Route To #EnergiaAIL Final: Railway Union
Railway Union winger Aimee Clarke darts forward during their semi-final victory over Old Belvedere last Saturday ©INPHO/Tom Maher
Railway Union, the standard bearers of the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division in recent years, are within reach of their third title in-a-row.
They renew rivalries with Blackrock College, the only team to beat them during the regular season, as the south Dublin heavyweights lock horns in Friday’s TG4-televised final at Energia Park (kick-off 7.45pm). Tickets are available here.
John Cronin’s side had the edge on Blackrock in last season’s decider, prevailing by six points (24-18) with scrum half Ailsa Hughes touching down twice under the Donnybrook floodlights.
They have to plan for the 2022/23 final without the division’s top try scorer, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (10 tries), who is away on Ireland Sevens duty, but Aoife Doyle and Lindsay Peat (9 each) have been in impressive scoring form.
Nikki Caughey and Molly Scuffil-McCabe are also reliable goal kickers, with the former splitting the posts four times during Railway’s 34-19 semi-final triumph over Old Belvedere last Saturday.
RAILWAY UNION – ROUTE TO THE ENERGIA AIL FINAL:
ROUND 1:
Idle Week
ROUND 2:
UL BOHEMIANS 5 RAILWAY UNION 24, UL Arena
Scorers: UL Bohemians: Try: Geena Behan
Railway Union: Tries: Molly Boyne, Lindsay Peat, Anna McGann, Deirdre Roberts; Cons: Molly Scuffil-McCabe 2
HT: UL Bohemians 5 Railway Union 5
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aimee Clarke, Niamh Byrne (capt), Anna McGann, Ava Ryder; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Katie O’Dwyer, Aoife McDermott, Sonia McDermott, Keelin Brady, Molly Boyne, Deirdre Roberts.
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Megan Collis, Emerson Allen, Carmen Rodera, Emma Fabby, Alaïs Diebold, Stephanie Carroll.
ROUND 3:
RAILWAY UNION 79 BALLINCOLLIG 0, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Claire Boles, Aoife Doyle 2, Carmen Rodera 2, Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Lisa Callan, Ailsa Hughes 2, Ava Ryder, Claire Byrne, Deirdre Roberts, Keelin Brady; Cons: Christine Coffey 7
Ballincollig: –
HT: Railway Union 38 Ballincollig 0
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne, Deirdre Roberts, Ava Ryder; Christine Coffey, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Lisa Callan, Katie O’Dwyer, Emerson Allen, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Kate McCarthy, Claire Boles.
Replacements: Chloe Blackmore, Grainne O’Loughlin, Claire Byrne, Keelin Brady, Molly Boyne, Stephanie Carroll, Nikki Caughey.
ROUND 4:
SUTTONIANS 5 RAILWAY UNION 78, JJ McDowell Memorial Grounds
Scorers: Suttonians: Try: Lena Kibler
Railway Union: Tries: Carmen Rodera 3, Leah Tarpey 2, Katie Heffernan, Aoife McDermott, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 3, Ava Ryder, Eve Higgins, Aimee Clarke 2; Cons: Eve Higgins 4
HT: Suttonians 5 Railway Union 32
RAILWAY UNION: Katie Heffernan; Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Eve Higgins, Leah Tarpey, Niamh Byrne (capt); Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Deirdre Roberts, Daisy Earle.
Replacements: Grainne O’Loughlin, Emma Fabby, Emerson Allen, Sonia McDermott, Molly Boyne, Aimee Clarke, Ava Ryder.
ROUND 5:
RAILWAY UNION 88 COOKE 0, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Lindsay Peat 5, Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Aoife Doyle 2, Deirdre Roberts, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 7; Cons: Molly Scuffil-McCabe 2, Nikki Caughey 2
Cooke: –
HT: Railway Union 44 Cooke 0
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Niamh Byrne (capt), Katie Heffernan, Aoife Doyle; Eve Higgins, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Molly Boyne, Deirdre Roberts.
