Flood on fire as Louth Ladies book All-Ireland JFC final place in emphatic style
The two sides met in the Leinster Junior Championship earlier this year when it took two late points from team captain Aine Breen to edge her side past Longford.
However, there was to be no repeat of that scenario on Sunday as Louth dismantled the Longford challenge proving too strong throughout the park, to be full value for their 11-point victory.
Louth had all the early pressure in the opening minutes with a Kate Flood effort coming off the upright two minutes in and another chance from Aoife Russell smothered by a Longford defender when a score looked on.
It was Longford however, who opened the scoring when good play from Grace Kenny and Kamille Burle set up midfielder Aoife O'Brien with a chance which she accepted gratefully to put her side 0-1 to 0-0 in front after five minutes.
Louth responded two minutes later with Flood converting the first of her five opening half frees following a foul on Lucy White.
Longford had the chance to restore their lead on 10 minutes when Burke, after putting her initial shot wide, was awarded a free 25 metres out but missed with the ball coming off the upright and cleared away.
Flood put Louth in front on 13 minutes, pointing her second free after a foul on Ceire Nolan but Longford drew level a minute later when Sian Gallagher won her own side's kickout, found full-forward Clodagh Lohan who off-loaded the ball to Shauna Hagan to tap over a point to make it 0-2 to 0-2 on 14 minutes.
However, that was to be Longford's last score of the half as Louth completely dominated the second quarter.
Two converted Flood frees put her side 0-4 to 0-2 in front on 17 minutes and with just under three-quarters of the game to go, a goal from Eimear Byrne realistically marked the end of the Longford challenge.
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Byrne's goal came from a turnover at midfield where Breen won possession, took the ball forward before delivering as low ball into Aoife Russell who fed the in-rushing Eimear Byrne. A shimmy sent a Longford defender the wrong way allowing the St Mochtas player the space to blast the ball past Aoife Cooney in the Longford goals.
Louth turned over the resultant kickout and this time Aoife Russell was the beneficiary at the end of a four-player move started and finished by Ceire Nolan who set Russell up for a point.
Longford's cause wasn't helped with the sin-binning of Mairead Victory following a foul on Louise Byrne on 28 minutes as Louth continued to dominate finishing off the half with two more Flood points, one from a free as Louth went in a the break with a healthy 1-7 to 0-2 lead.
Longford looked like they might make a game of it as they maintained early possession after the break but they could find no way past a defence where Eilís Hand and Eimear Murray were proving impossible to get by.
Even the return of Victory from the sin-bin did nothing to lift Longford and when Flood and Russell extended the lead out to 1-8 to 0-2 nine minutes into the second half, the game was effectively over.
Longford did have the ball in the net on 40 minutes when Burke dropped a free into the square which was caught by Katie Crawford who turned and kicked the ball to the net. However, the referee, in consultation with her umpires, deem it a square ball – much to the consternation of the Longford supporters.
Louth almost got in for a second goal when a ball in from Breen came Eimear Byrne's way but her shot was deflected out for a '45.
A point from Lohan brought some cheers from the Longford fans but the response from Louth was five unanswered points with Flood (3) Russell (1) and Nolan (1) all on target to lead 1-14 to 0-3 after 54 minutes.
Lohan, after a good run through the Louth defence, got her side's fourth point of the afternoon and Burke added two more, one from a free but at 1-14 to 0-6 with time up it did nothing but dress up the final result a small bit.
Antrim will now face Antrim in the All-Ireland JFC final after they defeat Sligo, 3-10 to 1-10 in the second semi-final at Clones on Sunday.
The game will take place in Croke Park on Sunday August 3, with an 11.45am throw-in.
Scorers: Louth - Eimear Byrne 1-0, Aoife Russell 0-3, Kate Flood 0-10 (5f), Ceire Nolan 0-1
Longford - Kamille Burke 0-2 (1f), Clodagh Lohan 0-2, Sian Gallagher 0-1, Shauna Hagan 0-1,
Louth: Rebecca Lambe Fagan: Rachel Beirth, Eilís Hand, Eimear Murray; Seoda Matthews, Shennan McLaughlin, Louise Byrne; Áine Breen, Aoife Halligan; Lucy White, Eimear Byrne, Aoife Russell; Holly Lambe Sally, Kate Flood, Ceire Nolan. Subs: Caoimhe Boyle for McLaughlin 45, Ciara Woods for White 53, Gemma McCrave for Lambe Sally 54, Mischa Rooney for Byrne 59, Mia Duffy for Breen 59.
Longford: Aoife Cooney; Grace Kenny, Leanne Keegan, Ailbhe Brady; Caoimhe McCormack, Eimear O'Brien, Ella Duggan; Sian Gallagher 0-1, Aoife O'Brien; Shauna Hagan 0-1, Katie Crawford, Ella O'Reilly; Kamille Burke 0-2 (1f), Clodagh Lohan 0-2, Mairead Victory. Subs: Ciara Mulligan for Ella O'Reilly 28, Edel Sheehy for Aoife O'Brien 42, Emma Bleakley for Talabi 53.
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