Tyrone Ladies see off Down to make All-Ireland Final

TYRONE 2-11 DOWN 1-11

TYRONE Ladies can reflect with sweet satisfaction on a job well done in Sunday’s All-Ireland Intermediate Championship semi-final against Down at a humid Clones.

They didn’t get it all their own way against a gritty and determined Down outfit, but Tyrone kept their cool in a nail-shredding finale to qualify for their first All-Ireland Intermediate final since 2018.

The Tyrone Ladies have made considerable progress this season and now they have the chance to cap it all off with an All-Ireland title when they lock swords with Leitrim on final day at Croke Park, a chance to avenge their surprise group stage defeat against the very same opposition, not that it’ll be the primary motivation with national honours on the line.

This was a superb team performance from the Red Hands with players in every part of the field putting their bodies on the line against an in-form Down side, who hadn’t lost a single game in ten matches. Then there was that sprinkling of star power with Maria Canavan (who top scored with 1-4) and Chloe McCaffrey (0-5) leading from the front in a helter-skelter finale that had both sets of supporters living on their nerves.

As for how it all panned out Tyrone got their account up and running in the third minute with a sweetly struck point from Chloe McCaffrey after diligent defensive work from her colleagues down the other end.

Down enjoyed plenty of early possession but struggled to make in-roads against a tuned-in Tyrone defence, and when they did break through enemy lines, their efforts fell wide or short of the target.

Tyrone doubled their advantage with a Chloe McCaffrey free after Aoife Horisk was bundled over, though Down got their first score of the day in the 10th minute with a Natasha Ferris free.

The Red Hands adopted a varied approach to attack, sometimes playing the ball through the hands and otherwise going direct, but there were a fair amount of turnovers at both ends in the opening quarter.

Down were pulled up for overcarrying on a number of occasions, a testament to the stout defending of Eimear Quinn, Jayne Lyons and Joanne Barrett, but the Mourne girls kept on plugging away and levelled matters via Niamh McClory after a lung-bursting run from the powerful Laoise Duffy.

Tyrone moved into a 1-2 to 0-2 lead in the 17th minute, however, with an expertly worked goal, Aoife Horisk latching onto a perfect crossfield pass from Maria Canavan and tucking the ball into an empty net after giving the Down goalkeeper the slip.

They compounded their lead in the very next attack with a difficult free screwed over by McCaffrey while Down responded in kind with Ferris’ second of the day.

With captain Aoibhinn McHugh, Horisk and late inclusion Caitlin Campbell getting on plenty of ball in the engine room, Tyrone looked the more imposing outfit, but Down were proving themselves to be sticky opponents and reduced the deficit further with a lovely point from Niamh King as half-time approached.

Chloe McCaffrey was getting on plenty of ball and landed one of the points of the day, angling over a super score while under severe pressure in the 28th minute to move Tyrone back into a 1-4 to 0-4 lead. It was the catalyst for a late flurry of points, Áine Grimes finishing off a flowing team-move before Maria Canavan got her name on the scoresheet.

Down had the last say of the half with a Laoise Duffy point, but Tyrone were full value for their 1-6 to 0-5 lead at the interval with a place in the All-Ireland final just half an hour away.

The Mourne girls lay down the gauntlet with the first two points of the second-half, impressive scores from play from Clara Mulvenna and Niamh King.

Tyrone rang the changes with three subs introduced to the fray, including minor star Sorcha Gormley, but Down reduced the deficit to a goal with the latest free from Ferris.

The Red Hands got the scoreboard ticking over again with a free from Canavan, but Down had upped the ante and were making life difficult for the Tyrone forwards as the clock ticked into the final quarter.

It was going to take something special to regain their supremacy, but that’s exactly what transpired as Maria Canavan unleashed an unstoppable shot to the net after a clever flick on from Gormley to move Tyrone into a 2-7 to 0-8 lead in the 48th minute of play.

A confident Canavan kicked Tyrone into a six-point lead, but to their credit Down didn’t let the heads drop and mustered a goal of their own from sub Eimear Fitzpatrick to leave the scoreboard reading 2-8 to 1-8 with the minutes remaining.

Tyrone claimed another point via Horisk, but it was nerve-racking stuff as Down drove forward in waves and got their reward with scores from subs Fitzpatrick and Aine Smyth.

That left Tyrone with a precarious 1-10 to 2-9 lead with five minutes remaining, but Tyrone got a crucial late score from McCaffrey to leave a goal between the teams.

Down were kept in contention by impressive sub Eimear Fitzpatrick prior to a score in injury time from the inspirational Maria Canavan.

It was all hands on deck as Down searched for a late goal but Tyrone stayed strong at the back to qualify for a richly deserved All-Ireland final berth – congratulations to all involved.

THE SCORERS
Tyrone
Maria Canavan (1-4, 0-2f), Chloe McCaffrey (0-5, 0-2f), Aoife Horisk (1-1), Áine Grimes (0-1)

Down
Natasha Ferris (0-3f), Eimear Fitzpatrick (1-2) Niamh King (0-2), Niamh McClory, Laoise Duffy, Clara Mulvenna and Aine Smyth (0-1 each)

THE TEAMS
Tyrone
Amelia Coyle, Jayne Lyons, Joanne Barrett, Eimear Quinn, Caitlin Campbell, Meabh Corrigan, Clara Daly, Áine Grimes, Aoibhinn McHugh, Emma Jane Gervin, Aoife Horisk, Elle McNamee, Maria Canavan, Emma Conroy, Chloe McCaffrey Subs: Sorcha Gormley for Conroy, Meabh Mallon for Elle McNamee, Emma Mulgrew for Daly, Sasha Byrne for Lyons and Katie Rose Muldoon for Horisk

Down
Amy McGivern, Aimee Greene, Ciara Byne, Erin Sands, Clara Mulvenna, Natalie McKibbin, Orla Duffy, Meghan Doherty, Aoife Laverty, Alica McAlea, Niamh McClory, Laoise Duffy, Sarah Dougherty, Natasha Ferris, Niamh King
Subs: Vivienne McCormack for Dougherty, Eimear Fitzpatrick for Ferris, Paige Smyth for Muvenna, Aine Smyth for King