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Cooper stars in Ireland
3 Oct 2005 - Sally Cooper was among the stars in the final of the International Tournament, formerly called the World Cup, as Australasia overpowered London to win its third consecutive title in Dublin.
The match report released by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association highlighted Cooper and her important first half goal, en route to the final score Australasia 2-13 London 1-03.
”In the end Australasia had far too much to offer and easily retained the International Tournament with some delightful football and some class individual players. The game opened very evenly with Australasia leading 0-03 to 0-02 after ten minutes. But suddenly they began to tear London apart with their speed and skill levels to hot to handle. Ronni Browning and Sally Cooper just two of their stars in a dominant period that seen them race into a 1-08 to 0-02 interval lead. The all important goal coming from the boot of Cooper as half time approached.
London to their credit battled for everything and at times really held their own in the second half. Joanne Deward hit the opening point of the half for the Londoner's but at the other end Mel Cowie riffled home her side’s second goal. London did get rewarded for their own hard efforts with a goal of their own from Deward but on the day the eventual winners were much too strong all over the park. Over the full week Australasia won many admirers for their fitness and skill levels.”
Five current Shamrocks players were in the Australasian team: Sally Cooper, Trish Brown, Alisha Clayton, Reanna Browne, and Narelle Saward.
Australasia champions a third time
1 Oct 2005 - Australasia is Gaelic football ladies World Cup champions for a third time after emphatically defeating London in the final in Dublin at the weekend.
With five Shamrocks players included, Australasia 3-12 (21) beat London 1-3 (6) in a repeat of the 2002 final match-up.
The result, although a dominant win, was a closer contest than when Australasia 9-9 (36) beat London 0-2 (2) to open the tournament, that had itself been opened by the Ireland prime minister Bertie Ahern. It is the first to be run by the Ladies GAA.
The championship team includes current Shamrocks players Narelle Saward, Reanna Browne, Trish Brown, Sally Cooper, and Alisha Clayton, and five other Queenslanders, as well as two former Shamrocks players Angie Doyle and Shelley Matcham.
The team was captained by Queenslander Wendy Rogers in one of the lead up games. Queensland had a record ten players in the Australasian team after winning the Australasian Championship last year, coached by Shamrocks coach Jacqueline Peacock.
Australasia now play in the All-Ireland Club Sevens Competition in Dublin, but are in a difficult group including Meath side Seneschalstown, and All Ireland Club champions Ballyboden from Dublin.
Interestingly, Australasia beat the Ballyboden senior side 4-6 (18) to 2-9 (15) as a warm up to the International Tournament world cup event.
Other teams standing in their way of winning an event bigger than the World Cup (with the prestige of an All-Ireland title) are defending champions Carnacon from Mayo, and last year’s runners-up Shelmaliers from Wexford.
Most players will then return home after the ladies All Ireland Championship finals this weekend, with the Shamrocks girls hopefully attending the Club Annual Awards Presentations at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle, Indooroopilly, on Saturday 15 October from 7pm.
Related links:
Shamrocks history winning other World Cups
World Cup title beckons (again)
30 Sep 2005 - Shamrocks boast a record five current players in the Australasian ladies team that has qualified for World Cup final in Ireland this week.
Australasia 3-16 (25) beat North America 1-1 (4) in the semi final, and they now play London in the final in Dublin for chance to claim its third ladies World Cup title in three attempts. (World Cup pictured)
2005 Shamrocks players Narelle Saward, Reanna Browne, Trish Brown, Sally Cooper, and Alisha Clayton, are all part of the Australasian team with five other Queenslanders, as well as two former Shamrocks players Angie Doyle and Shelley Matcham, who this year played their domestic football in Perth.
Australasia has won every World Cup in which it’s competed, including titles in 2000 and 2002. Shamrocks players were part of both previous victories.
After the final against London, Australasia then competes in the All Ireland Women’s Club Football 7-a-side tournament in Dublin.
They are drawn against senior teams from Wexford, Cork, Dublin, and Meath in group seven of the 30-team senior competition. Group winners progress to the Championship quarter finals, while the group runners-up to the Shield quarter finals.
The last official part of the Australasian tour takes place on Sunday 2 October when they are guests of the Ladies GAA at the All Ireland ladies Football finals in Croke Park, when Sligo play Armagh in the junior final, while Galway face Cork in the senior final.
The ladies All Ireland finals will be streamed LIVE on the website www.tg4.ie from 10pm Brisbane time Sunday 2 October.
The Shamrocks players are hoped to return to Brisbane in time for the Club Awards presentation at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle at Indooroopilly on Saturday 15th October, from 7:00pm.
Australasian results so far:
Australasia 9-9 (36) def London 0-2 (2)
Australasia 1-13 (16) def Canada 1-3 (6)
Australasia 5-14 (29) def Britain 2-2 (8)
Australasia 1-14 (17) def New York 0-0 (0)
Australasia def Europe in walkover
Australasia 4-9 (21) def North America 0-2 (2)
Semi finals – Australasia 3 – 16 (25) def 0-1 (1), London 3-3 (12) def New York 2-5 (11)
Check back here for the final result.
Meanwhile, the Queensland GAA is looking for volunteers to work at the Australasian Championships at Gaelic Park, Willawong, 4-9 October. Contact assistantsecretary@gaelicfootballqld.com.au for details.
