Penalty drama and wild winds as Kildare fall to Dublin in Division 1

Kildare ladies are still searching for their first win in Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 in 2026 after defeat to Dublin.

It was apparent instantly when entering O’Dwyers GAA that the dominant factor in this game was going to be the wind blasting towards the seaside in Balbriggan.

It was The Lilies who operated with the wind at their backs in the first half and they were first on the scoreboard too with a close-range score from Aoife Rattigan.

Kildare’s second soon followed and Aoife Rattigan was again involved with her free-kick from just inside the arc coming back off the post. Ciara Wheeler was first to respond and split the posts in confident style.

Rattigan added Kildare’s third herself when pressure applied to the Dublin kick-out paid off.

The Kildare full-back line had an exemplary first half for the most part with brilliant blocks and significant turnovers. That support from the back meant The Lilies took an 0-4 to 0-0 lead past the 10-minute mark when Molly Aspell used the wind to her advantage to score.

The concession of a soft goal was the only mark against Kildare in the first half but it felt like a significant one in the moment as The Dubs slashed Kildare’s lead.

Dublin captain Orlagh Nolan’s long ball found Michelle Davoren and the Kilmacud Crokes forward fired into the net off the post and off her weaker left side. The game’s first green flag made this game 0-4 to 1-0 after 16 minutes of action.

Kildare then went down to 14 when Hazel McLoughlin was sin-binned for a foul in the middle of the field. The playing deficit impacted the rest of Kildare’s half but, in the immediate, they reacted brilliantly by grabbing a goal for themselves.

A direct, incisive run by Aoife Murnane ended with her saved shot bouncing loose and into the path of Aoife Rattigan to rattle into the back of the net off the deck.

The game’s second green flag was the first half’s last score but manager Pat Sullivan was irate that his side were not awarded a penalty before half-time after a surging Ruth Sargent was through on goal and brought down. The watching fans, home and away, were amused by the manager’s strong reaction before acknowledging how right he was to feel aggrieved.

Nevertheless, nothing was flagged for and The Lilies carried just a four-point lead at 1-4 to 1-0 in at half-time and concerns if it would be enough with that significant wind.

Dublin made use of the conditions just 40 seconds after the restart when Niamh Hetherton registered a two-pointer that leaned on the edge of the arc.

Alannah Prizeman responded with a close-range free after great work from Aoife Murnane earned a free. The foul on the Maynooth forward formed the early part of consistent impediments from the home side which went unpunished beyond the award of a few frees.

Four minutes later the game was level when Kate Sullivan found the net after combining with first-half goalscorer Michelle Davoren and producing a brilliant finish into the roof of the net.

Carla Rowe gave The Dubs the lead for the first time with a free in the 44th minute.

Kildare had goal chances in the minutes that followed with Mayah Doyle creating openings with superb runs at the heart of the home defence. 

11 minutes from the end, Dublin found their third goal and all looked lost from a Kildare point of view in the face of a four-point deficit and a gale force wind.

After Carla Rowe added another, The Lilies poured on late pressure and added scores from set-pieces through Alannah Prizeman and Aoife Rattigan.

However, the game finished in disappointment for the visitors who carved out plenty of chances and did not take them in the same ruthless fashion as the eventual victors.

Squandered opportunities came in addition to being a far distance from the rub of the green with the referee. The game ended with a Kildare defeat to Dublin by 3-5 to 1-8.

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Dublin, Michelle Davoren 1-0, Kate Sullivan 1-0, Ellen Gribben 1-0, Niamh Hetherton 0-2 (1 x 2pt), Carla Rowe 0-2 (0-1 frees), Elsa Kearney 0-1.

Kildare, Aoife Rattigan 1-2, Molly Aspell 0-3, Alannah Prizeman 0-2 (0-2 frees), Ciara Wheeler 0-1.

DUBLIN: Abby Shiels; Niamh Crowley, Hannah Leahy, Catarina Almeida; Sophie McIntyre, Hannah McGinnis, Niamh Donlon; Rachel Hartnett, Annabelle Timothy; Laura Grendon, Orlagh Nolan, Kate Donaghy; Michelle Davoren, Niamh Hetherton, Orlagh Keighran. Subs: Kate Sullivan for Kate Donaghy (25 minutes), Elsa Kearney for Orlagh Keighran (Half-time), Carla Rowe for Laura Grendon (39 minutes), Ellen Gribben for Annabelle Timothy (45 minutes), Jodi Egan for Michelle Davoren (51 minutes).

KILDARE: Corla Nallen; Emma Wheeler, Ruth Sargent, Mia Doherty; Hazel McLoughlin, Lia Reilly, Laoise Lenehan; Nanci Murphy, Gillian Wheeler; Molly Aspell, Ciara Wheeler, Lisa Shaw; Mayah Doyle, Aoife Rattigan, Alannah Prizeman. Subs: Aoife Murnane for Lia Reilly (15 minutes), Áine Mernagh for Emma Wheeler (18 minutes), Ruth Dillon for Aoife Rattigan (30 minutes), Aisling Ihrue for Lisa Shaw (52 minutes), Aoife Rattigan for Alannah Prizeman (54 minutes).

Referee: Paul McCaughey (Westmeath)