Leitrim cruise to easy victory with destruction of Kilkenny newcomers

Leitrim picked up their expected second victory in this year's Lidl LGFA Division 4 campaign when they proved far too strong for an inexperienced and short-handed Kilkenny side on Sunday afternoon in Pairc Naomh Mhuire, Carrick-on-Shannon.

With the men's league clash with Waterford not completed before the ball was thrown in for the ladies game, the timing to allow fans catch both games didn't really work but that will matter little to fans as both county sides recorded comprehensive victories, the Ladies following up their destruction of Derry with an even more comprehensive victory over the Cats.

Vivienne Egan was the big scorer against Derry but this time out, it was Leah Fox who took the scoring honours as she plundered two goals in each half along with four points while Laura O'Dowd struck for 2-2 with Egan herself adding five points. St Joseph's Bronagh O'Rourke also scored well, landing 1-3 in the first half.

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Leitrim proved far too strong for Kilkenny in the second round of the Lidl LGFA NFL Division 4 campaign on Sunday afternoon in Pairc Naomh Mhuire as they cruised to a 7-26 to 0-5 victory and Observer photographer Willie Donnellan was there to capture images of the fans enjoying the action.

Captain and normal scoring leader Michelle Guckian was content to provide the final passes for her colleagues after coming on as a second half sub but still hit four points in a stunning demonstration of the firepower available to manager Jonny Garrity and that is without the talents of Muireann Devaney or Dearbhaile Beirne at his disposal.

Dromahair's Brigid O'Reilly also stood out as a second half substitute, three good second half points marking her down as a potential starter for Garrity's side.

Leitrim will learn little from this game - all intensity was gone from the half in the second half and you'd imagine that an in-house game would have yielded a sterner test for the Leitrim players. But a win is a win and with two away games to come against Wicklow and Limerick, the two stronger teams in the group, the Green & Gold will get a much sterner test.

Aided by the strong breeze, the home team exploded into the game and had two points on the board inside the first 50 seconds from Leah Fox and Laura O’Dowd. Kilkenny responded a minute later with a pointed free from Kate Purcell but Leitrim's response was brutal as Laura O'Dowd immediately hit back with a goal just four minutes into the contest.

O'Dowd almost created a second goal shortly after with Ailbhe Clancy firing over a point and with O'Dowd and Leah Fox causing Kilkenny huge problem, Leitrim had the freedom to score at will and lead by 5-18 to 0-3 at the interval.

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O'Dowd missed a goal chance before Clancy added a point inside 12 minutes after good work from Sarah Reynolds and Vivienne Egan's perceptive crossfield pass. Elise Bruen forced a turnover and good support work from Fox led to an Egan point and the Annaduff player quickly added another.

Points from O'Dowd and Bronagh O'Rourke were added to when good work from Sarah Reynolds led to a first goal for Fox. Barely a minute later, Fox had the ball back in the net despite a brave attempt from keeper Niamh Sheehy but the one way traffic continued as, after an O'Rourke point, O'Dowd and O'Rourke both struck for goals along with a Clancy point inside a minute.

Kilkenny did manage another free from Kate Purcell but the one way traffic continued as Clancy, Egan (3), Fox (2) and O'Rourke left Leitrim with a commanding 30 point lead. The scoreline could have been greater if the same players hadn’t elected to fist over the crossbar when goal opportunities were there for the taking.

Leitrim’s dominance was built on strong performances in midfield from Megan McGovern and Aisling Quinn and with the ball rarely moving into the Kilkenny forward line, the Leitrim defence wasn’t really tested.

The Leitrim management used the second half to give game time to their bench and Dromahair’s Brigid O’Reilly stood out, kicking three excellent points from play to add to the visitor's misery. 

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Michelle Guckian showed her class in the second half, acting as the fulcrum around which much of the Leitrim attack revolved and bagged herself four points. Michelle Guckian opened the scoring in the second half, opting to fist the ball over the bar while Michelle McNulty, another halftime sub, made a good catch from a Kilkenny free.

Leah Fox then displayed nimble footwork as the Glencar Manorhamilton player slalomed her way through the Kilkenny defence before a deft finish found the net. She then quickly added another after she was taken down after a powerful run, picking herself up to dispatch the penalty to the net.

With Jonny Garrity making a mass of second half substitutions, the urgency went from the game and although Kilkenny came more into the game, they were unable to finish off their moves. 

Leah Fox finished off her afternoon with a converted free before sub Brigid O'Reilly fired over from a tight angle. Purcell added a free for the visitors but the Kilkenny women were denied a goal when a long range shot came off both post and crossbar, Michelle McNulty clearing the danger.

Ellie Moran became only the second Kilkenny player to score but it remained one way traffic as Clancy added another point, O'Reilly hit two, one after intercepting a kickout to race through while Michelle Guckian finished the game with two frees to complete a very easy day for Leitrim.

Kilkenny had some good performers in Kelly Comerford at centre back, Emily McCarthy at midfield as well as Kate Purcell and Caitlinn Moore in attack. Playing in their first league campaign in three years, John Gorey’s team will have to endure a lot of similar tough days at the office before things get better.

Leitrim will have viewed this game as no more than a training exercise and know that tougher tests await the 2021 and 2022 Connacht Intermediate Champions.

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LEITRIM

Scorers: Leah Fox 4-4, Laura O’Dowd 2-2, Vivienne Egan 0-5, Ailbhe Clancy 0-5, Bronagh O’ Rourke 1-3, Michelle Guckian 0-4 and Brigid O’Reilly 0-3

Team: Michelle Monaghan, Eimhin Quinn, Charlene Tyrell, Mollie Murphy, Sarah Reynolds, Kasey Bruen, Carla Le Guen, Megan McGovern, Aisling Quinn, Laura O’Dowd, Vivienne Egan, Ailbhe Clancy, Bronagh O’Rourke, Leah Fox, Elise Bruen. Subs: Michelle McNulty, Eimear McHugh, Jasmine Maye, Shauna McLoughlin, Brigid O’Reilly, Caroline Doherty,  Eabha Moyles, Aoife Gilmartin, Denise Stenson, Roisin McHugh, Michelle Guckian, Rachel McIntyre, Roisin McGrenaghan, Rachel Dolan

KILKENNY

Scorers: Kate Purcell 0-4, Ellie Moran 0-1