whooley for Donnellan, A O’Driscoll for O’Connell (both h-t), T O’Regan for Fitzgerald, O’Connell for Beechinor (both 49).
Claremorris: C Keane; I Phillips, E Maguire, Ashling Cummins; Amy Cummins, S McNulty, S Hughes; A Fitzpatrick, J Regan; M Cawley, R Kean, B Hession; A Sammon, N Wallace, L Kelly. Subs: D Horkan for Regan (h-t), K O’Brien for Wallace (57), S Kelly for L Kelly (60).
Referee: Ray McBride (Dublin)
