Kinawley 6-13 Derrygonnelly 2-10

Kinawley got off to a blistering start in the Division One League Final at a sun-drenched MacNean Park on Sunday afternoon, and they never looked back. 

Speaking after Sunday’s win, Kinawley manager, Barry McKenna said: “Obviously any win is a good win, but especially in a final whenever you're up against a team of Derrygonnelly’s calibre. We got off to a really good start and pushed on, a really strong first-half set us up to finish it off in the second half and just get over the line. Overall, some massive performances from some of the girls and just really, really pleased with it.” 

McKenna added that Kinawley’s prowess in front of goal was another big positive after wracking up some impressive scorelines throughout the league. “That’s something we’ve really worked on at training.” He added. “We’ve probably noticed, at times, that we weren’t being as ruthless as we maybe should have been. It’s always good to keep the scoreboard ticking over, but we said during the week, if goal chances did arise then we have to focus and go for the jugular and try and get the goals, as many as we could, of the opportunity arises. Thankfully, we worked ourselves into good positions, the goal that Aine McGovern got yesterday, if a goal like that was scored in Croke Park, they’d be talking about it for years. It was a perfect move and she finished it well, so we were happy with getting all the goals.” 

Player of the Match, Joanne Doonan, set the tone with a goal and a point inside the first six minutes.

Aine McGovern nearly found the net just 15 seconds into the match, but Megan Maguire’s fine save denied her.

Points from Gemma McCaffrey and Lisa Maguire followed, with Keelan Murphy hammering home Kinawley’s second goal, all within the opening 10 minutes. By then, Kinawley had raced into a commanding 2-03 to no score lead.

Despite playing with the wind, Derrygonnelly struggled to make their possession count early on, finally breaking their duck in the 11th minute with a point from Imogen Knight.

A high press from the subsequent kick-out forced an error in the Kinawley defence, allowing Lynn Carroll to slip the ball past Aine Haren for a Derrygonnelly goal.

However, Kinawley’s response was swift and decisive, surging straight down the field where Joanne Doonan struck her second goal, extending their advantage to 3-03 to 1-01 by the end of the first quarter.

Derrygonnelly enjoyed a brief spell of pressure, with Eimear Smyth converting three frees to close the gap to five points. However, the Harps suffered a setback when Kiera Elliott was shown a yellow card, and Kinawley ruthlessly capitalised on their numerical superiority, adding 2-02 in a devastating burst of scoring.

Corrine Breen fired over a superb point from the left wing, followed by a free from McCaffrey before Kinawley’s double goal salvo.

Lisa Maguire set up Aine McGovern for her goal, while Doonan completed her first-half hat-trick with a clinical finish.

As half-time approached, the scoreboard read 5-05 to 1-04 in Kinawley’s favour.

Smyth added two more points for Derrygonnelly before the break, but Lisa Maguire’s point saw Kinawley head in with a commanding 5-06 to 1-06 lead.

Facing into a stiff breeze in the second half, Derrygonnelly never mounted a serious challenge.

Kinawley’s experience shone through as they expertly controlled possession and kept the scoreboard ticking.

McCaffrey, Murphy, and Doonan all added points before McCaffrey found the net in the 47th minute.

Smyth managed two more points for Derrygonnelly, but Kinawley remained firmly in control.

Further points were traded between McCaffrey, Murphy, and Smyth before Derrygonnelly were awarded a penalty in the 57th minute.

Smyth coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, but it was too little, too late.

As the game wound down, McCaffrey and Doonan added final points for Kinawley, with Brenda Bannon registering Derrygonnelly’s last score.

In the end, Kinawley ran out comfortable winners, 6-13 to 2-10, and now turn their attention to seeking the double as they begin their Senior Championship defence this Friday against Aughadrumsee in Lisnaskea.

Derrygonnelly, meanwhile, will face the loser of that tie on Sunday, September 29, in Teemore.

Looking ahead to the championship opener, McKenna said: "“We’ve championship now on Friday and it’s full focus on Aghadrumsee.

“The championship is a different kind of animal, you just have to make sure that you're fully prepared and ready for it, it’s not easy with girls being away and at university and work. We’ll not take anything for granted and hopefully, we can bring a similar performance, the first-half especially. There’s a few wee things to work on from the second half, but if we bring that first-half performance into it, hopefully, it will get us over the line and bring us into another county final.”