Mary’s stay alive
Defensive effort a sight to behold
ST. MARY’S (N ROSS) 3-3 ST. ANGELA’S 1-9
HAVING TRAILED for just two minutes in the entire game, St. Mary’s (New Ross) had to settle for a draw and another crack at the All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Junior ‘A’ camogie championship crown in Carriganore on Saturday.
It’s foolhardy to attach the word ‘luck’ to the Mercy girls but in a roundabout way they were lucky. Quite frankly, after 60-plus minutes of busting their guts, hunting down every ball and battling relentlessly, luck was on their side for two reasons.
Firstly, in this type of game, it’s rare for a team to get such a raw deal from a referee and live to fight another day. Cork official Cathal Egan is well known in Wexford camogie circles, infamous for the added-time fiasco in the 2015 All-Ireland semi-final.
On that day both sides had the same amount of time to win the game, but on Saturday both teams were not afforded equal billing. The stark contrast in how Egan refereed the sides was so obvious, it was farcical.
It’s hard to know what was more embarrassing for the Camogie Association, the unbalanced performance of their official or the lack of a match day programme for an All-Ireland final.
Battling all the way to this stage, the least these two gutsy teams could expect is a little respect from their own governing body. This is not on the back of amateurs, as there are paid professionals in Croke Park treating their own players with complete indifference.
Due to the way the game was refereed, the second stroke of luck to fall for St. Mary’s was the fact that no extra-time was scheduled and the game went straight to a replay.
It gets continually harder to keep bouncing back from the concession of frees, especially when you’re not getting the same decisions when you have the ball.
One can only be in awe of the St. Mary’s defensive effort, as it really was a sight to behold. They conceded just two points from play, only allowed the superb Aoife Fitzgerald to score, and were absolutely outstanding from start to finish.
It’s impossible to pick out one player, since it was the quintessential team performance. When one girl was even in a small bit of trouble, another team-mate came flying in to the rescue. The way these players work for each other is inspiring.
In attack, St. Mary’s looked to get the ball to their three inside forwards at every opportunity. There are no mugs in the Ursuline defence, as they are big, strong and combative, but St. Mary’s continually troubled them close to goal and it bodes well for the replay.
Two Fitzgerald dead-balls bettered a Kate Foley free as the Waterford school took an early 0-2 to 0-1 lead. However, Katie Murphy picked up possession on the right, cut inside and sent a rasping drive to the net in the eighth minute to put St. Mary’s ahead.
It could have been even better a minute later when Foley’s shot was somehow saved by the hand of midfielder Clodagh Carroll reaching backwards. Later, at the other end, Bríd Walsh saved her side with a classy stop from Alisha Flynn’s pulled attempt.
When the next score eventually came, it was Murphy again on the scoresheet. This time she linked up well with Foley whose shot was probably an attempt at a point, but it dipped in and St. Mary’s led by 2-1 to 0-2.
Fitzgerald cut two points off the deficit late in the opening half to leave the game in the balance at the break (2-1 to 0-4). She registered two more frees early in the second-half as the crowd started to show their frustration with the match official.
A long, sustained cheer greeted the first New Ross free of the half in the 39th minute. Foley popped it over after Sorcha Cantwell over-carried to make it 2-2 to 0-6.
Fitzgerald responded in kind but Murphy split the uprights from an almost impossible angle on the right to put her side two up again.
Moments after Fitzgerald’s dead-ball made it 2-3 to 0-8 with seven minutes left, she latched onto a Carroll free and tapped over to level the game.
However, back came St. Mary’s. Ciara Walsh played a stunning handpass to release Faye Codd and the Cloughbawn clubwoman showed incredible coolness under pressure to rattle the net.
In fairness to Ursuline, they refused to give up. They won another free 30 metres from goal and Fitzgerald hit a piledriver into the roof of the St. Mary’s net.
The New Ross girls dominated the closing minutes but couldn’t find the score to win the game.
Now that St. Mary’s know what to expect, it is clear they have nothing to fear in the replay.
They look like the better, more balanced team and will get the chance to prove it in the coming weeks.
St. Mary’s (New Ross): Hannah Dunphy (Mullinavat); Niamh Ogilvie (Cloughbawn), Katie Kehoe (Horeswood), Bríd Walsh (St. James’); Elaine Quigley (Cloughbawn, joint capt.), Amy Cahill (Rathnure), Aine Galavan (The Rower-Inistioge); Aisling Prendergast (Graiguenamanagh), Tara Doyle (Cloughbawn, joint capt.); Niamh O’Shea (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Ciara Walsh (St. James’), Cria Langton (The Rower-Inistioge); Katie Murphy (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, 2-1), Kate Foley (Horeswood, 0-2 frees), Faye Codd (Cloughbawn, 1-0). Subs. (unused) - Gemma Dunne (Graiguenamanagh), Gráinne Kelly (The Rower-Inistioge), Sinéad Murphy (St. James’), Caoimhe Lyng (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown); Róisín O’Connor (Rathnure), Ella Dalton (St. James’), Ella Foley (Rathgarogue-Cushinstown), Fiona Ryan (Gusserane), Sophie Roche (Rathnure), Méadhbh Nunan (Fethard), Kathryn Dempsey (Horeswood), Sarah Flynn (Cloughbawn), Eva Mooney (Rathnure), Amy Ryan (The Rower-Inistioge), Eimear Holden (Graiguenamanagh), Fiona Guiney (Rathnure), Jane Prendergast (The Rower-Inistioge), Ella Lyng (Rathnure), Kate Galavan (The Rower-Inistioge), Alison Donnelly (Glenmore).
St. Angela’s: Elena Gallagher; Hannah Leamy, Lucy Hogan, Sorcha Cantwell; Shauna Farrell, Sarah Maher, Jodie Tuohy; Clodagh Carroll, Holly Ryan; Rachel Walsh, Abby Flynn, Clodagh Hoctor; Alisha Flynn, Aoife Fitzgerald (1-9, 1-7 frees), Clodagh Curham. Sub. - Laoise McLoughlin for Leamy (27).
Referee: Cathal Egan (Cork).