Antrim Ladies Football – Minor Football Final at Gort na Móna

St Paul’s 6-17 Con Magee 3-5

St Paul’s Ladies added the Minor Football title to their already bulging trophy cabinet when they beat Con Magees in Saturday’s final at Enright Park Gortnamona. When the Glenravel girls turned around eight points in arrears after having played up the slope they must have thought they were still in with a chance of causing an upset. However those hopes were soon dispelled as St Paul’s turned on a brilliant display of goal scoring to romp away to a convincing victory.

St Paul’s had four points on the board before Naimh McKay grabbed Con Magee’s first score, but the champions hit back right away with a goal from thier brilliant captain Caoimhe McNeice. The Belfast girls stretched their lead further with a series of great points, in each case working the ball into the ‘scoring zone’ before splitting the posts but on twenty minutes the Glenravel girls were thrown a lifeline when Naimh McKay grabbed a goal from a penalty, and when Naimh Donnelly added a point the gap was back to 1-12 to 1-4 at the break.

St Paul’s midfielder Lara Dahunsi in action against Con Magee’s Chloe McAuley

After having come back from ten behind in the semi-final against Moneyglass the Con Magees must have thought they were still in contention, but a ten minute goal blitz by the champions ended any lingering hopes the Glenravel girls may have had. Really turning on the style St Paul’s hit four goals in an eight minute spell, two of them from team captain McNeice (to complete her hat-trick) and one each from Cara Mervyn and Niamh Quinn

Con Magees pulled a goal back on 42 minutes when good work by Kirsten Edgar and Naimh McKay put Aimee Traynor in for the score but, St Paul’s hit back immediately with their sixth goal of the game, this time from a penalty. Three more points followed in quick succession to stretch the gap even further but to their credit the Glenravel girls kept battling away and Naimh McKay grabbed their third goal, and Aimee Traynor another point before the end.

Con Magees’ Aimee Traynor who scored one of her team’s goals

St Paul’s : Naoise Clarke, Abbey Dahunsi, Eimear Burns, Eimilie Duffy, Maria Hanna, Meabh Finnegan, Kerry McConville, Lara Dahunsi, Ciara Brown, Niamh Quinn, Naoishe Burns, Caoimhe McNeice, Rebecca McGivern, Cara Mervyn, Courtney Peoples, Debilee Burns, Amy Finnegan, Cliodhna Phillips, Demilee McShane, Sian Burke, Niamh Ritchie, Brianna Coyle, Caitlin McGuinness