Following a superb campaign that saw them arrive unbeaten to the regional final, the Mount Anville U14 girls produced another display full of courage, determination and quality as they took on a powerful Our Lady’s Terenure side in UCD.
Despite the significant loss of influential centre-back Alice Brosnan through injury, Mount Anville entered the decider with confidence and belief, backed by a large and vocal support. From the opening whistle, the contest lived up to expectations, developing into a fiercely competitive and highly entertaining encounter between two outstanding teams.
Terenure made the brighter start, opening with a converted free before adding a point from play. Mount Anville responded impressively, immediately putting the Terenure defence under pressure and earning two difficult frees from almost 40 yards out. Ruth Byrne showed remarkable composure and accuracy to split the posts with both efforts.
The first half evolved into a gripping battle packed with strong tackles, disciplined zonal defending and flowing football from both sides. Mount Anville’s defensive unit of Emily Mason, Isobel Bailie, Sophie Porcu, Keira Costello, Lily Martin and Emma Dillon worked tirelessly throughout and stood resolute against a dangerous Terenure attack.
Their efforts were brilliantly supported by Siobhan Leonard, Lauren Heraty and Isla Conlon in midfield. Leonard and Heraty were handed the difficult task of containing Terenure and Wicklow U16 star Lucy Keeley — a player who had recently posted extraordinary scoring tallies of 1 – 10 and 1 – 7 respectively in Wicklow’s Leinster semi-final and final victories. While many spectators may not have fully appreciated the scale
of the assignment, both players performed superbly in limiting her influence while also helping deal with Terenure’s dangerous full-forward who crowded the middle of the park.
At the other end, Mount Anville’s attack looked lively throughout. Grace Jolley, Ruth Byrne, Peggy Meehan, Annie McAuliffe and Emma McGuane repeatedly threatened the Terenure goal, only for the opposition goalkeeper to produce a series of excellent saves.
Mount Anville goalkeeper Erin Bowen also impressed once again, making several fine stops, displaying safe handling and delivering outstanding kick-outs throughout — which has been a hallmark of her game all season.
Grace Jolley sparked Mount Anville with some excellent solo runs and clipped over a fine point to narrow the deficit to 0-5 to 0-3 with five minutes remaining in the half. Further scores from Annie McAuliffe and Byrne brought the sides level at five points apiece as Mount Anville finished the half strongly. However, Terenure struck late to edge ahead 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval.
The second half began in difficult fashion for Mount Anville as Terenure found the net early and followed up with a succession of unanswered points to stretch their advantage to six.
To their immense credit, the Mount Anville girls refused to back down. Byrne continued to lead by example, adding another free and a fine point from play, while Annie McAuliffe produced a brilliant individual goal before following it with an outstanding solo point to keep Mount Anville firmly in contention.
Terenure, however, responded with a second goal and another point to leave the score at 2-10 to 1-9 entering the closing stages.
Maia Russell, Erika O’Mahony and Hillary Daly all brought fresh energy and determination to Mount Anville when introduced. Russell in particular produced several impressive attacking runs and linked up effectively with Byrne and McAuliffe as Mount Anville pushed hard for a late comeback.
In the final five minutes, Terenure’s physicality and strength began to tell as they added five unanswered points, including a couple of frees, to seal victory on a final scoreline of 2-15 to 1-9.
While defeat was disappointing, Mount Anville can take enormous pride from both their performance and their season as a whole. Captain Isobel Bailie led magnificently from the back, while Sophie Porcu, Lily Martin, Ruth Byrne and Annie McAuliffe were particularly impressive on the day. Lauren Heraty and Siobhan Leonard also delivered selfless and hugely disciplined performances in roles that proved crucial to Mount Anville remaining competitive throughout.
Across the season, several players consistently stood out, with Isobel Bailie, Alice Brosnan, Lauren Heraty, Ruth Byrne and Annie McAuliffe proving central to an outstanding campaign.
It always looked likely that it would take a top-class side to overcome this Mount Anville group, and that proved to be the case against an excellent Terenure team. Even without key defender Alice Brosnan, Mount Anville battled bravely until the closing stages and can reflect on a tremendous first season with huge optimism.
Many members of the squad also featured in the Regional Camogie Final and helped secure victory in the First Year Dublin Football Blitz, underlining the talent and commitment within the group.
Mr O’Reilly and Miss Boland praised the squad for their dedication and attitude throughout the year and expressed how much they enjoyed working with such an exceptional group. With the experience gained this season, Mount Anville will undoubtedly look forward to returning even stronger next year.
Squad & Scorers: Erin Bowen; Emily Mason; Isobel Bailie; Sophie Porcu; Kiera Costello; Lily Martin; Emma Dillon; Lauren Heraty; Isla Conlon; Grace Jolley (0-1); Ruth Byrne (0-6, 3fs); Peggy Meehan; Emma McGuane; Annie McAuliffe (1-2); Siobhan Leonard; Alice Brosnan; Maia Russell; Hillary Daly; Emma McHugh; Moya Bourke; Erika O’Mahony; Eve Downey; Ciara Buckley; Charlotte Costello; Amber Enright; Leia Hennigan; Ciara Hall; Allison Rose Micks.