Jackies progress to All-Ireland SFC final

DUBLIN 2-14 GALWAY 1-13

Gregory McGonigle’s Dublin ladies senior footballers are through to a first TG4 All-Ireland final since 2010 after beating Galway by four points at Cusack Park in Mullingar.

In his first season at the helm, former Monaghan boss McGonigle has taken the Sky Blues to within touching distance of Brendan Martin Cup glory again.

McGonigle was in charge of the Monaghan teams that lost the 2011 and 2013 All-Ireland finals but he now has the chance to strike gold at the third time of asking.

For Galway, however, this was a third successive semi-final defeat, as goals from Lindsay Peat and Carla Rowe proved their undoing in the second half.

Dublin led by 0-10 to 0-8 at half-time and in the second half the Leinster champions managed to turn the screw.

Galway had a goal chance early in the second half as Ger Conneally forced a good save from Cliodhna O’Connor and at the other end, in the 40th minute, Peat forced the ball over the line at the second attempt following good work by sub Siobhan Woods.

Dublin lost Leah Caffrey to the sin-bin for a yellow card offence but still managed to keep Galway comfortably at arm’s length.

And when Rowe finished a flowing move in the 49th minute, the Jackies were 2-12 to 0-10 clear and firmly in the driving seat.

Despite the best efforts of Annette Clarke and Barbara Hannon, Dublin were simply too good as they set up a final meeting with Armagh or Cork on September 28.

Clarke, one of five survivors in the Galway team from their 2004 All-Ireland success, netted a 54th minute penalty and added two frees but Dublin held out for a four-point win.

The sides had been level five times in the first half before a pair of frees from Dublin’s Sinead Aherne opened up a two-point gap.

Galway led just once in the game, 0-6 to 0-5, but Dublin enjoyed a strong final ten minutes of the first half to regain the whip hand.

Aherne finished as leading scorer for her side while Lyndsey Davey and Noelle Healy collected five points from play between them.

DUBLIN: C O’Connor; R Ruddy, S Furlong, L Caffrey; M Byrne, S Goldrick, S McGrath; D Masterson, M Lamb; N Healy (0-2), N McEvoy, C Rowe (0-1); L Davey (0-3), S Aherne (0-7, 0-6f), L Peat (1-0). Subs: C Barrett for Byrne (20), S Woods (0-1) for McEvoy (ht), L Collins for Caffrey (54), N Hyland for Peat (57).

GALWAY: J Connolly; R McPhilbin, M Coyne, O Dixon; N Ward, E Flaherty, S Burke; A Clarke (1-7, 1-0 pen, 0-5f), G Conneally; L Hannon, C Cormican, L Ward; A Daly, L Joyce, B Hannon (0-3). Subs: O Divilly for Joyce (37), T Leonard for Daly (46), M Glynn for Burke (52).

REF: M Farrelly (Cavan).