Magic from Minors
Kilkenny beaten in Leinster ‘A’ final
WEXFORD KILKENNY
WEXFORD CLAIMED the Leinster Minor camogie championship crown in Banagher, Co. Offaly, on Sunday, beating old foes Kilkenny in a typically frenzied tussle.
It was the first time the Slaneysiders have taken this title since 2014 and was a satisfying way to end a year for a side which probably played their best camogie on the hard summer ground.
As well as being a nice confidence booster for these girls going forward, it was also important for management - Neil Cullen, Cathal Darcy and Bernie Mahon - to get some silverware under their belts after strong back-to-back seasons with first the Under-16s and now the Minors.
This success was only possible after Wexford saw off Dublin in their provincial semi-final five days earlier. The hero on that occasion was Anais Curran with a smashing personal haul of 1-11 in a 2-12 to 1-8 success, and the Oulart-The Ballagh clubwoman was on song again in this contest.
However, the ‘player of the game’ award went to Ciara O’Connor and there could be no argument with that choice. In an age group where fluctuations in form are common-place, the St. Martin’s youngster continually bucks that trend with consistent excellent performances.
As well as O’Connor played, she needed help and it came from all around the middle third of the field.
It’s fair to say that Wexford won most areas on the pitch but their strength from Laura Doran at five all through the half-back line, into midfield and though the half-forward line, was absolutely critical.
The fact that Kilkenny rarely looked like getting in for a goal is also a credit to those further back. If you concede just two goals in two games at this level you are going to be in every game you play and that comes back to dogged, unwavering defending.
Curran and Katie Smyth, scorer of the other goal against Dublin, both notched early points as Wexford settled faster. Craanford youngster Smyth could have netted for the second game running in the fifth minute, but Elizabeth Phelan made a classy save.
After Kate Kirwan pointed, Wexford did get the major their early quality deserved. Amy O’Leary, who might have played her best game for her county at corner-forward, fed the ball across goal and Lettie Whelan arrived on cue to pull home from 15 metres out.
Smyth almost added a second when her shot was fumbled towards the line but Phelan recovered to clear. After Kilkenny responded with a couple of points, Curran notched her second deadball to make it 1-4 to 0-2.
Kilkenny had a little purple patch at the start of the second quarter and closed to within two after Steffi Fitzgerald opened her account. However, Curran flighted over two late frees and it was enough to leave her side 1-6 to 0-6 up at the break.
After scoring 1-3 without reply inside seven first-half minutes, one might have expected Kilkenny to heed that warning. However, Wexford took just one minute more to rack up the same score and it was simply about managing the game thereafter.
Curran grabbed the first two of those, both coming after fouls on O’Leary. Then the Rathnure clubwoman got the perfect reward for her performance when her pulled effort from O’Connor’s ball in beat Phelan and squirmed over the line.
Kilkenny never ever completely go away and Emma Bergin made sure the tempo continued to be through the roof when she crept one inside the post after fine buildup play involving Fitzgerald and the dangerous Caoimhe Dowling (2-9 to 1-6).
The runners-up went on to score three more points but every time they pulled the game within five Wexford responded. Whelan, Smyth and Curran pointed to counter scores at the other end by Eimear Farrell, Fitzgerald and Shauna Tracey.
With the game in added time and Kilkenny getting no closer, Lettie Whelan put the seal on her, and several of her team-mates’, under-age career with Wexford camogie with the clinching free from midfield, a score that was shortly followed by joyous, winning Wexford squeals.
Wexford: Gráinne McCabe; Elaine Quigley, Anna Hennessy (capt.), Aisling Halligan; Laura Doran, Ailis Neville, Alannah Davis; Megan Cullen, Kate Kirwan (0-1); Ciara O’Connor, Lettie Whelan (1-2, 0-1 free), Anais Curran (0-8 frees); Katie Smyth (0-2), Lauren Murphy, Amy O’Leary (1-0). Subs. - Ciara Bridges for O’Leary (57), Doireann Cullen for Doran (60), Ciara Banville for Murphy (60+3), also Lara O’Shea, Ciara O’Carroll, Mollie Somers, Eimear O’Connor, Sarah Harding-Kenny, Ciara Walsh, Amy Cahill.
Kilkenny: Elizabeth Phelan; Caoimhe Kelly, Maria Brennan, Eve Lacey; Jane Cass, Caroline Kennedy, Eimear Leahy; Aoife Doyle (0-1), Lisa Donnelly; Steffi Fitzgerald (0-2), Caoimhe Dowling (0-3, 2 frees), Ruth Kent (0-1); Afton Grace, Eimear Farrell (capt., 0-1), Emma Bergin (1-0). Subs. - Shauna Tracey (0-1) for Donnelly (55), Marie Beth Kirby for Kelly (60).
Referee: John Dermody (Westmeath).
HURLING, THE game that keeps on giving. That should be the new catch phrase for the marketing people in Croke Park. After two unbelievable contests over the weekend, the players once again came up with the goods and produced the most amazing spectacles of sporting courage and gallantry you are likely to see, and left fans salivating for more.
I know G.A.A. people always spinning the line that these are amateur players who have to get up and go to work the next day. Well, it’s not spin, it’s the truth.
Eighty gladiators took to the Croke Park arena over two days and produced the greatest sporting entertainment you will see this year, and possibly are ever likely to see.
Both games had everything you could ask for in a game: some of the most amazing scores under pressure, bone-shuddering tackles, individual touches of brilliance, point-blank saves, heroic defending, effective teamwork, and sheer guts.
It was great to see young men having the belief and courage in their own ability to execute their skills on the big stage, in a big game, when it mattered.
They have trained all their sporting lives to get to this point and it must have been special for the coaches who brought them up through the ranks to see them perform to such high levels.
The players from the four counties involved deserve the greatest of credit for the entertainment they provided to the 54,000 that attended on Saturday and the 71,000 on Sunday, and the hundreds of thousands that watched and listened on television and radio.
Wexford referee James Owens deserves a special mention for the part he played in the entertainment on Saturday.
His performance was at the highest level and cemented his place as one of the top referees in the country.
His style allowed the players to display their skills while playing on the edge but within the rules.
His umpires were also on top form as, each time they called on ‘Hawkeye’, the decision was proven too close to make a call with the naked eye.
Their calls were justified, so well done to all as mistakes in such tight games can be devastating to a team.
Roll on the replay and the All-Ireland final as the entertainment just seems to get better and better.
Over the weekend I read an article about how we were recently treated to one of the greatest soccer World Cup tournaments in decades.
I watched a fair amount of games and, granted, we did have a few exciting games, with some outstanding individual performances by a couple of players and a few shock results.
I think it was deemed great more because of the facilities, the organisation and the friendliness of the Russians, rather than by the quality of the games.
By all accounts the hosting qualities of the Russian nation were the complete opposite to what was expected in advance, based on past experiences, so maybe this judgement was clouded by the hospitality on offer.
Now, if that same journalist followed this year’s hurling championships, I think he would have run out of superlatives to describe what entertainment we have witnessed.
Next Saturday our own under-age heroes travel to Nowlan Park to take on Cork in the Under-21 semi-final.
Cork are overwhelming favourites, but, as we have seen across many sports recently, this tag can be a burden on teams and work against them.
After their dramatic extra-time defeat to Galway, the Wexford team won’t be lacking motivation or belief and, with the experienced Senior panel members on our team, I believe they can overturn the bookies’ choice.
Best of luck to all involved.