Recap

Things were looking ominous for the Griffintown Ladies as they kitted out on Monday evening and it wasn’t just the weather warnings troubling them. Injuries, work commitments and travel-plans of many Gaels resulted in a mere three players arriving at Vanier for their second Superleague fixture and a fourth player expected at any moment. They were without some key players including the Leppin Michelle Lee, who had scored a total of five points for her side the previous week but is now carrying a dance injury.
The Verdun Vikings on the other hand had ten of their squad ready and rearing to go led by their captain Eimear O’Leary Barrett. While they too were missing some key personnel such as their Goalie, Brandy Byrd, they had the numbers to rejig the squad to suit their needs and the fearless Ariane Jodoin-Aubertin took to the nets.
In a somewhat controversial move Neiler from the Men’s Gaels team played in goals for the Ladies to bring their total up to eight vs the Vikings ten. Everyone wanted a good competitive game so this was agreed upon before throw in and they played eight a side.
Referee Ronan Corbett got things underway and the Gaels were quick to put the pressure on and light up the score board…the imaginary score board. Substitutes from the Blackrocks including Shera Robinson, Jenn Dumais, Saraid McCarrick and Paola Rückoldt proved a force to be reckoned with in the backs and mids against the Vikings who also made their mark early on with points from Veronique Buisson and a sneaky goal by Vikings MVP Niamh Devaney.
Then a late arrival mixed things up. The rain. Oh the rain! At this point special thanks should be made to the Referee, lines men, score keeper and umpires as they braved the torrential downpour and allowed the game to continue, whether the Ladies wanted to or not! Visibility was poor as the women soldiered on in what must have been the heaviest rainfall this year. Slippy conditions made most elements of the game difficult, especially the shooting. Luckily the rain eased up for the second half of the game to a mere medium to heavy shower.
While the Vikings had improved their game steadily throughout the first half and with Audrey Taillefer scoring points and Veronique putting away a mighty goal against the hapless Neiler (that one’s for you Saraid!), things began to fall apart for them in the second half. The fitness of the Gaels became evident as they won more and more ball in the air and finishing came easier to them. Laura Brody, Julie Morrice and Gaels MVP Jasmine Akkermans began piling on the scores in style. The Vikings kept their heads up, scoring some more points as the speedy Maire Hanrahan made her presence felt but it just wasn’t enough as the Gaels put away some late goals.
Just as the last few minutes ticked on, Gaels powerhouse Paris Williams arrived at the pitch, believing the game to be starting at 8pm rather than 7pm. Luckily her teammates had powered on to an impressive win nonetheless!
The final score was 9-8 Gaels to the Vikings 5-8