Roscommon deny Leitrim treble as Hanley goals prove vital

Two second half Roscommon goals from Aisling Hanly proved to be the scores that denied a battling Leitrim a third TG4 Connacht LGFA Intermediate championship title  in a row last Sunday in Kiltoom as the home side ran out convincing winners of a competitive provincial final.

Roscommon were the sharper side from the beginning to the end of Sunday's decider and while Leitrim put it up to Roscommon at different stages of the game and grabbed the lead on three different occasions, it was the home side that really bossed the game in most of the exchanges.

In particular Roscommon gained vital possessions from a number of weak Leitrim kick outs in the first half. This put Leitrim on the back foot in the exchanges. Another part of the game where Roscommon gained an upper hand on Leitrim was the Rossies ability to turn over possession from their opponents at crucial stages.

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Roscommon set out their stall early in the action and it certainly looked like that Leitrim was in for a hammering in the opening ten minutes of the action. In this period Aisling Hanley fired over from a free and play for the rampant Rossies while Laura Fleming got the scoreboard ticking for the home side when she hit the game's opening score when splitting the Leitrim uprights.

Roscommon failed to convert two clear cut goal chances which gave Leitrim an early let off when the tide was certainly flowing in massive waves against the visitors. However when Carla La Guen darted forward on the ten minute mark she managed to halt the Roscommon onslaught, firing over a well taken point following her foray deep into enemy territory.

A minute later the Leitrim cause received a massive shot in the arm when after a great build up involving Leah Fox, Ailbhe Clancy and Laura O'Dowd ended with the Ballinamore Sean O'Heslin's woman firing to the Roscommon net to put her side in front for the first time in the game.

But within 60 seconds, a somewhat shocked Roscommon outfit hit back with a levelling point from an Aisling Hanly  free.  Ailbhe Clancy got Leitrim noses back in front when the Glencar Manorhamilton player shot over a 14th minute effort.

Leitrim's lead was  short lived as Aoife Gavin levelled  a minute later from a well taken shot  and Roscommon regained the lead when the lively Laura Fleming hit over a 17th minute point.

In response Leitrim's Leah Fox levelled the proceedings for a third time when she fired over two minutes later. It was end to end stuff for the next 11 minutes  but both the Leitrim & Roscommon rearguards stood firm as neither side managed to raise a flag of any description.

The Leitrim team who was defeated by Roscommon in the TG4 Connacht LGFA Intermediate Final Picture: Ger O'Loughlin

However the  scoring drought ended on the stroke of half-time when Caoimhe Cregg finished off a well orchestrated attacking move by Roscommon by fisting over a point from close range that left the visitors trailing by the narrowest of margin at the break when the scoreboard read Roscommon 0-7 Leitrim 1-3.

After the restart, Michelle Guckian got Leitrim back on level terms when she pointed a 32nd minute free to register her first score in the contest. A minute later Leitrim regained the lead for the last time in the game when Guckian fired over from play.

Roscommon went down to 14 players when a Judy McDermott foul saw her 'sin binned' for ten minutes on the 34 minute mark. Three minutes later Leitrim extended their lead when  Guckian fired over from 35 metres after good build up play by her teammates.

However after that score and despite enjoying the advantage of an extra player , Leitrim was unable to increase that advantage any further as Roscommon  raised their game and got back on level terms when Aisling Hanly fired over a 39th minute point.

After a poor Leitrim kick out three minutes later Hanly gained possession of the ball and fired to the visitor's net from close range to put Roscommon into a lead they maintained and extended for the remainder of the action.

It was all one way traffic until the end as Roscommon completely dictated matters with Aisling Hanly firing to the net again, pointing from play and a free, while Niamh Fitzgerald, Judy McDermott and Laura Fleming chipped in with a point each.

During the last 20 minutes, which included seven minutes of added time, Leitrim was held scoreless by Roscommon but they managed to raise a white flag when Michelle Guckian, who had got all her side's second half scores, pointed a late free.

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LEITRIM

Scorers: Michelle Guckian 0-4, 2f; Laura O'Dowd 1-0; Carla La Guen, Ailbhe Clancy & Leah Fox 0-1 each

Team: Caroline Guckian; Charlene Tyrrell, Jasmine Maye, Mollie Murphy; Sarah Reynolds, Kasey Bruen, Carla La Guen; Megan McGovern, Aoife Gilmartin; Laura O'Dowd, Ailbhe Clancy, Leah Fox; Bronagh O'Rourke, Michelle Guckian, Elise Bruen. Subs: Sioma Quinn for O'Rourke (40); Rebecca Rooney for Murphy (51); Vivienne Egan for Clancy (57); Eabha Moyles for La Guen (61); Shauna McLoughlin for Maye (62)

ROSCOMMON

Scorers: Aoife Hanly 2-6, 3f; Laura Fleming 0-3; Aoife Gavin, Caoimhe Cregg, Niamh Fitzgerald & Judy McDermott 0-1 each

Team: Helen Cummins; Erin Hargan, Ellen Irwin, Saoirse Wynne; Judy McDermott, Rachel Fitzmaurice, Roisin Wynne; Caoimhe Cregg, Lisa O'Rourke; Millie Hagan, Aoife Gavin, Niamh Feeney; Aisling Hanly, Laura Fleming, Niamh Fitzgerald. Subs: Aisling Shanagher for Gavin (43); Abby O'Rourke for O'Rourke (57); Amanda Ceighton for Millie Hagan (61)

REFEREE: Kevin Corcoran (Mayo)