ST GABRIELS LADIES HISTORY 2017

A much improved second half performance saw St Gabriels U12's team have a good game against Tuam/Cortoon on Thursday evening in Aughrim pitch. An exciting match that saw St Gabriels start well in but Tuam/Cortoon soon began to dominate after that with the visitors taking their chances clinically, leaving goalkeeper and team captain Jessica Jarvis with little chance to stop Tuam/Cortoon having a nice lead at half time which ended 4g 6pts to 1g 2pts to the visitors. A few encouraging words at half time from management and mentors was motivation enough as St Gabriels U12's had been under immense pressure in the first half and it was testament to their character and a great second half performance that they improved immensely with Captain Jarvis having a wonderful second half between the sticks as she shut out a lot of chances giving a captains inspirational performance.

With Orla, Lila, Kiera and Caoimhe all working so hard to repulse any attacks it was a solid game from Shola Cleary which also guided the rest of the team forward as she defended so well. With Sinead Daly also proving to be an inspiring influence to those around her she seemed to lift the team as they stormed back in the second half. With Aisling and Ribh moving the ball well and Rachel Malone giving her all on the pitch it really was an exciting half for the watching support as Olwyn Kelly scored a wonderful goal to boost the confidence further and once again Laura Trappe showed what a good engine she has by running throughout the match to battle for her team. With Carly, Erin and Abby never giving up on the game it was good to see the fighting spirit of the side as we scored 4 goals in the half as the game finished on a scoreline of St Gabriels 4g & 3pts to Tuam/Cortoon 4g & 8 pts with Emma Poland being unlucky not to get her name on the team sheet on the day for all of her endeavour, a scoreline that would have looked overly optimistic at the restart. 

It really does show that no matter how tough a match is you should never give up until the final whistle, with Sinead scoring and giving an inspired showing and our Captain Jessica's determination to battle through adversity the management and mentors would like to express their gratitude for a performance from a team that bodes well for the future and made them proud on the day. Well Done St Gabriels Ladies keep working hard for the team and results will follow. Thanks to Tuam/Cortoon Ladies for travelling and having a sporting game. Next up is Dunmore in Dunmore next week for Declan Lennon and his panel of players.

St Gabriels Ladies had a great win in Salthill this evening when they defeated Salthill/Knockarra and got their third win in the league. Final score St Gabriels 3g 4pts to Salthill/Knockarra 2g 4pts.
St Gabriels started the better team with Emma Reynolds getting a point and a goal and gave an outstanding performance during and throughout the game. After this bright start St Gabriels found it hard to hit the target for a time in the game as Salthill/Knocknacarra came more into the game to show what a good team they are and scored a goal and a point. With Rosa and Ellen Bleahene both getting a point each as they asserted their authority going forward St Gabriels had a narrow lead to leave the half time score at St Gabriels 1g 3pts to 1g 2pts despite the fact that Gabriels had shown plenty of endeavour but hadn't really shown what we know they can give and it promised to be a good second half. 

In the second half Emma continued her scoring prowess and got a goal only for Salthill to even things up as they leveled with a goal to leave the match finely poised. As Niamh Daly and Grace Finnerty both worked hard during the game they combined with Ciara Lohan to have a big impact as the defensive combination of Niamh Donnellan did well in the backs with Lauren Dolan and Leona Larkin and Leah Treacy. Salthill's persistence soon paid off as they were awarded a penalty and it looked like they could get the upper hand as Gabriels were reduced to 14 players for ten minutes, but thankfully they didn’t benefit by scoring and the girls showed their strength to hold them up.
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For the latter stages of the second half St Gabriels girls gave great team and individual performances with Antoinette Cormican and Rachael Byrnes showing their determination to get the victory. Laura Hession made some vital saves all throughout the game with Laura Creaven, just back from injury, contributing some excellent touches and running in the game to put her injury well behind her. Laura Donnellan, Eva Sinclair and Aisling Donnellan also made good contributions to the match in a compact and hard working team performance that saw this team come of age in terms of maturity, sometimes we fail to realise just how young a team this is sometimes when they meet otherwise seasonedd opposition.

With just ten minutes left a sublime move as Ellen Bleahene found the net and her twin sister Rosa also rose to the occasion and grabbed a wonderful point to give us some breathing space for the first time in the game. Salthill came in waves at the death to get their scores but thankfully Gabriels Ladies showed their resilience to hold them off as they edged out Salthill in what was a tough and very tight match for both sides with Emma Reynolds and Niamh Daly exceptional on the day.

