Reigning champions Portlaoise defeat Ballyroan in opening game of Senior Ladies Football Championship

Portlaoise have got their 2024 Laois Ladies Senior Championship off to a brilliant start as they had too much for Ballyroan in Rathleague this evening.

It took the three-in-a-row chasing champions time to get going but once they did, they never looked back.

Portlaoise 4-15

Ballyroan 0-8

It would be Ballyroan that would raise the game’s first white flag as Emily Mulhall was quickest to react after Kate Whelan’s free dropped short. Portlaoise had plenty of goal chances in the opening exchanges with Aisling Kehoe drilling the ball when she was 1-on-1 with Ballyroan goalkeeper Aoife Mullins. Kehoe made up for her miss a minute later as she got Portlaoise on the scoreboard. Grainne Moran was fouled for the next score as she kicked the resulting free.

10 minutes passed by and Portlaoise could have been out of sight as they missed three guilt-edge opportunities to score goals as well as kicking some bad wides. Aoife Mullins was called into action for another Portlaoise goal chance as she saved made a superb 1-on-1 save from Alison Taylor after Fiona Dooley had played her in.

Whelan kicked a fantastic long-range score to level the sides in Rathleague. Portlaoise started to find their grove as they scored 1-3 without reply. Kehoe, Moran and Sarah Ann Fitzgerald (free) got the points with half-back Ciara Byrne popping up with the Portlaoise goal after a well-worked team move.

Whelan kicked a second superb effort for Ballyroan before Portlaoise got a second goal before the end of the half. Half-back Ellen Healy came forward with the ball and ended up rattling the back of the net. Mullins denied Portlaoise for the third time as she denied Kehoe. Whelan kicked the final score of half as Portlaoise led 2-5 to 0-4.

Dooley increased Portlaoise’s lead straight from the throw-in before Taylor was fouled for a free which Moran converted. Moran almost had a third goal for The Town as she rounded Mullins but with the goal gaping, she hit the post and Ballyroan cleared the danger.

Whelan kicked a two more frees for Ballyroan with Portlaoise having a seven-point advantage and 13 minutes left to play. Dooley then blasted the ball over from close-range to end a 15 minute spell without a score for Ronan Molloy’s side. Molly McNulty and Sarah Anne Fitzgerald added a point each for the home side. A third Portlaoise goal came in the 54th minute as Moran squared the ball to Taylor and she palmed it into an empty net.

Taylor got a second goal two minutes later as her first shot was saved by Mullins but she fired home the rebound. Fitzgerald added another free for her side. Portlaoise ended the game with 14 players as Grainne Moran was shown a yellow card late on having got three ticks off referee Eoghan O’Neill. Aideen Gee got a point back for Ballyroan but the game was all but over at that stage. Dooley replied instantly up the other end for the reigning champion.

Whelan (free) and three points from Portlaoise’s Fitzgerald ended the game’s scoring as The Town won convincingly in the end.