MALONE 7 MU BARNHALL 41
Scorers: Malone: Try: Niamh Fulton; Con: Alexa McMullan
MU Barnhall: Tries: Ciara Faulkner 3, Abby Healy 2, Emma Brogan, Órfhlaith Murray; Cons: Ciara Faulkner 3
CENTRES Ciara Faulkner and Abby Healy scored five tries between them as MU Barnhall lifted the Energia All Ireland Women’s Junior Cup for the third year running, following a runaway 41-7 win over first time finalists, Belfast side Malone, at Dundalk RFC.
Leinster squad member Ciara Faulkner starred with a 21-point contribution, including a hat-trick of tries, while teenager Niamh Fulton’s well-taken 33rd-minute score proved to be the highlight for a gallant Malone team.
MU Barnhall have dominated the Energia Junior Cup since its inception in 2022. This was their ninth straight victory in the competition, and the Leinster League Division 1 leaders have set their sights on gaining promotion to the All-Ireland League.
A smartly-taken brace from Faulkner, coupled with tries from Ireland Under-18 duo Healy and Emma Brogan, had the defending champions leading 20-7 at half-time.
Malone got through a lot of good defensive work in between, and had briefly closed the gap to eight points. Their stand-in captain Lauren Maginnes offloaded brilliantly for Ulster U-18 starlet Fulton to score under the posts.
However, the first-time Junior Cup finalists were held scoreless after that. Faulkner had the final say in the 77th minute, adding to earlier ntercept efforts from Healy and Órfhlaith Murray, as Niamh Fitzgerald’s well-drilled side ran out convincing winners.
Faulkner, last year’s winning captain, struck inside three minutes for the opening try. The Barnhall pack blew an initial maul opportunity, but the backs soon delivered the goods. Faulkner cut inside two defenders and handed off Maginnes for a classy finish.
Promising Malone flanker Fulton, who only recently made her senior debut, then showed her pace to get back and deny Amy Rushton on a kick chase.
The Belfast side began to gain more of a foothold, drawing encouragement from some strong defensive sets. It was scrum half Shirelle Wilson who got the plaudits, just forcing Alex Casey into touch to keep the deficit at five points.
However, Malone were left dazzled by Brogan’s 15th-minute break on the opposite wing, and Healy duly raided over from 10 metres out to make it 10-0. Faulkner missed her second conversion.
Emma Jordan and Anna Stanfield grew into the game with their ball-carrying, yet Malone continued to struggle for territory. On the half-hour mark, Brogan slipped out of two tackles for a slick score on the left, following up on Ellen Dunne’s determined burst.
Replying barely four minutes later, the Cregagh Red Sox lifted the tempo with a quickly-taken penalty. Their forwards got over the gain-line, leading to Maginnes expertly releasing Fulton to finish off. Alexa McMullan’s conversion reduced the arrears further to 15-7.
Barnhall co-captain Katelynn Doran, who was excellent throughout on both sides of the ball, settled things down again for the Leixlip-based club, and their execution was top class for try number four.
Fellow co-captain Murray pulled the trigger in the 36th minute, her inviting short pass allowing Faulkner to hit the line at pace and sidestep away from Jill Stephens, with the chasers unable to bring her down before the try-line.
Prudence Isaac, another member of Barnhall’s dynamic back row, led the charge early on the resumption with a barnstorming break that almost earned her a try. Malone scrambled well though, keeping the deficit at 13 points.
That was until a loose pass was picked off by Healy for a run-in from 45 metres out. It was the Wicklow native’s fifth try of the competition after running in a hat-trick during November’s semi-final triumph over Tralee.
Malone battled on but leaked a second intercept score in the 55th minute, out-half Murray rushing in to gather a Wilson pass and break clear from the opposition’s 10-metre line. Faulkner tagged on the extras from straight in front for a 34-7 scoreline.
Blindside Fulton continued to catch the eye for Malone, her terrific break past halfway raising hopes of a breakaway score until Brogan got across from her wing position to bring her down. Unfortunately for Shane Johnston’s charges, they remained out of scoring range.
Barnhall did lose Holly Leach to the sin bin on the 70-minute mark, paying the price for repeated breakdown penalties. The ever-influential Doran again showed her leadership, stealing a lineout and then stepping in at scrum half before launching a kick downfield.
A costly penalty spoiled Malone’s best attacking chance during the closing stages. Sophie Armstrong’s neat pass sent Katie-Anne McCallion into space before Barnhall got the decision at the breakdown.
McCallion, Stephens, and openside Cara O’Neill, who had a fine game in the forward exchanges, continued to typify the best of what Malone could produce. They did miss injured captain Peita McAlister and fellow absentee Hannah Beattie on the day.
Jordan and Stephens dug deep in defence to prevent Brogan from bagging a stunning late try from deep, with the former forcing a relieving penalty. Nonetheless, by that stage Faulkner had already converted her hat-trick score, with Doran and Emily Byrne setting it up.
MALONE: Jill Stephens; Claire McKane, Emma Jordan, Sophie Armstrong, Mia Ferguson; Alexa McMullan, Shirelle Wilson; Sarah Murphy, Katie-Anne McCallion, Ashleigh Currie, Ruby Devine, Lauren Maginnes (capt), Niamh Fulton, Cara O’Neill, Anna Stanfield.
Replacements: Leah Clarke, Rebecca Greenaway, Beth Leckey, Erin Jones, Lauren Hassett, Katie McAllister, Samantha Eley, Donna McGovern.
MU BARNHALL: Amy Rushton; Emma Brogan, Ciara Faulkner, Abby Healy, Alex Casey; Órfhlaith Murray (co-capt), Naïs Jaime Bouquet; Hope Lowney, Emily Byrne, Rebecca Francis, Anna Mai O’Brien, Ellen Dunne, Claire Burke, Prudence Isaac, Katelynn Doran (co-capt).
Replacements: Michelle Gorman, Aoibheann Healy, Aoife Corcoran, Holly Leach, Emer Sweetnam, Uxue Merino, Lia Branigan, Emer Sweetnam.
Referee: Siobhán Daly (IRFU)
