Galway manager Tim Rabbitt praised his side’s back-to-back wins over Dublin and Tipperary as they closed in on a spot in the Lidl National Football League Division 1 Final. Roisín Leonard’s goal eased them past Tipperary in Tuam Stadium and back on top of the standings on scoring difference, shortly after Cork stumbled against Donegal in Ballyshannon. Dublin eased their relegation concerns with a come-from-behind win away to Waterford, while Mayo kept pace with the leaders following their convincing home win over Westmeath.
Roisín Leonard’s second-half penalty made sure of Galway’s 1-12 to 0-4 win, but another solid defensive display pleased Rabbitt. “We wanted to put in a really good performance to back-up the one we put in against Dublin, and we challenged the girls to do that,” said Rabbitt, who expects captain Louise Ward back for a top of the table clash with Cork in a fortnight. “We did really well, we kept Tipperary to four points in difficult enough conditions. We didn’t concede a goal which we are always happy about.”
TG4 All-Ireland champions Dublin stormed back from seven points down to deny Waterford with goals from Siobhan Woods, Noelle Healy, Carla Rowe and Sinead Aherne key to their 4-5 to 0-13 win.
Goals from Amy Boyle Carr and Geraldine McLaughlin saw Donegal recover from last week’s loss against Westmeath as they inflicted a first defeat of the season on Cork. Orla Finn kicked six points for Ephie Fitzgerald’s side, but they were bettered throughout by a hungrier Donegal side, who climbed out of the relegation slot with this 2-6 to 0-8 win.
Elsewhere, an outstanding performance from Rachel Kearns propelled Mayo to a 0-10 to 2-0 victory over Westmeath in Swinford. Lucy McCartan and Leona Archibold hit the net for Sean Finnegan’s side, but Peter Leahy’s outfit remain in contention for a slot in the final.
ROUND 5 RESULTS
Lidl National Football League Division 1
Donegal 2-6 Cork 0-8
Galway 1-12 Tipperary 0-4
Mayo 0-10 Westmeath 2-0
Waterford 0-13 Dublin 4-5
Scorers – Galway: R Leonard 1-2 (1-0 pen) (1f), L Noone 0-2, L Hannon 0-2, A Trill 0-2, A Davoren 0-1, F Cooney 0-1, A Morrissey 0-1, T Leonard 0-1. Tipperary: C Kennedy 0-1, A Carey 0-1, E Morrissey 0-1, A Moloney 0-1 (1f).
GALWAY: D Gower; S Molloy, S Lynch, Chelsie Crowe; C Cooney, F Cooney, L Coen; S Divilly, A Davoren; L Noone, T Leonard, A Trill; R Ní Fhlatharta, R Leonard, L Hannon. Subs: M Glynn for Ní Fhlatharta (h-t), C Miskell for Noone (41), N Connolly for F Cooney (46), A Morrissey for R Leonard (46), A Coen for Divilly (56), Chloe Crowe for C Cooney (56), B Murphy for Davoren (59), S Conneally for T Leonard (59).
TIPPERARY: L Fitzpatrick; E Moore, L Spillane, E Cronin; B Condon, S Lambert, M Heffernan; L Dillon, C Kennedy; K Davey, E Morrissey, E McCarthy; A Carey, A Moloney, R Daly. Subs: M Curley for Dillon (10, inj), K Cunningham for Carey (34), A McGuigan for Daly (34), M Creedon for McCarthy (41), C Davey for Lambert (47), S McKevitt for K Davey (47), A Delaney for Moloney (52).
