JOHN MORRISON’S MONAGHAN inflicted a first defeat of the season on holders Cork in Sunday’s big Tesco Homegrown Ladies National Football League Division 1 fixture.
In a repeat of last September’s TG4 All-Ireland final, Monaghan gained some measure of revenge for that painful loss by scoring an impressive 2-13 to 0-14 victory on their visit to Mallow.
The sides were level at 0-2 apiece before Monaghan forward Ciara McAnespie struck for the game’s opening goal in the tenth minute.
McAnespie was denied another goal in the 17th minute by a superb Briege Corkery block but Monaghan, who played against the breeze in the opening half, held a comfortable lead at half-time, 1-8 to 0-4.
Monaghan lost goalkeeper Linda Martin to injury at half-time but Cork were also struggling to make inroads up front as they were without the services of injured forward Valerie Mulcahy.
Catriona McConnell, who went off injured towards the end, bagged another Monaghan goal in the second half to make sure of the victory that takes the Farney girls to the top of the table.
Three teams – Monaghan, Cork and Dublin – are tied on six points at the head of affairs but Dublin and Monaghan have a game in hand on the Leesiders.
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Dublin also made it two wins from two as they beat hosts Mayo by 2-12 to 2-9 in Ballyheane.
Nine-time All Star Cora Staunton scored 1-8 for the westerners but Sinead Aherne was in excellent scoring form too as the Dublin forward grabbed 1-7.
Dublin’s inside line of Aherne, Lyndsey Davey and Siobhan Woods amassed 2-10 of Dublin’s winning tally, with Woods on target for Dublin’s second half goal.
Dublin were 1-5 to 0-3 clear midway through the first half, Aherne on target with the goal, but Mayo were back in it when Staunton converted a disputed penalty.
Doireann Hughes bagged a second goal for Mayo and the home side led by 2-5 to 1-6 at half-time.
But Dublin would outscore Mayo by 1-6 to 0-4 in the second half and Woods scored the crucial goal to decide the destination of the crucial League points.
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With Kerry’s clash with Laois called off because of the weather, the basement battle between Tyrone and Donegal was the only other Division 1 fixture played on Sunday.
And it was Tyrone who scored a crucial victory, their first of the season, against the home side at Robert Emmets with Gemma Begley netting all four goals for the Red Hands in a 4-6 to 1-8 success.
Aisling Cunningham, who netted twice against Cork, was on target with Donegal’s solitary goal but Maggie Foy’s charges are now rooted firmly to the bottom of the table after a third successive defeat.
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Westmeath, meanwhile, are top of Division 2 after a third win from three outings, this time away from home against Down.
Meath, Cavan and Galway also scored victories in this group while in Division 3, there were wins for Leitrim, Sligo, Armagh and Waterford.
Results:
Tesco Homegrown Ladies National Football League Division 1:
Donegal 1-8 Tyrone 4-6
Mayo 2-9 Dublin 2-12
Cork 0-14 Monaghan 2-13
Tesco Homegrown Ladies National Football League Division 2:
Fermanagh 0-5 Galway 6-22
Kildare 1-10 Meath 1-11
Clare 0-11 Cavan 1-11
Down 2-10 Westmeath 5-13
Tesco Homegrown Ladies National Football League Division 3:
Leitrim 2-12 Longford 0-7
Sligo 6-13 Offaly 1-10
Wexford 1-5 Armagh 3-23
Waterford 2-8 Tipperary 1-10
Copy on behalf of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA).
