Tyrone Ladies maintain 100 per cent winning start

Tyrone  3-12  Monaghan 2-8

IT’S now three wins from three for the Tyrone ladies after they secured a comfortable seven point win over Monaghan at Moortown on Sunday.

The Red Hands dominated the contest despite yellow cards for Maria Canavan, Zoe Loughran and goalkeeper Caitlin Donnelly. They were also the victim of some questionable decisions, including a late penalty awarded against them.

Built on a sold defence and some excellent link play from Emma Jane Gervin, Meabh Corrigan and Aoibhinn Mc Hugh, Tyrone had led by 13 points midway through the second half as Sasha Byrne turned in her second goal of the afternoon. Granted they took their foot off the gas late on and allowed Monaghan to convert 1-4 – all bar one from the dead ball – but what a start to the season.

Tyrone led by nine points at the break, goals from Chloe McCaffrey and Sasha Byrne adding the gloss to a solid opening half performance with the breeze behind them.

It had been nip and tuck early on too with Leanne Maguire and Emma Conroy exchanging early points as the sides struggled to judge that strong breeze, Conroy hitting from distance.

Casey Treanor landed a Monaghan free, while Tyrone responded and after a couple of wides Aoibhinn Mc Hugh and Aoife Horisk combined for a Horisk point on the run.

Maria Canavan, a constant in the Tyrone attack, pointed a free to put the hosts ahead. She worked well to get space for another score, Gervan and Byrne teeing her up before McCaffrey reacted quickest to a bad Orna Kelly kick out and drilled home a goal on the quarter mark.

The response from Monaghan was swift though and speed-merchant Sarah Tierney replied with a well taken goal of her own from the right side a minute later.

That was as good as it got for them in the half though despite a yellow card for Canavan reducing Tyrone to 14 players. In that spell it was the hosts who tagged on three fine points, Mc Caffrey, Byrne and the triple marked Conroy all on target in a pulsating spell underscored by some fine defending from Joanne Barrett, Jayne Lyons, Caitlin Campbell and late replacement Zoe Loughran.

As the game headed to the break and Canavan returned, her long range free came off the crossbar, the ball turned out only as far as Byrne to palm it home. McCaffrey hit an eighth point on the whistle.

Conroy didn’t return for the second half although a superb point from a very tight angle on the right from McHugh got the scoreboard moving again within three minutes. That score was followed by Monaghan’s first score in 20 minutes, a well taken point from their best player Maguire.

The Farney goalkeeper Orna Kelly done well to turn away a Horisk goal chance and Campbell came through to add to the hosts’ tally on ten minutes. A third goal came from Byrne at the end of the third quarter, McCaffrey dropped in a free, Kelly spilled it and the Aghyaran player was on hand to steer the ball to the net.

Tyrone were eleven  points up when Zoe Loughran was carded after Eabha Sherry and Maguire had landed visiting points. Maguire pulled another back with Aoibhinn Daly hit a Tyrone point on her debut from the bench a minute later.

Maguire drilled home a Monaghan penalty in the closing stages; it was one of several poor calls from the referee, given when Donnelly made a fine save to deny Tierney. The Tyrone keeper was carded. Late points from Maguire were far from consolation scores with McCaffrey having the final say with her third point again on the whistle.

The Scorers

Tyrone

Sasha Byrne (2-1), Chloe McCaffrey (1-3), Emma Conroy (0-2), Maria Canavan (0-2), Aoife Horisk, Aoibhinn Mc Hugh, Caitlin Campbell, Aoibhinn Daly (0-1 each)

Monaghan

Leanne Maguire (1-6), Sarah Tierney (1-0), Casey Ttreanor and Eabha Sherry (0-1 each)

The Teams

Tyrone

Caitlin Donnelly, Jayne Lyons, Joanne Barrett, Clara Daly, Caitlin Campbell, Emma Jane GHervin, Meabh Corrigan, Meabh Mallon, Aoibhinn Mc Hugh, Sasha Byrne, Aoife Horisk, Zoe Loughran, Chloe Mc Caffrey, Maria Canavan, Emma Conroy: Subs; Emer Mc Canny For Conroy, Emma Mulgrew For Daly, Aoibhinn Daly For Canavan, Emear Quinn For Byrne, Amellia Coyle For Mallon

Monaghan

Orna Kelly, Naomi Cogan, Brid Mc Nally, Shona Brady, Maeve Monaghan, Jenny Duffy, Emma Clerkin, Lauren Garland, Aine Loughman, Amy Garland, Leanne Maguire, Casey Treanor, Chloe Mc Bride, Eabha Sherry, Sarah Tierney: Subs: Aoife Bannigan For Garland, Holly Mc Quaid For Clerkin, Megan Boylan For Mc Bride

Referee: Phillip Conway (Armagh)