Gaelic Games

Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s appetite for success sees them secure fourth straight club title

Galway side get the better of Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes at Croke Park

Niamh Divilly celebrates Kilkerrin-Clonberne's fourth consecutive AIB LGFA All-Ireland Senior Club Championship final title after the win over Kilmacud Crokes on Saturday. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Niamh Divilly celebrates Kilkerrin-Clonberne's fourth consecutive AIB LGFA All-Ireland Senior Club Championship final title after the win over Kilmacud Crokes on Saturday. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Daire Walsh at Croke Park
Mon Dec 16 2024 - 06:00
All-Ireland LGFA Club SFC final: Kilkerrin-Clonberne (Galway) 0-13 Kilmacud Crokes (Dublin) 0-9

Kilkerrin-Clonberne manager Willie Ward said there is an insatiable desire for success within the squad as the Galway champions pushed on to claim their fourth consecutive AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Championship title.

The holders were pushed all the way by a Kilmacud Crokes side appearing in their first final but in the end Ward’s charges found a way to win an exciting contest at Croke Park.

“Our ability to mind the ball probably makes an awful difference in games,” said Ward. “Particularly coming towards the end of a game when we’ve established a lead. We’re very good on the ball and very good at just not giving the opposition opportunities into the game.

“They just love to prove that they’re the best all the time and they just love to win. When you come to Croke Park, this is our third time here, why wouldn’t you want to come here? Why wouldn’t you want to win here and why wouldn’t you give absolutely everything you’ve got when you are here? That’s the way they are.

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“They want to get back here, no matter how we think at the beginning of the year when we start training, I’d imagine in their heads they’re thinking ‘we want to get back to the club All-Ireland final again this year’. That has been every year now for the last three years since we won our first one.”

Kilmacud Crokes manager Paddy O’Donoghue acknowledged that the reigning champions held an edge once they got in front.

“They’re a class team,” said O’Donoghue. “They were three in-a-row champions coming into the final for a reason. They’re the standard bearers. A bit like Dublin when they were going for the six-in-a-row, you have to get to really, really good heights to be even close to them.

“We got off to a nice start, but then we went from 0-2 to 0-1 to 0-6 to 0-2 down. Those 15 minutes just hurt us. We were chasing that lead all the time then. Kilkerrin just don’t give the ball away cheaply and they scored every few minutes. The scoreboard is always motoring with them. We probably went too long without getting a third point or a fourth point. Just that 15 minutes from 10 to 25 really hurt us.”

Ailish Morrissey of Kilkerrin-Clonberne is challenged by Kilmacud Crokes' Niamh Carr (left) and Lauren Magee during the AIB LGFA All-Ireland Senior Club Championship final at Croke Park. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Ailish Morrissey of Kilkerrin-Clonberne is challenged by Kilmacud Crokes' Niamh Carr (left) and Lauren Magee during the AIB LGFA All-Ireland Senior Club Championship final at Croke Park. Photograph: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Chloe Miskell led the way when she kicked four points and was ably assisted in the scoring stakes by Olivia Divilly and Eva Noone as they held on to the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup in fine style.

While Niamh Cotter recorded a brace of points for Kilmacud in a lively start to the contest, TG4 All Star Olivia Divilly and Miskell were on hand to cancel out both of her scores to keep Kilkerrin-Clonberne on level terms.

The title holders were presented with a golden opportunity to seize the initiative when they were awarded a penalty in the 12th minute but Dearbhla Gower – one of two Galway natives in the Crokes starting line-up along with Ailbhe Davoren – superbly turned away the resulting spot-kick from Ailish Morrissey.

However, this was only a brief respite for Crokes as Kilkerrin-Clonberne subsequently established a foothold with unanswered points courtesy of Eva Noone, Miskell, Niamh Divilly and centre forward Louise Ward to lead by 0-8 to 0-4 at the break.

The four-point gap between the sides remained in place after the in-form Miskell and Eva Noone traded scores with Aoife Kane and Cotter on the resumption. But the latter was joined on the scoresheet by Éabha Rutledge as Crokes kept themselves well in contention moving towards the final-quarter.

Kilkerrin-Clonberne responded with points from two of the Divilly sisters – Olivia and Siobhán – in the space of just 30 seconds.

Olivia Divilly added another point to her tally in direct response to Cotter’s seventh of the game and while Crokes did their level best to forge a late fightback Kilkerrin-Clonberne – for whom TG4 Senior Players’ Player of the Year Nicola Ward was once again an influential presence – dug deep to hold on to their crown for a fourth successive season.

They are only the second side to do that, with Waterford champions Ballymacabry completing seven-in-a-row in 1995.

KILKERRIN-CLONBERNE: L Murphy; C Costello, S Gormally, N Divilly (0-1); K Mee, N Ward, H Noone; S Divilly (0-1), A Madden; O Divilly (0-3, 2f), L Ward (0-1), L Noone; E Noone (0-3, 2f), A Morrissey, C Miskell (0-4).

Subs: A Madden for N Divilly (53 mins); C Boyle for Morrissey (56).

KILMACUD CROKES: D Gower; N Carr, E Sweeney, P Greene; A Kane (0-1), M Lamb, K Murray; G Kós, L Magee; N Cotter (0-7, 5f), A Davoren, M Jennings; A Conroy, M Davoren, É Rutledge (0-1).

Subs: C Regan for Greene (38 mins); L Kane for Conroy (45); S O’Donoghue for A Kane (47); D Egan for Jennings (60).

Referee: Gavin Finnegan (Down).