Termon cruise to Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta crown with win over Naomh Conaill

All-Ireland champions Termon made light work of Naomh Conaill to lift the Donegal Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta crown at Pairc Naomh Fionnan.

Played out in bad weather conditions, it was Termon who eased their way to victory as they dominated the match from start to finish.

Three first-half goals laid the foundations, with Geraldine McLaughlin causing untold damage upfront and contributing 1-2 in the opening 30 minutes with the goal coming from a penalty kick, five minutes before the break.

Termon’s Emer Gallagher opened the encounter after three minutes when she rattled the ball past Bronagh Gallagher in the goal to give her side an early cushion as the rain fell.

Ciara McGarvey added to her side’s tally two minutes later when she raised a green flag after a great team effort when Termon easily powered through the Naomh Conaill defence to fire home.

Danielle McDevitt kept the Naomh Conaill side ticking over with three frees but failed to create any real chances in the opening period.

It went from bad to worse for Naomh Conaill in the last five minutes of the half when Geraldine McLaughlin nailed home a penalty, bottom left of the goalkeeper before nailing over a final free to leave it 3-3 to 0-3 in favour of the side from the Burn Road as they marched to the dressing rooms at the break.

It took 11 minutes for either side to find a score with both tallying a handful of wides and the slippy conditions.

McLaughlin would break the second-half deadlock with two more frees, while Megan Ryan would add to Termon’s tally with a long-range score as the ladies’ team in maroon and white led by 12 as they approached the final quarter.

Termon would be limited to 14 players when Maeve Brady was sent to the sin bin for a high challenge on Niamh Gettins but it didn’t limit their threat on the attack with Niamh Bonner immediately slotting over as Termon pushed on for the victory as they entered the last 10 minutes.

McLaughlin would hit her final score and the game’s final score of the afternoon from a free in the 61st minute to bring her scoring tally to 1-5 with Naomh Conaill severely disappointed that they failed to register a single point in the second half as Termon saw it out for another piece of silverware.

Termon scorers: Geraldine McLaughlin 1-5, 1-0 pen, 4f; Ciara McGarvey 1-1; Emer Gallagher 1-0; Megan Ryan, Niamh Bonner and Colleen Kearney 0-1 each.
Naomh Conaill scorer: Danielle McDevitt 0-3, 3fs.

Termon: Rosin McCafferty; Rionach Giles, Niamh Friel, Maeve McDaid; Niamh Bonner, Maria Carr, Aoibhe McDaid; Emer Gallagher, Megan Ryan; Anna Gallagher, Ciara McGarvey, Lauren Gallagher; Sophie Curran, Geraldine McLaughlin, Roisin Friel. Subs: Maeve Brady for Lauren Gallagher, Chelsea Gorman for Anna Gallagher (both 35 mins)
Naomh Conaill: Bronagh Gallagher; Emma McDaid, Orla O’Boyle, Shauna Ní Mhaolmhuaidh; Emily McDaid, Emma Doherty, Niamh Gettins; Laoise Ward, Cora Doherty; Grainne Bonner, Ciara Ní Mhaolmhuaidh, Amy Boyle Carr; Danille McDaid, Aileen O’Donnell, Natalie McDevitt. Subs: Edel Ellis for Kearney, Niamh O’Donnell for O’Donnell (both 55 mins)