LISTEN: Captain Casey hoping that Shannon can push on after Munster win

Shannon RFC ladies took pride of place in the club last week after victory over Tralee in the Senior Ladies Munster League Final.

A coin toss decided that Tralee would host a keenly contested final but Shannon drew first blood thanks to a fantastic Aoife Twohill break.

She fended off a couple of defenders to dot down in the ninth minute. Valerie Power nailed the conversion to stretch Shannon’s advantage to seven points.

Both sides had chances to score in the following 20 minutes, but it was the home side that broke through first.

Tralee enjoyed a good spell of possession to advance towards the Shannon line and a quick switch of play saw them score in the corner. That try was converted to level the final with half an hour on the clock.

It looked like it with remain at 7-7 going into the second half, but an excellent piece of attacking by Shannon saw them close to the try line. A couple of carries by the Shannon forwards inched them ever closer to a second try.

Eventually, it was Maeve Keogh that got possession and she powered over to put Shannon in the lead once again.  Again Valerie Power was sure of the kick and we went in at half time 14-7 ahead.

The second half told a similar tale to the first with both sides attacking hard and neither giving way. There were extended periods of time in which both sides looked dangerous, but neither yielded to pressure. Towards the end of the game, Tralee were on the Shannon line and looking very threatening.

Shannon’s defensive strategy held firm they did brilliantly to absorb the pressure for long enough to steal a vital turnover and clear from danger. The second half remained scoreless with the final whistling heralding much jubilation from the Shannon side who were ecstatic with their 14-7 victory and trophy win.

Shannon will now enter the playoffs in the hope of reaching next season’s AIL They play Leinster side Suttonians in the semi final. Shannon captain, Emma Casey, spoke to Sporting Limerick after their win over Tralee.