Eadestown ease into final as Larries lose crown
Anna Hynes scored six points for Eadestown during their win over St Laurence's
Eadestown will contest their seventh Joe Mallon Motors Kildare LGFA senior championship final in a row and their eighth in all when an all-round impressive team performance was too much for defending champions, St Laurence’s in the semi final of the 2026 competition in Eadestown on Tuesday night.
While it was a team performance some players really stood out on the night for Eadestown with full back, Aine Mernagh, winning an almighty tussle with Larries full forward, Marie Kealy a shining light in a very dominant rearguard. A controlling midfield in Laura Byrne and Hazel McLoughlin as well as strong running from captain, Grace Clifford, Abaigh Cahill and Jessica Harney kept the once five in a row county champions on the front foot at all times.
St Laurence’s acted as defending county champions and played right to the bitter end but they never really got their potent forward division going and their kick out strategy didn’t really work for them on the night.
Larries opened the more positive of the two but only had two wides to show from early attacks but a great run by Eadestown’s Laura Byrne resulted in a free which was converted by Abaigh Cahill in the second minute which set the tone for the game. The home side raced into a four point lead by the end of the first quarter with further points from Jessica Harney, Hazel McLoughlin and Anna Hynes. Larris opened their account in the 16th minute with a pointed free from Caoimhe O’Sullivan but they failed to score again until the 36th minute as Eadestown went on to add four more points through Hynes (free), Cahill, Ruth Sargent and an excellent score from experienced full forward, Gráinne Kenneally to lead 0-8 to 0-1 at the break.
St Laurence’s needed goals and early ones at that but their only goal didn’t arrive until the 48th minute when a shot from substitute, Joanna Ryan, came off an upright and Marie Kealy reacted quickest to beat Emma Sargent from close range. By that stage Eadestown had stretched their lead out to eleven points with further scores by Hynes (two, one free), Kenneally, Byrne, McLoughlin and Clifford, with the fist, as Larries could only muster a point each from Ciara Wheeler and Kealy.
If a Larries comeback was expected after the Kealy goal it never materialised and the Eadestown response was swift tagging on four more points to Larries one, a point from a free by Caoimhe O’Sullivan in the 56th minute. Eadestown closed out the game with two points from play by Jessica Harney and two more from frees from Hynes, who brought her tally six points for the night. Still, however, Eadestown keeper, Emma Sargent, had to be at her best to keep out a certain Larries’ goal five minutes from time.
Larries were great champions but they had to give way on the night to the team they conquered for the ’25 title, then five in a row champions, Eadestown before a sizeable crowd on a perfect night for football. Eadestown will now face surprise finalists, Kilcullen in the Final on Friday 2 October.
Emma Sargent; Áine Ní Raghallaigh, Aine Mernagh, Anne Marie Logue; Sophie Boyse, Ruth Sargent 0-1, Molly Lawlor; Laura Byrne, Hazel McLoughlin 0-3; Anna Hynes 0-6 (4 frees), Grace Clifford 0-1, Misha Magee; Abaigh Cahill 0-3 ( 1 free), Gráinne Kenneally 0-2, Jessica Harney 0-2. SUBS: Kate Murphy for Gráinne Kenneally 54, Alannah Kelly for Jessica Harney 56, Mary Ann Ryan for Anne Marie Logue 59, Grace Dowling for Misha Magee 61.
Chloe Wright; Grace Nolan, Elaine Marron, Sadhbh Fennin; Eimear Glancy, Ava Marron, Niamh O’Connor; Gillian Wheeler, Ciara Dempsey; Emma Wheeler, Ciara Wheeler 0-1, Ailbhe Hennessy; Caoimhe O’Sullivan 0-2 (2 frees), Marie Kealy 1-1, Jean Miley. SUBS: Aoibheann O’Sullivan for Jean Miley 39, Sarah Faye Lawler for Ailbhe Hennessy 42, Joanne Ryan for Eimear Glancy 61.
Paul Fahey (Dublin).
