Some huge inter county results this week, including two championship final wins for Dublin teams
Week Ending Sunday, July 1st
Nothing like a packed week of games to keep you out in the fantastic weather we’re having. And with five games played out this week, we had highs and lows to experience. So let get straight into it.
Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Football Championship Round 4
With only one round to go in this year’s provincial minor football championship, Dublin find themselves in a tricky situation following their shock loss to Wicklow on Wednesday night. The men from the garden county came to Parnell Park as underdogs and came away with 2-06 to 0-08 win over the boys in blue.
Dublin face Westmeath on Tuesday for their final round game and a win is the only result they can come away with. But that doesn’t see them through to the knock out stages either. For that to happen Meath will need to win against Wicklow, and Louth will need to beat Offaly, so it not entirely in Dublin’s hands. That said, they must go to Mullingar on Tuesday and come away with the points in the bag.
All Ireland Ladies Football Championship Semi Final
Not a great day at the office for Dublin’s Minor Ladies Football panel who fell foul to a very polished Cork side in their All Ireland Semi Final encounter, losing 5-15 to 2-11 in the sweltering heat of Nenagh. Dublin had come into the game with high hopes following their Leinster Championship success but the Munster outfit have been here many times before and sadly for the girls in blue they were beaten by the better team on the day, to finish their year off early.
For manager Bobby McNulty and his backroom team, it will be back to the drawing board for 2019.
Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship Final
No one could have predicted just how unbelievable this game was going to be between Dublin and Kilkenny in the closing game of this year’s Leinster Minor Hurling Championship, but both teams certainly delivered, and then some.
O’Moore Park was treated to thirteen goals between the sides, with Dublin coming out the other side as Leinster Champions, inspired by forwards Luke Swan and Liam Dunne. For Swan in particular, being named man of the match, was just the icing on the cake in what has been a fantastic provincial campaign for the Castleknock youngster, and now an All Ireland Semi Final awaits Mike Connolly’s successful side.
Eirgrid Leinster U20 Football Championship Semi Final
Tom Gray’s U20 panel booked their place in the first ever Leinster Championship final in this competition, with a 4-16 to 2-10 victory over old rivals Meath in Pairc Tailteann last night. There have been some brilliant Dublin v Meath games in Navan over the years, but none more important for this group of players.
The Dubs will now face Kildare next Friday in O’Connor Park, Tullamore, for the chance of becoming the inaugural Leinster U20 Football Champions.
TG4 Leinster Senior Ladies Football Championship Final
The reigning All Ireland Champions added their seventh successive Leinster title to their collection this afternoon with a 5-11 to 2-08 victory over Westmeath. Dublin’s second half performance was a dominant as you’d expect from a side who’ve had an eight week break since capturing the Lidl NFL Division 1 crown. But today’s win put them into Group 4 of this year’s newly formatted TG4 All Ireland Championship along with Cavan and Mayo.
Niamh McEvoy, Sinead Aherne, Noelle Healy and Lyndsey Davey all found the net this afternoon, defining the scoreline and with their strong lead of 3-05 to 1-04 at the break, they left a mountain for Westmeath to climb in the second half that they never reach the summit of. Can this team go on and win a second successive All Ireland title?
And there you have it. Three wins, two losses all in one week. And next week we’ll be out and about again with more Minor and U20 Football action, along with All Ireland Senior and U16 Camogie, and Leinster Minor Camogie.
Stay tuned to www.wearedublin.com for all the action.
