Keen rivals must meet again
Late Doyle point earns Gorey C.S. draw with Carnew
GOREY C.S. C. BHRIDE CARNEW 3-4 3-4
A LATE pointed free from Craanford’s Sarah Doyle ensured that Gorey Community School and Coláiste Bhríde Carnew must meet again in the final of the Leinster Schools Junior ‘B’ camogie championship after a thoroughly entertaining battle at Páirc Uí Shíocháin on Saturday.
Bob Fitzgerald’s Carnew students will probably feel the more fortunate of the two sides to have earned another shot at the title after Doyle’s free left it 3-4 apiece on a pleasant January day at the Gorey venue.
The Gorey students toppled Offaly’s Banagher in their semi-final by 2-3 to 0-6 while Coláiste Bhríde emerged as three-point winners over Castlecomer in their last-four battle in Shillelagh last Thursday afternoon.
Things were looking very bleak for Coláiste Bhríde at the break when they went in trailing by 2-2 to 0-1, with the Gorey Community School side looking by far the sharper outfit thanks to goals from Caoimhe Browne and the very impressive Róisín Hughes and points from Katie Bolger (free) and the aforementioned Hughes.
The Carnew side’s only impression on the scoreboard came from a Sarah Doyle free after 16 minutes after a foul on the tigerish and fiercely determined Sadhbh Buttle.
Worryingly for the Carnew students, they registered nine wides in that first-half while Keeva Steadman in the Gorey Community School goal also saved an effort for a major from Doyle who had a difficult day from placed balls for the most part.
Gorey Community School were looking in a very healthy state at the break.
They were handling the threat of Sadhbh Buttle and Sarah Doyle relatively competently and they were still registering scores at the other end despite a very impressive outing from full-back Melissa Doran and the half-back line of Aoife Kinsella, Karen Tomkins and Ciara Wafer.
Bob Fitzgerald positioned Sarah Doyle on the edge of the Gorey Community School square and brought Buttle out to centre-forward to try to utilise her mobility from the start of the second-half. Gorey Community School reacted by pulling centre-back Tara O’Connor back to attend to Doyle.
The Gorey girls took up where they left off and, but for the awareness and sharpness of Kate Butler in the Coláiste Bhríde goal, would have put this game to bed in the early moments of the second-half, with efforts from Súin Mordiff and Caoimhe Browne saved by the Coláiste Bhríde netminder.
The Carnew students started to grow into this game at this point. A foul on full-forward Eimear Byrne allowed Sarah Doyle recover from a difficult first-half with a point, and then fortune began to favour the brave.
Jade Shannon was quickest to react from a long ball into the Gorey Community School square and she somehow shoveled the ball over the line for a massive boost for the visiting side.
Moments later a Sarah Doyle free made its way unhindered to the top corner of Keeva Steadman’s net to utterly alter the landscape and mood of this game and pull the sides level at 2-2 apiece at the end of the third quarter.
A Sarah Doyle ’45 dropped short moments later and Shauna O’Shea pounced to finish home, and when Doyle converted a free won by Sadhbh Buttle it was looking very positive from a Coláiste Bhríde perspective with ten minutes to go and leading by 3-3 to 2-2, with Gorey Community School yet to score in the second-half.
But the sharpness and talent within the Gorey side hadn’t suddenly evaporated and it returned with vengeance for the next six minutes as they bagged 1-2 without reply to sicken the Carnew students’ challenge.
It began with two Súin Murdiff points (one free) and ended with a major from the hurl of Róisín Hughes that Kate Bolger in the Coláiste Bhríde goal will have nightmares over.
Normal time was up when the Coláiste Bhríde net was bulged but there had been a number of injuries so they would get a chance one felt, and that they did.
Sarah Doyle was fouled close to the Gorey Community School goal and, having received attention for the knock she received, she got to her feet, steadied herself and drove the ball between the sticks to level the game.
The replay takes place in the grounds of Carnew Emmets G.A.A. club this Saturday at noon and it promises to be a battle not to be missed if this joust was anything to go by.
Gorey C.S.: Keeva Steadman; Mia Davey, Millie Doran, Saoirse McDonald; Maeve Bairéad, Tara O’Connor, Béibhinn O’Brien; Elizabeth Gahan, Aisling Fitzpatrick; Súin Murdiff (02, 1 free), Olive Curtis, Katie Bolger (0-1 free); Róisín McGonigle, Róisín Hughes (2-1), Caoimhe Browne (1-0). Subs. - Orla Boyle for Fitzpatrick, Mia Davey for Bolger, Caoimhe Fleming for McDonald.
Coláiste Bhríde Carnew: Kate Butler; Anna Tomkins, Melissa Doran, Kayla Tighe; Aoife Kinsella, Karen Tomkins, Ciara Wafer; Eimer Mutton, Róisín Byrne; Shauna O’Shea (1-0), Laci Jane Shannon, Jade Shannon (1-0); Sarah Doyle (1-4 frees), Eimear Byrne, Sadhbh Buttle. Sub. - Hannah Doyle for J. Shannon.
Referee: Aidan O’Brien (Cloughbawn).