That’s more like it!
Wexford ladies get back on course
WEXFORD 1-19 OFFALY 0-15
WEXFORD PROVED that there’s at least some life left in the old dog with a clinical first-half burst to put this Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior camogie championship tie out of Offaly’s reach in Innovate Wexford Park on Saturday.
The Slaneysiders came into the game only narrow 4/6 favourites with the bookmakers after a patchy league and Leinster championship campaign that saw them lose four games on the bounce.
However, they looked like a completely different team from the one that surrendered meekly to the Faithful girls in their last outing. Gone, for the most part, were the long, drawnout attacks that went nowhere - known in some quarters as the ‘handpass yourself to death’ gameplan.
In its place was a ‘back to hurling basics’ approach, it was a get the ball into the forwards quickly and let’s see what they are made of deal. And, yes it was Offaly, and yes, bigger tests lie ahead, but this was pretty good.
The proof is in the scoresheet. Una Leacy scored six points, and should and could have had a hat-trick of majors too. Linda Bolger got a trio of points, and the St. Martin’s attacker looked to enjoy the extra space afforded by the change of direction.
Shelley Kehoe, always a tireless worker who could never be begrudged of an individual award, came out with ‘player of the game’ but Joanne Dillon must have ran her close. Two weeks ago the Rathgarogue-Cushinstown clubwoman hit double digits for the Intermediates but this was her arrival.
Dillon was superb, not just in notching four points, all from play, but she had a handful of assists too to put Offaly on the back foot. Several youngsters have had great single performances in the last couple of seasons; few have consistently put them in and that’s the test that lies ahead.
Thirteen points from play for the inside forwards is a fantastic return, there’s no doubt about that, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the change of emphasis. That, no doubt, added stress to the defence but that re-jigged sextet did reasonably well too.
It’s been a long road for Ciara Storey to morph herself from occasionally used substitute to Wexford’s best out-and-out defender but that transition is complete. The Oulart-The Ballagh clubwoman was excellent at full-back in the new-look defence.
Few would have foreseen a county team with Mary Leacy and Bríd Gordon as the two wing-backs but the interesting move certainly worked against Offaly. Cork, scorers of 1-27 in their win against Limerick on Saturday, will test that further this weekend.
Wexford played with superior intensity in the opening half and that, coupled with quick balls into forwards winning individual battles, saw the hosts disregard a 30-minute delay due to Offaly arriving late to streak clear.
With just 61 seconds on the clock Shelley Kehoe’s searching ball picked out Chloe Foxe on the run and the St. Martin’s clubwoman nonchalantly flicked past Mairéad Jennings to the visitors’ net.
Joanne Dillon won possession on the right, sauntered away from the defence and split the posts with a cracking effort from tight to the sideline. Then, after Jennings advanced too far on a puck-out, Foxe converted the resulting ‘45 to make it 1-2 to nil.
Stacey Kehoe fed Foxe for another point in the fifth minute but Offaly hit back with a Siobhán Flannery ‘45 after Niamh Potter spilled Debbie Flynn’s hopeful ball out of play. While Potter had a couple of nervy moments with high balls, she generally did well and her distribution was good.
The concession of the first point didn’t slow Wexford down as Una Sinnott forcefully replied from the resulting puck-out. Linda Bolger handpassed off to Dillon under pressure and she tapped over her second point.
Flannery pointed a free to make it 1-5 to 0-2 but Wexford almost netted again when Dillon beat her marker and handpassed across the face of goal to Bolger, but she missed the ball with her baseball-style swing with the goal gaping.
Bolger pointed from Stacey Kehoe’s feed in the 14th minute but Wexford dodged a bullet when Debbie Flynn’s goal was disallowed for a square ball infringement moments later. Flannery notched her third placed ball in the 20th minute but Wexford were about to forge a sizeable lead.
Bolger scored a super minor to make it 1-7 to 0-3, and then Una Leacy pointed. The Oulart-The Ballagh forward got into goalscoring position moments later after fine work by her sister Mary and Joanne Dillon, but she handpassed narrowly over the crossbar.
The bar and the goalkeeper’s hurl kept Foxe’s long-range effort out in the 25th minute while Potter made a solid stop from Flynn at the other end when Offaly countered. County footballer Mairéad Daly registered her side’s only score from play of the period with three minutes remaining.
When Leacy was blocked out she found Bolger who pointed. The experienced forward then picked off her third minor of the period from distance. Just before the half-time whistle Foxe converted a free after she was felled to make it 1-12 to 0-4 at the change-around.
Against the breeze, Wexford managed to score seven points to keep their opponents at arm’s length, including the first of the half from Leacy after an excellent Sinnott pass. However, Offaly rang the changes and registered the next three points to leave nine between the sides.
A 42nd-minute foul on Bolger saw Foxe convert for the Slaneysiders. Orlagh Kirwan nailed the first of five dead balls in the 44th minute but Wexford closed out the third quarter 1-15 to 0-8 ahead after another Leacy raised white flag.
Three Kirwan frees narrowed the gap to eight but Wexford never panicked. Leacy beat her marker but also the crossbar with a fizzed shot in the 54th minute. Ann Marie Guinan looked sharp with two late points from the bench for the visitors but Wexford coasted home.
Dillon capped her fantastic showing with another classy long-distance point, and Shelley Kehoe put a cap on her great day with a 60th-minute point. Leacy was denied goal by a Jennings save in added time but it didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
The games come thick and fast now for Wexford with the trip to Cork this Saturday followed by a home tie against Tipperary two weeks later.
The game against the Leesiders is sure to be a massive test, with a lot more known about John Kelly and Matty Flynn-O’Connor’s newlook side after that outing.
Wexford: Niamh Potter; Aine Lacey, Ciara Storey, Karen Atkinson; Bríd Gordon (capt.), Síona Nolan; Mary Leacy; Amy Cardiff, Shelley Kehoe (0-1); Chloe Foxe (1-4, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45), Una Sinnott (01), Stacey Kehoe; Joanne Dillon (0-4), Una Leacy (0-6), Linda Bolger (0-3). Subs. - Shauna Sinnott for Lacey (43), Emma Walsh for Bolger (43), Sarah O’Connor for Gordon (53), also Emma Kiely, Ciara Donohoe, Aoife Cousins.
Offaly: Mairéad Jennings; Grace Teehan, Jean Brady (capt.), Fiona Stephens; Róisín Egan, Michaela Morkan, Linda Sullivan; Orlagh Kirwan (0-5, 4 frees, 1 ‘45), Aisling Brennan; Mairéad Daly (0-2), Triona McDonald, Sarah Harding; Debbie Flynn, Siobhán Flannery (0-3, 2 frees, 1 ‘45), Arlene Watkins (0-1). Subs. - Tina Hannon (0-1) for Stephens (31), Rachel Brennan for McDonald (37), Patrice Delaney (0-1) for Flynn (38), Ann Marie Guinan (0-2) for Flannery (42).
Referee: Ray Kelly (Kildare).