In the All-Ireland Ladies Football Intermediate Championship final, Leitrim emerged victorious against Tyrone with a close finish of 3-11 to 3-10. After 13 long years since their solitary triumph in 2007, Leitrim accomplished their second gold in the TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship.
The Connaught team was inspired by star player Ailbhe Clancy. Though they had a lead of five early in the second half, they faced fierce resistance from Tyrone forcing them to fight until the end for their win. Both teams demonstrated subpar performance in their early attempts, with Leitrim misusing two potential goal chances.
The first points on the board came from Maria Canavan of Tyrone in the first five minutes. However, Leitrim quickly found their footing, marking their first score in the 12th minute when Laura O’Dowd concluded the play, set up by Muireann Devaney. Soon, Devaney added more to their tally following an assist from Clancy.
As the match progressed, Tyrone experienced a period of dominance. From Aoife Horisk’s back-to-back goals within six minutes, Chlor McCaffrey’s successful free-kick to the point added by Horisk, the Ulster side established a commanding lead.
Despite the odds, Leitrim clawed back into the game, with Michelle Guckian netting a vital score. O’Dowd and Guckian further contributed to the fightback by adding points as Leitrim concluded the first half with a lead.
In the second half, Leitrim continued their momentum, progressively increasing their lead. Tyrone’s poor decision-making in shot selection did not help their cause. Ultimately, despite Tyrone’s late comeback attempt initiated by substitute Sorcha Gormley, Leitrim held their ground, wrapping up the victory with impressive points scored by Guckian and Clancy.
Joanne Barrett of Tyrone was sent to the sin bin in the 45th minute for fouling Devaney. But Clancy from Leitrim capitalised on the penalty, scoring without error. Few minutes after, O’Dowd added another point, putting Leitrim seven points ahead.
Despite this, Tyrone bounced back in the game in the 49th minute when McHugh scored a goal. The gap was narrowed to just a single point in the 59th minute, thanks to a trio of points, including one free-kick from McCaffrey, and a shot from Emma Conroy. However, Leitrim managed to retain their lead, securing the Mary Quinn Memorial Cup.
In the line-up for Leitrim were M Monaghan, E Quigley, C Tyrell, C Owens, S Reynolds, K Bruen, Elise Bruen, N Tighe, M Guckian (who scored four times from free-kicks), O Flynn, L O’Dowd (who scored one goal and two points), M Devaney, A Clancy (who scored twice including a penalty), S Quinn, and A Redican. L Fox, B O’Rourke, and M Murphy came on as substitutes later in the game.
Tyrone’s squad featured A Coyle, J Lyons, J Barrett, E Quinn, C Daly, M Corrigan, C Campbell, A McHugh (who scored a goal), M Mallon, A Grimes, A Horisk (who scored twice), E J Gervin, C McCaffrey (who scored twice including from two free-kicks), Z Loughran, and M Canavan. The substitutes were S Gormley, E Mulgrew, E McNamee, Grimes, McNamee, and E Conroy (who each added a point).
The match was overseen by Referee Barry Redmond from Wexford.