Superb Jackies make it three Leinsters in-a-row

TG4 Leinster Senior Championship Final

DUBLIN 6-21 LAOIS 0-4

For a third year in-a-row Dublin are champions of Leinster collecting the Mary Ramsbotton Memorial Cup for a tenth time in their history having first won the title back in 2002.

Laois despite playing on the hallowed home turf of O’Moore Park where simply outclassed and out played in all sectors of the field by Gregory McGonigle’s well-drilled Dublin outfit.

Dublin’s superiority was visibly reflected on the score board as when match referee Colm McManus blew his whistle to single the end of this 2014 Leinster duel Dublin’s winning margin of victory was an astonishing 35 points.

Within the opening four minutes Dublin were 6 points clear of their opponents, goals coming from corner forwards Lyndsey Davey (pictured) and Lindsay Peat.

The writing was on the wall from early as Laois keeper Ciamh Dollard was called upon on a number of occasions to save her county’s cause. The powerful Lindsay Peat struck home her second and her counties’ third goal in the 16 ^th minute bringing the margin between the two sides to 13 points.

Laois’s opening score came in the 19 ^th minute following a converted Tracy Lawlor free. The Sarsfields veteran was on target again in the 22^nd minute when she pointed for a second time, again from a free.

Noelle Healy and Carla Rowe drove two further nails into the Laois coffin when in the 23 ^rd and 30^th minute they added two further goals for the Metropolitans.

At the half-time interval Dublin took an impressive 5-9 0-2 lead into the blue’s dressing room.

In the second half Dublin picked up from where they had left off with full forward Sinead Aherne in fine form once again both from frees and from play.

With the game firmly secured Dublin manager McGonigle introduced a number of substitutes into the game including team Captain Sinead Goldrick who popped up in the 42 ^nd, 46^th and 57^th minutes to covert three beautiful points.

Player of the match Lyndsey Davey scored her second goal in the 59 ^th minute guaranteeing her the title of top scorer on an afternoon that Laois will want to forget and one that Dublin will enjoy for a number of days to come.

SCORERS - Dublin: Lyndsey Davey 2-3, Sinead Aherne 0-8 (5f), Lindsay Peat 2-1, Noelle Healy 1-2, Carla Rowe 1-1, Sinead Goldrick 0-3, Niamh McEvoy, Siobhan Woods, Denise Masterson 0-1 each. Laois: Tracy Lawlor 0-3 (3f), C Delaney 0-01

DUBLIN: Cliodhna O’Connor, Rachel Ruddy, Sorcha Furlong, Leah Caffrey, Martha Byrne, Sinead Finnegan, Colleen Barrett, Denise Masterson, Molly Lamb, Noelle Healy, Niamh McEvoy, Carla Rowe, Lyndsey Davey, Sinead Aherne, Lindsay Peat. Subs: Siobhan Woods for Peat, Sinead Goldrick for Barrett, Olivia Leonard for McEvoy, Natalia Hyland for Sinead Aherne, Niamh Rickard for Denise Masterson.

LAOIS: Ciamh Dollard, Clodagh Dunne, Grainne Dunne, Clodagh Brennan, Maggie Murphy, Fiona Dooley, Aine Haberlin, Maureen Young, Tracy Lawlor, Martha Kirwan, Martina Dunne, Eimear McWey, Rachel Williams, Laura Marie Maher, Joyce Dunne. Subs: Sarah McEvoy for Haberlin, Charlotte Delaney for C Dunne, Meaghan Dunne for G Dunne, Rosie Phelan for Brennan, Aisling Keogh for McWey.

REF: Colm McManus (Meath).

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lyndsey Davey (Dublin).