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Grainne O’Loughlin, Emerson Allen, Emma Fabby, Nikki Caughey, Aimee Clarke, Ava Ryder.
ROUND 6:
GALWEGIANS 7 RAILWAY UNION 57, Crowley Park
Scorers: Galwegians: Try: Orla Dixon; Con: Emma Keane
Railway Union: Tries: Aoife Doyle 2, Deirdre Roberts 2, Ailsa Hughes 3, Aimee Clarke, Lisa Callan; Cons: Nikki Caughey 5, Aimee Clarke
HT: Galwegians 7 Railway Union 26
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aimee Clarke, Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Ava Ryder; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Lisa Callan, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Emma Fabby, Deirdre Roberts.
Replacements: Claire Byrne, Grainne O’Loughlin, Kirstie Stevenson, Sonia McDermott, Molly Boyne, Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Leah Tarpey.
ROUND 7:
RAILWAY UNION 15 OLD BELVEDERE 11, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Ava Ryder, Carmen Rodera, Aoife O’Shaughnessy
Old Belvedere: Try: Elise O’Byrne-White; Pens: Dannah O’Brien 2
HT: Railway Union 10 Old Belvedere 11
RAILWAY UNION: Aoife O’Shaughnessy; Aimee Clarke, Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Ava Ryder; Nikki Caughey, Christine Coffey; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Emma Fabby, Molly Boyne.
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Claire Byrne, Grainne O’Loughlin, Daisy Earle, Emerson Allen, Alaïs Diebold, Stephanie Carroll.
ROUND 8:
RAILWAY UNION 17 BLACKROCK COLLEGE 19, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Lindsay Peat, Aoife Doyle, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Con: Nikki Caughey
Blackrock College: Tries: Anna Doyle, Maeve Óg O’Leary, Méabh Deely; Cons: Enya Breen 2
HT: Railway Union 5 Blackrock College 19
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Leah Tarpey, Niamh Byrne (capt), Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Aoife Doyle; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Molly Boyne, Emerson Allen.
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Grainne O’Loughlin, Claire Byrne, Sonia McDermott, Emma Fabby, Christine Coffey, Stephanie Carroll.
ROUND 9:
WICKLOW 5 RAILWAY UNION 22, Ashtown Lane
Scorers: Wicklow: Try: Linda Dempsey
Railway Union: Tries: Aoife Doyle, Ailsa Hughes, Megan Collis, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Con: Nikki Caughey
HT: Wicklow 0 Railway Union 5
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Stephanie Carroll; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Grainne O’Loughlin, Chloe Blackmore, Lisa Callan, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Molly Boyne, Emerson Allen.
Replacements: Claire Byrne, Megan Collis, Sonia McDermott, Emma Fabby, Christine Coffey, Leah Tarpey, Ava Ryder.
SEMI-FINAL:
RAILWAY UNION 34 OLD BELVEDERE 19, Park Avenue
Scorers: Railway Union: Tries: Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Lindsay Peat 2, Sonia McDermott, Aoife Doyle; Cons: Nikki Caughey 3; Pen: Nikki Caughey
Old Belvedere: Tries: Alice O’Dowd, Elise O’Byrne-White, Katie Whelan; Cons: Dannah O’Brien 2
HT: Railway Union 17 Old Belvedere 19
RAILWAY UNION: Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Aoife Doyle, Niamh Byrne (capt), Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Aimee Clarke; Nikki Caughey, Ailsa Hughes; Lindsay Peat, Chloe Blackmore, Katie O’Dwyer, Sonia McDermott, Aoife McDermott, Carmen Rodera, Keelin Brady, Molly Boyne.
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Megan Collis, Grainne O’Loughlin, Emerson Allen, Emma Fabby, Christine Coffey, Leah Tarpey, Stephanie Carroll.