O’Dwyers crowned Go Ahead Ireland Dublin LGFA Intermediate Club Champions

O’Dwyers 1-08

Parnells 0-10

By Nigel McCarthy

 

O’Dwyers are Go Ahead Ireland, Dublin LGFA Intermediate Club Champions after a hard fought final against Parnells on Saturday evening in Clann Mhuire GAA club. 

With both sides evenly matched and scores at a premium, it was a low scoring final throughout. Parnells gained the upper hand in the first half and led by three points at the break.

But O’Dwyers who struggled to make much of an impact up front in the first half, worked their socks off in the second half to claw their way back into the contest with Shannon Richardson’s goal early in the second half proving a crucial score for the Balbriggan outfit to claim the win.

Parnells will be disappointed with their scoring return after the break but this game could have went either way with just a solitary point separating the sides at the finish.

But in the end it was O’Dwyers superb work rate and never say die attitude that won out at the final whistle to claim the title and senior status for the 2025 season.

O’Dwyers got the scoring underway in the second minute with a pointed free from Shannon Richardson.

A quick free deep in the O’Dwyers backline from Chloe Darby to Aoife Manning was worked back to Darby to slot over the bar for the equaliser.

Parnells won a sideline ball in the ninth minute, Darby played it to Nicole Smith down the left, she took off down along the wing, cut in along the sideline, turned inside her marker and clipped the ball over her right shoulder for a superb point and the lead for the first time in the final for the side from Coolock.

O’Dwyers were struggling to open up the Parnells defence for scoring opportunities, but patient buildup and clever recycling of the ball in their next attack paid dividends with an unmarked Erica Byrne clipping over a point to draw the teams level.

Ruth Weakliam was sharp as a tack from the off and the lively O’Dwyers half back made an excellent interception in the sixteenth minute , she released player of the match Aoife Curran who made a penetrating run through the Parnells defence, was fouled and Shannon Richardson converted the free to put the Balbriggan side back in front.

That though was to be their last score of the half, two points in the space of a minute from Chloe Darby, one from a free and the other from open play gave Parnells the lead once more.

With eight minutes to go to the break Aoife McGrath was released by captain Emma Lawlor in behind the O’Dywers last line of defence, but as she bore down on goal she was closed down by Naomi Weakliam and the out rushing keeper Niamh Kirby and McGrath made the right choice and clipped the ball over the bar instead of going for goal, to give her side a two points advantage.

Three minutes into first half injury time, Aoife Manning brilliantly collected a Parnells kick out under pressure, she offloaded to Emma Lawlor who burst through the middle, hand passed to Chloe Darby, who found Sinead O’Farrelly in space to score the Coolock outfits sixth point of the half and give them a three point lead at the break, with the score 0-06 to 0-03.

O’Dwyers came out for the second half with renewed vigour and pushed right up on the Parnells defensive and midfield unit as they set out to find their way back into the contest.

A pointed free from Shannon Richardson just three minutes after the restart reduced the Parnells lead to two points.

Parnells responded a minute later with a point from Ceiligh McDonnell after an initial free was cleared and restored their three point lead.

But the game turned on its head in the thirty ninth minute, O’Dwyers turned over a poor Parnells kickout and with the goalkeeper out of position Shannon Richardson buried the ball to the net past the desperate dive of a recovering Parnells defender and the game was all square.

That score lifted the whole team and with confidence high they hounded the Parnells players in possession turning over the ball on numerous occasions pushing the Coolock side onto the back foot.

A pointed free from midfielder Elsa Kearney gave O’Dwyers the lead in the forty first minute.

But back came Parnells to draw level again with a pointed Chloe Darby free as this tense game entered the final ten minutes.

O’Dwyers worked the ball down the left to the ever busy Emma Dowling who took two strides forward to create shooting space and popped the ball over the bar to once again give her side a slender one point advantage.

But with five minutes to go, a poor kickout from Chloe Downs in the O’Dwyers goal went straight to Parnells corner forward Nicole Smith, Smith accepted the gift with open arms and swung the ball over the bar to level the game once more.

A fine pointed effort from Ceiligh McDonnell, her second score of the final, put Parnells in front again in the fifty seventh minute, but O’Dwyers relentless work-rate told in injury time when they forced two frees in the space of a minute which the ever accurate Shannon Richardson dispatched to claim the narrowest of victories and the Intermediate trifle for O’Dwyers.

O’DWYERS SCORERS: Shannon Richardson 1-05 (5F), Elsa Kearney 0-01, Emma Dowling 0-01, Erica Byrne 0-01.

PARNELLS SCORERS: Chloe Darby 0-04 (2F), Ceiligh McDonnell 0-02, Nicole Smith 0-02, Aoife McGrath 0-01, Sinead O’Farrelly 0-01.

O’DWYERS: Niamh Kirby, Aoife Breathnach, Naomi Weakliam, Izzy McLean, Chloe Johnston, Erin Healy Ruth Weakliam, Aoife Curran, Elsa Kearney, Emma Dowling, Alanna Kelly, Holly O’Rourke, Katie McCabe, Shannon Richardson, Erica Byrne.

PARNELLS: Chioe Downes, Saoirse Lawlor, Lauren Connor, Ellen Grant, Eimear Canty, Aisling Kane, Aoife Manning, Domnique Darby, Chloe Darby, Saibhin Peyton, Aoife McGrath, Emma Lawlor, Ceiligh McDonnell, Sinead O’Farrelly, Nicole Smith.

 

PARNELLS SUBS: Chloe Lawless for Eimear Canty (42), Rachel Kelly for Aoife McGrath (46), Ciara Corr for Sinead O’Farrelly (58).

PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Aoife Curran (O’Dwyers).

 

REFEREE: Paul Meaney (Na Fianna).