Queensland is defending ladies Australasian Champions, coached to victory in 2004 by Shamrocks coach Jacqueline Peacock, when Trish Brown became the third Shamrocks player to win the Best and Fairest player award.
Eoin wins second All-Ireland
28 Sep 2005 - Eoin Mulligan went straight from winning the Shamrocks' 2000 Championship into Tyrone's senior team, and this week he won his second All-Ireland Championship final in three years, collecting the man-of-the-match award against Kerry.
Mulligan scored 0-8 for Shamrocks in the 2000 Queensland Championship final, and against Kerry on the weekend he kicked 0-4 as Tyrone won the title 1-16 to 2-10.
Asked by local media about his perfectly delayed pass which helped set up Canavan's crucial goal late in the first half, Mulligan joked that the Errigal Ciaran legend had been "giving me stick over the past couple of years for not giving him the ball."
Man-of-the-match Mulligan was looking remarkably fresh the next day despite scarcely getting any sleep on Sunday night.
"It was a very rough night although a very enjoyable one.
"After the game, the fans came back to the hotel for the banquet and it was a night to remember."
Links:
Official GAA website
RTE Sport
Ulster Herald via Tyrone GAA
Season ends with world’s best
11 Sep 2005 - The world’s first female coach of a senior mens Gaelic football team – Shamrocks' Jacqueline Peacock – finished the season as the most victorious in the world, and also the most successful in Queensland of the past decade.
It was almost irrelevant that her two Shamrocks mens and womens teams both lost Queensland Championship finals at Willawong over weekend, because the fact remains that they both qualified for the decider in an historic year for world Gaelic football.
Jacqueline has now participated in seven Queensland Championship finals in the last eight years – more than any other individual, and despite her sitting out of football for one of those years. Only an entire club Souths can better that record with eight finals in its own right over that time.
In Sunday’s mens final, John Mitchels 3-12 (21) beat Shamrocks 2-14 (20) after Shamrocks led by one point at half time.
A goal and two points by Shamrocks’ Paul Rice in the closing minutes set up a thrilling finish.
Jacqueline guided Shamrocks to the final as the youngest team in the competition, with their best at the weekend being 18-year-olds Cameron Carney and Justin Mosch, supported by captain David O’Malley.
Laurie Bere, 17, was the youngest starting player in a Championship senior mens final in Shamrocks recent history.
Mosch was later presented the Queensland most consistent award, while Carney and Shamrocks teammate Paul Daly were Queensland best and fairest runners-up.
In the ladies final, Harps 3-20 (29) beat Shamrocks 1-8 (11), after a goal and a point by Narelle Saward to start the second half brought Shamrocks to within five points.
Best for Shamrocks were Trish Brown, Alycia Clayton, and Megan White. Brown and Clayton were also named runners-up in the Queensland best and fairest award.
Last month Jacqueline became the first female coach in the world to win a mens Gaelic football trophy when Shamrocks won the 2005 Queensland League title.
The Shamrocks club awards will be presented at Indooroopilly on 15 October.
Images from Championship final day:
Andrew Meiklejohn: wins the ball (Photo by Adam Mellick)
Shamrocks: 2005 Queensland League winners
Melody and Daly: the crowd favourites
Related links:
Full scorers
Previous title winners
Championship final double on Sunday
4 Sep 2005 - Brisbane’s western suburbs have two teams in Sunday’s Gaelic football Queensland Championship finals when both the Shamrocks mens and ladies team won at Willawong at the weekend.
It is the first time in club history that both Shamrocks sides are in the final in the same year, after co-incidentally both beat Sarsfields on Sunday.
Shamrocks mens 3-14 (23) beat Sarsfields 1-6 (9) to qualify for its first Championship final since beating Souths in the 2000 decider, for a chance to win its fifth Queensland Championship, and add to its 2005 League title.
The team now plays John Mitchels in the final on Sunday, in a rematch of the recent League title play-off won by Shamrocks, and June’s Brisbane Shield final won by Mitchels.
The win over Sarsfields at the weekend extracted some sort of revenge for a heart-breaking overtime loss to Sarsfields in the 2002 semi final, and keeps the side unbeaten since June.
Shamrocks led by a solitary point 0-5 to 0-4 at the break after Sarsfields’ Glenn Fields dominated the opening period.
In a match-winning move, Shamrocks’ Cameron Carney (pictured) was then moved onto the opposition champion and was successful in reducing his impact for the remainder of the game.
A three goal burst, including two by Matt Mayo who was moved to full forward, vitually decided the outcome.
Best for Shamrocks were Carney, Anthony Fowler, and Steven Cox. Goalkeeper Sam Porter performed a fine save in the first half when Sarsfields was challenging strongly.
In the ladies semi final, Shamrocks 3-16 (25) beat Sarsfields 0-2 (2) to qualify for its fourth Championship final, and first since beating Harps in the 2001 decider.
The team now plays the League champions Harps in the final on Sunday.
Renee Moynihan was at her best at the weekend with eight points to equal the team record set five years ago.
Shamrocks led 1-6 to 0-2 at half time and then kept Sarsfields scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Best for Shamrocks were Tricia Brown, Renee Moynihan and Megan White.
Related links:
Scoring records
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