This result is testament to the strength in depth we have this season as our Best Wishes must also go to Laoise Keane, Amy Kelly, Leona Larkin, Leah Manning and Catriona Cormican who are all out injured at the moment. Next league game is 5/6th of May. 

Keep it free for the BIGGEST small Club in the West's Junior B Ladies!!!.​

St Gabriels Junior B Ladies travelled to Michael Breathnachs on Bank holiday Monday to play their second league game  with a large panel of twenty-five (25) girls travelling on the day. St Gabriels Ladies started the much better team and with Emma Reynolds and Ellen & Rosa Bleahene notching up some fine scores the team settled early on and were 4g & 14pts to 1pt ahead after a scintilating first half. Michael Breathnachs battled well and took some fine scores to come back into the game but it was the St Gabriels Ladies in green and amber who were playing some excellent football and scoring well themselves. The panel boasts no less than five (5) sets of sisters with Catriona and Antoinette Cormican, Rosa and Ellen Bleahene, Grace and Pearl FInnerty, Ciara and Avril Lohan and of course Aisling and Niamh Donnellan all doubling up as sisters acts.

With St Gabriels players all imposing their stamp on the game and Emma Reynolds having an outstanding performance Gabriels Ladies were powering ahead now in the second half and proved to be very worthy winners. With the trio of Leona Larkin, Lauren Dolan and Leah Treacy all working well in the back line, Rachael Byrnes and Laura Creaven also were a very impressive combination with Leah Manning coming of the bench and scoring a great point. This really was a superior team performance to further add weight to the fact that this team is worthy of its place in the Junior B league and if they carry on their impressive start to the season who knows where they will end up next season. Laura Hession as always our reliable goalie was excellent with Laura Donnellan and Linda Nevin making a good contribution to the game when they were introduced. Teams will be looking at St Gabriels strength in depth panel and will note that any game against this talented group will be tough this year. 

Final Score: St Gabriels 7g & 16pts to Michael Breathnachs 1g & 9pts.

Well done girls on a great team performance. Keep it going. Next up is Salthill in Salthill on Friday 13th of April . Keep the date free folks.

Scoring for St Gabriels were Antoinette Cormican 2g 3pts, Leah Manning 1pt, Laura Creaven 1pt, Catriona Cormican 2g 2pts, Ellen Bleahene 1g 2pts, Rosa Bleahene 3pts, Emma Reynolds 1g 1pt, Aisling Donnellan 1g 1pt, Ciara Lohan 2pts.​

ST GABRIELS Ladies Minor team played Menlough/Skehanagh in the Minor B shield final on a cold Saturday morning the 18th November in a very early start in Aughrim pitch at 10am. St Gabriels Aisling Donnellan opened their account in the first few minutes with a great point followed by an excellent goal afterwards and this start gave the team the confidence to build a good lead as it opened the floodgates as further goals from Ellen Bleahene, Pearl Finnerty, Amy Kelly and Niamh Kenny in the first half put significant daylight between the two teams to give a comfortable scoreline. These were well worked goals and points coming from the goalie up the field with Emma Reynolds, Lauren Dolan, Laura Hession, Leah Treacy and Leona Larkin all contributing to a great spectacle for the watching supporters enjoying the match and the cold morning chill! With strong running form the midfield collecting the ball from the backs to feed the forwards it was a confident home side who reached the break in good form.

Half time score; St Gabriels 6g 5pts to Menlough/Skehanagh 1g 2pts. 

Our girls maintained their great work ethic in the second half as the team passed the ball once again from backs, with Grace Finnerty excelling, to the forwards to keep the momentum going despite coming under huge pressure from a very determined Menlough/Skehanagh side, and it was hard work at times especially from our back line whom managed to keep the opposition at bay and subdue any hopes of a fight back from the visiting team. With good use of the ball once again and a superb work rate from our subs bench when called upon it was team St Gabriels (Ladies) who prevailed and won on a scoreline of St Gabriels Ladies 8g & 12pts to Menlough/Skehanagh 1g & 5pts. 

Well done girls and Manager Hannah Daly and to dedicated Mentors Della Finnerty and Gerry Mannion, Trainers Gerard Donnellan, Martin Costello, Gary Lohan and Damien Finn. A huge Thanks to Referee Rebecca McPhilbin for the great game and she presented the plaque to our Captain Lauren Dolan to complete a successful and fruitful morning for the club. Many Thanks to club supporter and sports stalwart Valerie for the lovely breakfast after the game. Well done girls, what a great year with a nice few trophies in the cabinet and an overall TEAM performance that had us all enjoying the match from start to finish.

Scorers- Ellen Bleahene 2g & 3pts, Rosa Bleahene 2pts, Aisling Donnellan 1g & 4pts, Niamh Kenny 2g & 1pt, Pearl Finnerty 1g & 2pts, Amy Kelly 1g, Emma Reynolds 1g.

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Team was; Laura Hession, Rosa Bleahene,Leona Larkin, Lauren Dolan, Grace Finnerty, Leah Treacy, Kiera Dunne, Emma Reynolds, Amy Kelly, Aisling Donnellan,Pearl Finnerty, Ellen Bleahene, Niamh Kenny. 

Subs used; Laura Donnellan, Eva Sinclair, Rachael Larkin, Laoise Keane, Leah Manning.

​St Gabriel’s Ladies Junior team defeated Naoimh Mhuire in the Junior C championship final last Sunday in Oranmore pitch. A large gathering watched a great performance by St Gabriels Ladies. They were in the Junior C final last year and thanks to their dedication and commitment from players, trainers and management they got the reward the second time of asking. It has been 10 years since St Gabriel’s Ladies won a Junior title. St Gabriels Ladies got a great start with Catriona Cormican, County Senior player for Galway putting two shots to the back of the net followed by a great individual goal from Emma Reynolds and one from Aisling Donnellan with Laoise Keane & Leah Treacy working hard to contribute throughout the half. Naoimh Mhuire scored shortly afterwards to let St Gabriels’s know there was still a game to be won and Oranmore were not going away as they scored another goal to close the gap. With St Gabriels not converting a lot of our scores and Naoimh Mhuire having the same problem it would make for an interesting second half where both sides could come to rue the wayward wides. The half time score was 4g 1pt to St Gabriels to Naoimh Mhuire 2g 1pts. 

Naoimh Mhuire kept the pressure on in the second half and scored points quickly despite our backs best efforts who were outstanding in the second half as they could be forgiven for this small indiscretion as they then started to block shot after shot. From the off, St Gabriel’s were always that one, stop ahead as their two early goals had settled any lingering nerves that may have been around at the start of the game and despite the rally that came during the second half from Naoimh Mhuire it was at the back that Gabriel’s flourished with confidence, building in defence as Gabriel’s showed their strength to repel attacks as the half continued. Our County player Caitriona Cormican showed the way by moving to the wing and with some strong running assisted by the impish Aisling Donnellan and the Bleahene sisters Ellen & Rosa and with Leona Larkin they launched the ball forward at every opportunity to gain the upper hand once again. 

Gabriel’s called on their strong bench to push on during the half as Kiera Dunne, Niamh Kenny, Rachel Larkin and Michaela Dunne all came on to reinforce the team and see out the game as an excellent individualistic Pearl Finnerty goal seemed to suck the life from Naoimh Mhuire and the contest became a procession for the last period of the game as Grace Finnerty took a lot of the plaudits for an accomplished rock like defensive display at the back. 

Massive celebrations took place at the end as the final whistle sounded with everyone from goalie Laura Hession to the re-energised Eva Sinclair, Amy Kelly & Lauren Dolan all piling up in the middle of the pitch and it was hard to begrudge the ladies their moment of glory as it had been a tough season with the happy and successful Bainisteoir Gerry Mannion having the excellent support of his backroom staff throughout the season. 

St Gabriels proved the better team and won on a scoreline of St Gabriels 6g & 5pts to Naoimh Mhuire 2g & 7pts. Lady of the match was Grace Finnerty, centre back, she gave an outstanding performance for St Gabriels. Well done girls, Management and Trainers on a great win. Manager Gerry Mannion, Mentors; Hannah Daly and Della Finnerty, Trainers; Gerard Donnellan, Martin Costello, Gary Lohan and Damien Finn. Great scenes of jubilation as Laura Hession, County goalie was presented with the cup. Bonfires blazed once again around the parish of Kilconnell, Aughrim, Cappatagle for these girls. 

Thanks to Physio Janet O'Connor. Team was Laura Hesssion, Niamh Donnellan, Laoise Keane, Leona Larkin, Leah Treacy, Grace Finnerty, Lauren Dolan, Pearl Finnerty (1g), Emma Reynolds (1g & 1pt) Ellen Bleahene, Catriona Cormican (2g 1pt), Aisling Donnellan (1g & 2pts), Eva Sinclair, Aine Mitchell, Rosa Bleahene (1g), Subs used; Kiera Dunne for Aine Mitchell (1pt), Michaella Dunne for Laoise Keane, Niamh Kenny for Eva Sinclair, Amy Kelly for Ellen Bleahene. 

Thanks to all our sponsors; Tim Broderick and for his refreshments for team. Arrabawn Co-Op, Gibson Brothers, Easi-Fix. These girls play Junior B football next year and look forward to it.

A great win for St Gabriels Ladies football in their Junior C Championship semi final game against Ballinasloe in Kilconnell this evening. 

At half time St Gabriels were 1g & 5pts to Ballinasloe 1g & 1pts. Final score: St Gabriels 3g & 9pts to Ballinasloe 1g & 7pts. 

Three great goals from Eva Sinclair during the game. With star performances from Grace and Pearl Finnerty and Emma Reynolds and with some great saves from our goalie Laura Hession during the game St Gabriels got the win. Well done girls and Gerry, Manager and Hannah and Della, Mentors and Trainers Gerard, Martin, Gary and Damien. Keep up the good work. and news on final later. A very entertaining game and great support on the day. 

Scoring for St Gabriels. Amy Kelly 1pt, Ellen Bleahene 4pts , Rosa Bleahene : 3 pts Eva Sinclair 3gs 1pt, 

Team- Ellen Bleahene, Amy Kelly, Rosa Bleahene, Pearl Finnerty, Laura Donnellan, Eva Sinclair, Aine Mitchell , Laura Hession, Michaella Dunne, Catriona Cormican, Leona Larkin. Rachael Larkin, Aisling Donnellan, Grace Finnerty, Niamh Kenny, Laoise Keane, Niamh Donnellan, Leah Treacy, Kiera Dunne, Emma Reynolds, Lauren Dolan.

St Gabriels Ladies Junior football team had a great win in Oranmore this evening against Naoimh Mhuire. It was St Gabriels Junior C team first championship match of the season. A very windy but fine evening and without our goalie Laura Hession who is injured Ellen Bleahene stood up to the task and within ten minutes and under great pressure she made three fantastic saves which was definately the big talking point after the game. Rosa her sister and Eva Sinclair did the business in the forward line with Rosa having a tally of 1g & 3pts in the first half and Eva 1g & 1pt. St Gabriels girls were boosted with the introduction of Catriona Cormican our Senior county player before half time who gave an outstanding performance. 

The half time score was St Gabriels 2g 6pts to Naoimh Mhuire 4pts. In the second half Rosa Bleahene found the goal twice in the first five minutes with great use of the ball from Aisling Donnellan and Catriona Cormican. Well done to the backs who worked hard to keep Naoimh Mhuire at bay. Leona Larkin and Leah Treacy did trojan work. Pearl Finnerty was outstanding during the game but players of the game were our two U15 ladies Ellen and Rosa Bleahene for their huge contribution to the game. Well done girls. Ellen was captain for the night. The full time score was St Gabriels 6g 10pts to Naoimh Mhuire 4g 9pts. Great team performance girls. Keep it going. Well done girls on a great win. Next game is on the 11th of August in Aughrim pitch playing Caltra B team.

Team was- 

Ellen Bleahene, Laoise Keane, Niamh Donnellan, Leona Larkin, Lauren Dolan, Leah Treacy 1pt, Michaella Dunne, Pearl Finnerty, Kiera Dunne, Aisling Donnellan1g 1pt,, Amy Kelly 1pt, Niamh Kenny, Aine Mitchell, Eva Sinclair 1g 3pts, Rosa Bleahene 3g 3pts. 

Subs used: Catriona Cormican 1g 1pt, Laura Donnellan, Linda Nevin.

ST GABRIELS U14 Ladies played the U14 Shield League final in Aughrim pitch in dreadful wet weather conditions on Monday 26th of June at 7p.m. 

Menlough got off to a great quick start and went 1 goal and 1 point up to Gabriels no score, then St Gabriels sprung into life with Niamh Keighery getting the first score on the score board for St Gabriels Ladies with a great opportunist goal which was followed by two well taken points from Caitlin Malone. The back line was strong and saved the day on many occasions with the defence of Aoife Keighery, Aoife Quinn and Alida Cleary having a great day out. Moya Doherty and Melissa McDonnell also chipped in with great contributions providing great ball to the forward line under extreme pressure and as Gabriels ladies upped their game and scoring more goals and points they went in at half time with St Gabriels 3g & 4pts to Menloughs 1g & 2pts at half time. 

The intensity was increased in the second half by both teams which led to a fantastic game of football with both sides playing end to end football. The game ebbed and flowed with Menlough edging to within two points of Gabriels ladies and scoring some stylish goals on the way, but the girls in green and gold kept the pressure on to kick on once again and win the game. Players to note on the day included an excellent panel of young athletes who worked tirelessly on the day with Gabriel's Orla Kenny in goal's making a few great saves, included in them was one at the very end of the match that helped Gabriels get over the line. Sophie & Kaitlin Cunningham alongside Latisha Thompson and Katie Malone had excellent performances with Lady of the Match award going to Caitlin Malone who was outstanding throughout the whole game. Aisling Dolan and Elanna Malone must also get special mention as they helped the team in the forward line with Elanna getting a vital point at the closing stages of the game. 

Great credit to these girls who never gave up on a bad evening and won on a scoreline of St Gabriels 5g & 9pts to Menlough/Skehanagh 5g & 9pts. 

Thanks to Menlough/Skehanagh for a very sporting game. Well done girls and Management Declan Malone, and Caroline Malone. The Referee Val Byrne presented the Plaque to Captain Aoife Keighery. 

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The Team was Orla Kenny, Aoife Keighery, Aisling Dolan, Aideen Monaghan, Caitlin Malone (2g & 3pts), Katie Malone, Moya Doherty, Sophie (3pts) and Kaitlin Cunningham (1g & 2pts), Aoife Quinn, Latisha Thompson, Elanna Malone (1pt), Melissa McDonnell, Niamh Keighery (1g).

This was a super game of football that saw a St Gabriels U16 team travel to the sports fields of Skehana today to play Killanin in the U16 2B cup final. In very breezy conditions it was always going to be a challenge for both sides as they fought as much with the wind as their opponents but it was Killanin who adjusted to the breeze as the game progressed.

The first half saw Killanin race into a six points lead as St Gabriels were wasteful in possession but this could have been more as Ava O'Brien in goal stood firm on numerous occasions to make some good catches with her excellent handling and it was her kick out which found Leona Larkin whose run up field and pass down the middle was laid off once again this time finding a marauding Sophie Cunningham who went on to grab an amazing individual goal as she evaded three Killanin players to shoot into the net. This was then followed up with another point as Killanin struggled to cope with a rejuvenated Gabriels as Rachel Larkin started to find her incisive blocking and stealing possession bring dividends as Ellen Bleahene began her run towards goal and as the ball fell to Aoife Keighrey her effort flew into the net to bring St Gabriels a lead into the second half which they had worked so hard to get in the latter stages of the half. 

As the whistle sounded the team raced into the dressing rooms to keep warm and get a team talk from Bainisteoir Declan Lennon. half time Gabriels 2g & 4pts - Killanin 1g & 6pts.

Second half brought more of the same as this time it was St Gabriels who came out fighting as once again Rosa Bleahene blocked another Killanin attack and sent the ball skyward as Amy Kelly got more into the game and passed the ball on to Aisling Donnellan whose energetic running was bringing more dividends as Gabriels Ladies found the net twice in the early minutes as goals from Ellen Bleahene and Pearl Finnerty put daylight between the two teams as St Gabriels went 6 points up in the match. With goalie Ava O' Brien having a great performance keeping Gabriel's in the game Killanin gave it their all as they started to come storming back into the game as it was Gabriel's who began to stutter as another Sophie Cunningham effort flew past their keeper but not a defender as she collected the ball and ran away from the goal line to safetyu, if that had gone in who knows what would have happened?

Killanin were getting stronger now as Pearl Finnerty this time averted a pinpoint pass into the danger zone but this was not enough as Killanin went on to score two goals and go two points ahead as a point from Katie Malone steadied the ship somewhat, but St Gabriels girls came up just short as Killanin's passing was more accurate today and they seemed to find space when in possession off the ball as the final whistle sounded in what could have been a great day in terms of silverware but instead was a great day in terms of an excellent sporting performance from both sides as St Gabriels were unlucky not to win the game. Well done to Killanin for a very sporting game and we wish you every success in the future. 

​Final score :St Gabriels 4g 5pts to Killanin 4g 8pts

Team was: Ava O'Brien, Katlin Cunningham, Leona Larkin, Leah Manning, Aisling Donnellan (C), Pearl Finnerty, Katie Kelly, Rosa Bleahene, Rachael Larkin, Sophie Cunningham, Amy Kelly, Katie Malone, Aoife Keighery, Ellen Bleahene, Aisling Donnellan, Melissa McDonnell, Elanna Malone, Aoife Garvey, Aoife Quinn. Bainisteoir Declan Lennon, Mentors: Della Finnerty, Brid Donnellan.