Kildare's Balyna edged in extra-time of tense Leinster Championship Final

St Fechin's 0-7

Balyna 0-5

Kildare champions Balyna came up short against Louth side St Fechin's in extra-time of the 2025 AIB Leinster LGFA Intermediate Club Football Championship Final.

It was the Kildare side that opened the scoring after three minutes in what would turn out to be a cagey first half. Leah Doran’s effort at the posts was touched onto the crossbar by Molly Savage before being collected by Erica Burke. The sharp centre-forward gave possession back out to Rachel Cribbin to fire over.

St Fechin’s got their first score from a set-piece in the eighth minute when Ava Briscoe got a second bite of the cherry after missing her initial effort but was fouled after taking aim. Briscoe made no mistake at the second attempt.

Scores at this point were coming in five-minute increments and were usually separated by extended Balyna periods of possession that either ended in a misplaced pass or taking the ball into contact.

Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal was the player to restore Balyna’s lead with a score all of her own making. Ní Bhuircéal won possession for her side with a superb interception before winning a free that would be subsequently played short to her. The wing-forward then uncorked an excellent effort between the posts off her left side.

St Fechin’s responded to that super score straight away through Ava Briscoe who was on the end of a slick attacking move through the hands from the Louth side to equalise less than a minute later.

Balyna edged in front once again through Ní Bhuircéal in the 23rd minute when she latched onto the breaking ball from Aoibheann Birchall’s blocked shot and tapped over.

St Fechin’s ensured these sides finished the first half as they had begun it with a point three minutes from the end. It was a superb strike from Molly Matthews that did it when the corner-forward cut in and drove the ball between the posts.

The Leinster IFC finalists went in level at the break at 0-3 apiece.

The Louth side took the lead for the first time in this game two minutes after the restart when star forward Ava Briscoe drove at the Balyna defence and fired over.

Briscoe’s super score would be the game’s last for 17 minutes before things picked up tenfold for the final 10 minutes.

Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal was the player to level with her third of the game after she cut inside onto her left once again and stroked the ball over the black spot.

St Fechin’s, to their credit, fired themselves straight back into the lead and it was once again Ava Briscoe to do it, who this time superbly knocked over a free for her fourth point to make this game 0-5 to 0-4 in the 50th minute.

Three minutes later and Balyna were reduced to 14 thanks to a dreadful refereeing decision that saw Aoibheann Birchall be yellow carded. Birchall met Caoimhe Farrell with a fair and indeed light shoulder before taking possession of the ball and was both penalised for the challenge and sent to the line for the most crucial phase of this game.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Balyna levelled with three minutes remaining and Ní Bhuircéal turned provider this time as she fired the ball forward into Julie Brannigan who smartly found space to score.

A seemingly endless eight minutes of additional time found no winner and in the last of those minutes St Fechin’s Ceire Nolan was yellow carded for persistent fouling. Due to the quirks of the LGFA rules, Nolan was able to be replaced when extra-time began… a debate for another day perhaps.

Ava Briscoe was again the player leading St Fechin’s forward and she put them back in front just 30 seconds into extra-time with yet another driving run.

The Louth champs pulled two clear, which no side had done to that point, in the second half of extra-time and it was, of course, Ava Briscoe. The St Fechin’s forward knocked over a free after an unbelievable run from Roisin Kavanagh that ended in the wing-forward earning the set-piece.

The Louth champions closed out for victory and became Leinster Intermediate Club Football Champions.

St Fechin's, Ava Briscoe 0-6 (0-3 frees), Molly Matthews 0-1.

Balyna, Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal 0-3, Rachel Cribbin 0-1, Julie Brannigan 0-1.

ST FECHIN'S: Molly Savage; Moya Corrigan, Anna Redmond, Orla Brennan; Leanna Devery, Rachel Beirth, Lana Devine; Orla McEvoy, Ceire Nolan; Alice Johnston, Ava Briscoe, Haylee McDonnell; Molly Matthews, Rebecca Howell, Caoimhe Hynes. SUBS: Sara Moore for Alice Johnston (44 minutes), Rosie Savage for Rebecca Howell (59 minutes), Rebecca Howell for Ceire Nolan (Extra-time), Ella Flanagan for Orla McEvoy (8 minutes of Extra-time), Erin McDonagh for Hayley McDonnell (12 minutes of extra-time), Ceire Nolan for Leanna Devery (Half-time of extra-time), Lauren O'Donoghue for Ellen Morgan (18 minutes of extra-time).

BALYNA: Ruth Bergin; Kate Langley, Sadie Cullinan, Holly O'Keefe; Lucy Cullinan, Ellen Morgan, Megan Cooney; Julie Brannigan, Leah Doran; Rachel Cribbin, Erica Burke, Caoimhe Ní Bhuircéal; Lauren Dixon, Grace Gallagher, Aoibheann Birchall. SUBS: Siobhan Hurley for Lauren Dixon (42 minutes), Caoimhe Farrell for Holly O'Keefe (4 minutes of extra-time), Aisling Holton for Lucy Cullinan (12 minutes of extra-time), Robyn Hurley for Erica Burke (15 minutes of extra-time).

Referee: Sinead McHugh (Dublin)

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