Depleted Minors no match for Dublin in shield final
A SEVERELY depleted Wexford proved no match for Dublin in the Leinster Minor camogie championship ‘A’ Shield final in Fenagh on Sunday.
In fairness to Wexford, Leinster camogie don’t seem too interested in this competition themselves. With Wexford’s primary competition, the All-Ireland championship, over on April 1, players are supposed to hang around on county panels until late July for two games in eight days.
Having a two-game Leinster championship is fair enough, if it’s played as a precursor to the All-Ireland, but to expect any side to be at their best in these circumstances is ludicrous.
Wexford had just 16 of their squad available for this game and it showed. Dublin raced out of the traps and built a 0-12 to nil lead in the first quarter on the back of a trio of points from Ciara Holland and Kerri Finnegan.
When the Slaneysiders did get on the scoresheet, at least it was an Orla Fortune goal that shaved a few points off the Dublin advantage. After more scores at the other end, Lettie Whelan split the posts.
At 0-19 to 1-1 down, Oylegate-Glenbrien’s Derbhla Doyle found the net for Wexford in the 28th minute. Dublin responded with a net-rippler from Ciara Holland but Aoife Guiney picked off a minor right before the break.
The second-half proved to be a much more even contest. Lettie Whelan notched her second point but Niamh Rock found a second goal for the Metropolitans to make it 2-21 to 2-3.
Orla Molloy continued her impressive form with a goal with twelve minutes left and Aoife Guiney hit the net four minutes later as Wexford kept battling hard. Rathnure youngster Guiney registered a couple of late points too but it was too late to make any real impression on the scoreboard.
Wexford: Emma Kiely; Emma Furlong, Aisling O’Leary, Larah Campbell; Anna Hennessy, Róisín Cooney, Aisling Halligan; Derbhla Doyle (1-0), Clodagh Jackman; Jessie Harding, Aoife Guiney (1-3, 1 pen.), Orla Molloy (1-0); Orla Fortune (1-0), Lettie Whelan (0-2, 1 frees), Laura Kelly. Subs. Caitlin Whelan-Kinsella for Hennessy, Hennessy for Kelly. Absent: Rebecca Doran, Liza Bates, Emma Codd, Mary Barrett, Aoife Dunne, