Hat-trick for Aisling Moloney as Tipperary dispatch Offaly
Aisling Moloney fired a hat-trick of goals as Tipperary maintained their 100% Lidl Ladies National Football League record in 2017, while also progressing to a Division 3 final against Wexford, .
Tipperary hammered Offaly by 7-16 to 2-6 in Clane, as Wexford, with former Kerry captain Bernie Breen in their ranks, overcame Roscommon by 5-8 to 0-9 at the same venue in Sunday’s semi-final double-header.
Tipp played with the breeze in the opening half and by the interval, the Premier County had established a 5-10 to 2-1 lead.
Moloney scored two of her three goals in that opening half, while Orla O’Dwyer, Caoimhe Condon and Mairéad Morrissey also raised green flags.
All of Tipperary’s six starting forwards had registered scores by the 16th minute as Shane Ronayne’s charges piled on the pressure.
Morrissey netted again early in the second half before Moloney completed her treble, with last year’s runners-up Tipperary through to another Division 3 decider.
Meanwhile, Fiona Rowe registered a brace of goals in Wexford’s victory, with Aisling Murphy, Clara Donnelly and Niamh Butler also netting for the Slaneysiders.
Wexford were 2-4 to 0-4 clear at half-time, Rowe on target with her opening goal after intercepting a short kick-out.
Murphy took advantage of another goalkeeping error to collect Wexford’s second goal before Rowe was on target again in the second half, with a long-range effort finding the net.
Clara Donnelly scored another goal from distance for Wexford and Roscommon, who used two goalkeepers during the game, were stunned again by Butler, whose attempt from the right wing somehow found its way into the net.
The Division 3 decider is fixed for April 30 and the Division 4 final will also take place on the same day, between Wicklow and Longford.
Wicklow beat Fermanagh by 0-12 to 2-3, eventually getting the job done at the Stabannon Parnells grounds on Sunday.
Fermanagh led by 1-1 to 0-0 early on, boosted by Sharon Murphy’s early goal, before Joanne Doonan’s effort had the Erne County 2-1 to 0-4 clear in the 18th minute.
But Wicklow had fought back to within a point by half-time, trailing by 0-6 to 2-1, and they outscored Fermanagh by 0-6 to 0-2 in the second period.
On Saturday, Longford maintained their seasonal 100% record by seeing off Carlow comfortably on a 5-19 to 2-4 scoreline in Kinnitty.
Longford had early goals from Emer Heaney and Sarah Tierney, helping them to lead by 2-5 to 0-0, before Carlow responded with a three-pointer from Aoibheann Gilmartin.
At half-time, however, Longford had kicked on to lead by 2-11 to 1-2, and they kept the scoreboard ticking over comfortably in the second half.
Michelle Farrell scored two second half goals and Aisling Reynolds added another as the Midlanders completed a 24-point win.
Carlow’s second half consolation goal was supplied by Cliodhna Ni She but Longford were too good on the day.
