Kilrush come good
Success shows no signs of slowing
KILRUSH GLYNN-BARNTOWN 1-12 0-8
THE INCREDIBLE Kilrush run of success shows no signs of slowing down after their victory over Glynn-Barntown in the Under-16 camogie Premier championship final in Bellefield on Monday of last week.
Backboned by their 2018 All-Ireland Féile-winning side, the majority of this squad have at least one more season at this age group and are showing no signs of coming back to the pack after they eased away from the Killurin-based club with a powerful second-half showing.
This season alone, the Gorey District club have claimed - along with this championship - the Premier Under-14 crown and Under-16 Roinn 2B title with their second string, and they are proving an unstoppable force at the moment.
Glynn-Barntown tried their hardest. They worked their socks off and at times the midfield shone.
The impressive Ciara Butler was able to take the game to Kilrush but, such was the quality of champion they were up against, those spells didn’t last long.
Right across the field Kilrush bristled with confidence, and they have such strength-in-depth that they were able to swap out the starters with their substitutes along the way without any fluctuation in their skill levels.
Sometimes the spine of a team at this age group can be rock solid and the drop-off is felt elsewhere, but Kilrush were powerful through the centre while maintaining a dangerous knack of committing defenders and creating chances in wide areas.
Glynn-Barntown couldn’t find a weakness. As underdogs they chucked everything at Kilrush but there was no change they could make, no positional switch they could muster, that unsettled the champions.
The only time the Wexford District side got a sniff of an upset was in a strong opening quarter. The supreme Amy Tobin-Cosgrave had put Kilrush ahead with a pointed penalty after she was fouled, but Glynn-Barntown came back with three dead-balls from Ciara Butler (two) and Grace Roche, plus a classy Gráinne Ní Ailín point from play to lead by 0-4 to 0-1.
With the experience of consistently winning titles comes a calmness that you can’t teach. Kilrush displayed it as they chipped away with a nice Tobin-Cosgrave score from Rachel Kavanagh’s assist.
Two frees from influential captain Emma Tomkins dragged Kilrush level, only for Butler to convert a ‘45 to make it 0-5 to 0-4.
Glynn-Barntown started to bend without breaking late in the half but still went in a point down.
Amy Tobin-Cosgrave darted in after great work by Eilish O’Rourke in the 25th minute but kicked over the bar when maybe the handpass to the net was the better option.
She had two more chances repelled by Lizzie Walsh before the break, but an O’Rourke score did give the champs the lead (0-6 to 0-5).
Kavanagh doubled the advantage moments after the re-start, but it was countered by Butler. Abbie Walsh wasn’t fully fit, with her leg heavily strapped, but she made a serious impression in the second-half.
Her free made it 0-8 to 0-6 before Walsh beat her namesake in the Glynn-Barntown goal with a ‘45.
The goalkeeper was excellent throughout and probably would have dealt with this shot too, but her line was crowded with defenders and it probably did more to impede than help her.
Butler pulled a point back and she was soon moved to full-forward in the hope of something special, but Kilrush didn’t flinch.
They were winning the battle between the half-back lines, and Abbie Walsh was tucking away dead-balls as the lead swelled to 1-12 to 0-7 by the 58th minute.
Glynn-Barntown did try to push the issue late on, and Butler fizzed a free millimetres over the crossbar, but there was to be no denying Kilrush the title as they continue to fill the trophy cabinet with silverware in Ballyroebuck.
Kilrush: Kate Butler; Mary Clare McCrea, Edana Mimnagh, Aoife Kinsella; Zoe Tobin-Cosgrave, Karen Tomkins, Niamh O’Rourke; Eilish O’Rourke (0-1), Aoibhe MacSweeney; Eimear Byrne, Emma Tomkins (capt., 0-2 frees), Rachel Kavanagh (0-1); Tara Kenny, Amy Tobin-Cosgrave (0-3, 1 pen), Áine Doran. Subs. - Sadhbh Buttle for Kenny (29), Abbie Walsh (1-5, 0-4 frees, 1-1 ‘45s) for Doran (31), Hermione Murphy for Byrne (41), Emer Fitzgerald for Kinsella (59), also Aoibheann Hayden, Amy Kehoe, Rebecca Kavanagh, Máire Byrne, Sorcha O’Rourke, Anna Tomkins, Sinéad Breen, Kayla McGannon, Kelia Smyth, Shauna MacSweeney, Áine Sharry, Amber Walsh, Katie Moorhead.
Glynn-Barntown: Lizzie Walsh; Allanah Wogan, Sophie O’Leary, Méabh Buckley; Rachel Goff, Rachel Murphy (joint capt.), Sophie Dawson; Caitlin Garnett, Grace Roche (joint capt., 0-2 frees); Robyn O’Connor, Ciara Butler (0-5, 3 frees, 2 ‘45s), Gráinne Ní Ailín (0-1); Sinéad Kirwan, Aoife Clarke, Jane Murphy. Subs. - Gia Coyle for Wogan (35), Ellie Stafford for Clarke (42), Allanah Murphy for J. Murphy (59), Sinéad Barron for Goff (60+1), Ella Maguire for Kirwan (60+1), also Jane Duggan, Libby O’Connor, Amy Barron, Josie Mullen.
Referee: Gearóid McGrath (St. James’).