TG4 All-Ireland ladies football junior championship final

DOWN 1-7 LIMERICK 0-8

By Paul Keane at Croke Park

Orla Swail nailed the super substitute role with the match-winning goal at Croke Park as Down captured their first TG4 All-Ireland junior title since 2000.

Peter Lynch's side repeated their group stage win over a talented Limerick team but had to dig deep to do so in an enertaining and keenly contested decider.

Both sides swapped the lead throughout the opening 35 minutes or so but when Swail netted in the 41st minute, shortly after coming on, she put Down into a lead they didn't relinquish.

Natasha Ferris, who struck 1-8 for Down when the sides last met in June, top scored again with five points.

She began the day with 7-26 registered in the championship and the five-point haul leaves her seven points ahead of Clare's Fidelma Marriman - who will play in this afternoon's intermediate final - in the race for the 2023 ZuCar Golden Boot award.

Limerick didn't lose any face in a battling defeat and with hurling heroes John Kiely and Aaron Gillane looking on, fought gamely to the conclusion.

Limerick were champions at the grade in 2018 but endured frustration more recently with semi-final defeats in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

They finally smashed through that glass ceiling when they beat Fermanagh by the narrowest of margins last month.

Caoimhe McGrath fired six points as a substitute in that 0-10 to 1-6 win and was retained in attack.

She started alongside Amy Ryan in a two-person inside full-forward line with Leah Coughlan, wearing number 13, dropping all the way back to the Limerick defence to play as a sweeper.

Down manager Lynch made two alterations from the team that beat Carlow in the semi-final, drafting in full-back Ciara Byrne who started the game on Vivienne McCormack before picking up the lively McGrath.

Natalie McKibbin was Down's extra defender and it was the Ulster side that edged a low-scoring first-half by 0-5 to 0-4.

Ferris scored four of their five points, two from frees and two beauties from play. The experienced Bryansford poacher punched the air in delight after her first point from play in the 17th minute and she split the posts again in the 27th minute after a neat lay-off from Aoife Brogan.

McGrath scored all of Limerick's first-half points and her first, after a sharp turn and precise kick in the fifth minute, was their only from open play until early in the second-half.

Deborah Murphy kicked that score for Limerick just seconds after the restart and when Karen O'Leary added another three minutes later, Limerick led by 0-6 to 0-5.

The sides were back level for the fifth time at 0-6 apiece when Aimee O'Higgins pointed her second of the afternoon for Down.

O'Higgins was replaced shortly after by McKay and it was the substitute who played a key role in Down's 41st minute goal.

McKay won a throw-up between herself and Coughlan and got a kick pass away to fellow sub Swail who shook off challenges from Limerick duo Katie Heelan and Yvonne Lee before blasting low to the Limerick net.

Limerick got a kick from their bench too as Iris Kennelly came on and pointed after being set up by Murphy.

But they couldn't reel in a Down side that was in control for most of the final quarter. Down also benefited from the yellow card sin-binning of Limerick's effervescent centre-forward O'Leary in the 53rd minute.

Ferris wrapped up Down's scoring with a beauty from the edge of the D as they counted down the minutes to a landmark success.

Down scorers: Natasha Ferris 0-5 (0-2f), Orla Swail 1-0, Aimee O'Higgins 0-2.

Limerick scorers: Coaimhe McGrath 0-4 (0-3f), Deborah Murphy 0-1, Karen O'Leary 0-1, Iris Kennelly 0-1, Meadhbh MacNamara 0-1

Down: Amy McGivern; Aimee Greene, Ciara Byrne, Orla Boyle; Natalie McKibbin; Orla Duffy, Meghan Doherty, Niamh Scullion; Aoife Laverty, Aoife Brogan; Laoise Duffy, Vivienne McCormack, Aimee O'Higgins; Eimear Fitzpatrick, Natasha Ferris.

Subs: Clara Mulvenna for McCormack h/t, Orla Swail for Fitzpatrick 37, Paige Smyth for Laverty 37, Kate McKay for O'Higgins 41, Emily Martin for Doherty 56.

Limerick: Carol Bateman; Alva Quaid, Yvonne Lee; Leah Coughlan; Laura Walshe, Grace Lee, Yvonne Lee, Lauren Ryan; Roisin Ambrose, Fiona Bradshaw; Cathy Mee, Karen O'Leary, Deborah Murphy; Caoimhe McGrath, Amy Ryan.

Subs: Katie Heelan for Bradshaw 32, Iris Kennelly for A Ryan 38, Andrea O'Sullivan for McGrath 50.

Referee: Angela Gallagher (Dublin).