Croker next forLackluster Stripeywomen
BY NIALL SHERRY, SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTSEDITOR@KILKENNYOBSERVER.IE
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship
Kilkenny 0-12
Galway 1-17
UPMC Nowlan Park
Kilkenny slumped to a second defeat in group 2 of this season’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship following a disappointing performance against Galway in UPMC Nowlan Park last Saturday. Manager Tommy Shefflin will know that his charges will need to regroup ahead of the commencement of the knockout phase of action which now lies ahead for the Stripeywomen following the completion of their group fixtures.
As it stands, Cork looks to have secured direct passage to the semi-final stage, while the Group 2 winners and second last four side will be decided this weekend when Waterford head west to tackle Galway, the Deise have a superior scoring advantage, should spoils be shared.
Getting back to local matters, our senior camogs failed to build on a good win over Dublin when going down by eight points to the Tribeswomen. Playing with the aid of a strong breeze in the opening period, Shefflin’s ladies failed to get enough scores to give themselves anything to hold onto, and their return of just twelve points over the hour was never in truth going to be enough to secure a third victory of the round robin phase.
The visitors got off to a fast start when a Carrie Dolan picked out Sabina Rabbitte who outpaced Tiffinie Fitzgerald whose pressure prevented a possible major, as the ball went over the bar. From the restart, Galway pressurised the home defence, turned the ball over and worked it to Oranmore’s Ailish O’Reilly who split the posts from a central position to make it 0-2 to no score early doors on Noreside. Kilkenny opened their account with almost 4 minutes on the clock, thanks to a well taken point from Thomastown’s Sarah Barcoe who following a ruck picked up possession before firing over off her left side. The hosts drew level just before the ten-minute mark when captain Katie Power collected a long delivery and popped a pass to Caoimhe Keher Murtagh and the Rower Inisitioge player pointed from an acute angle. Galway skipper, Carrie Dolan then converted a placed ball effort just ahead of back-to-back scores from the Stripeywomen. Aoife Norris used the elements to send the ball in the danger zone where Katie Power challenged for possession. As the ball broke, Keher Murtagh reacted quickest to notch her second point of the day. The influential Kilkenny captain then won a free following a high challenge and this gave Aoife Prendergast the opportunity to open her account with a placed ball into the Hebron Road end of the ground to nudge her side ahead mid-way through the opening half.
Cathal Murray’s side then fired over a brace of scores of their own, two frees from captain and Clarinbridge player Carrie Dolan as the women from the west regained the lead. Referee Ray Kelly then blew Ballinderreen’s Emma Helebert for over carrying and Dicksboro’s Aoife Prendergast converted the resulting free, having missed her previous two efforts to level matters once more with what would be the home sides last point of a low scoring half. The maroon clad team then went in search of the lead and would in fact go one better than that. Sarah Healy’s puck out was claimed and the sliotar moved quickly to the even quicker Aoife Donohue who blazed away from the black and amber defence before splitting the posts from the top of the ‘D’. Some strong running from Olwen Rabbitte saw the Athenry player work the ball to the supporting Ciara Hickey who had burst forward from wing back before rifling over from 45 metres out. As the short whistle sounded, Galway went into the changing rooms, 2 points to the good.
This game echoed that of the opening round defeat to Waterford when again despite playing with the wind at their back Kilkenny struggled to take scores. Tommy Shefflin would have drummed it onto his side that they needed to be more clinical, and they started the second period with a little bit of purpose. Katie Power sent over the first score after the interval, the Piltown woman firing over having been set up by Mary O’Connell. The Clara player then showed great battling to win a free which Prendergast popped over to deadlock matters once more.
Aoife Donohoe then dispossessed her opponent and headed for goal. A Couple of Kilkenny players tried to hold her up, but referee Ray Kelly awarded a free to the travelling side which Clarinbridge’s Carrie Dolan converted. The Galway captain then started the move which led to her teams next score, flicking the ball in the direction of Sabina Rabbitte who accelerated away before passing to Mairead Dillon who popped over from a central position to leave her side two ahead. Dicksboro’s Aoife Prendergast was then fouled and duly converted the free awarded by the Kildare whistler.
As Kilkenny tried to work the ball out of defence, their opponents harried and forced another turnover which resulted in the Mullagh’s Aoife Donohoue working the angle to fire over. Tiffinie Fitzgerald, who had been booked earlier in the second half, was then adjudged to have fouled, which not only resulted in another placed ball point for Carrie Dolan, but another quiet word to the Young Ireland’s player from the referee. The next score also came from the Tribeswomen. Sarsfields Caoimhe Kelly had barely been on the pitch a minute when she struck over a lovely point. With 47 minutes on the clock, Aoife Prendergast sent over a couple of placed ball efforts to reduce the deficit, but Anthenry’s Sabina Rabbitte pointed to leave Galway three to the good as the game approached the last ten minutes.
You very much sensed that Shefflin’s charges needed to raise a green flag to get back into the contest, but it was the westerners that increased their lead courtesy of a brace from their captain, the vastly experienced Carrie Dolan. Sophie Holden, Kellyann Doyle, Miriam Bambrick, Asha McHardy and former All-Star Katie Nolan had all entered the fray as Kilkenny sought to halt the Galway momentum, but it would be Cathal Murray’s team that registered the next score, a fine effort from former Portaferry and Down star, Niamh Mallon. One of the Marble City side’s better performers on the day, Laura Murphy then pointed as the visitors lead stood at five points with about three minutes of normal time remaining.
Galway were not to be caught on their trip to Noreside and the impressive Carrie Dolan swung over a lovely point from play before the westerners put the icing on the cake came shortly after. A long ball pumped into the Kilkenny defence saw Caoimhe Kelly and Michelle Teehan tussle for possession and again those in black and amber lost the battle. The loose ball was collected by the recently introduced Niamh Niland who headed for goal along the endline before striking her shot past the helpless Aoife Norris. The home side did strike the last score of the group 2 fixture, another placed ball effort from Aoife Prendergast, but it was no more than consolation for the home side. Final score, Kilkenny 0-12, Galway 1-17.
Sherry Says…………..
A disappointing end to Kilkenny senior camogs group 2 campaign last weekend as a flat performance from the Stripeywomen saw them slip to a second defeat in the round robin stage. Despite this, Tommy Shefflin’s charges will head to Croke Park next weekend for a quarter final encounter. Their opponents will be known in the next couple of days.
As mentioned, 0-12 doesn’t win you many games at this level, and in truth a hungrier and more expansive Galway side emerged with a deserved victory. The girls need to regroup, refocus and work out how they can reach the level we all know they are capable of.
Hopefully the management team can settle on their first choice starting XV and the girls have faith in their ability to deliver results. It’s knockout from here on in, so leave it all on the pitch ladies.
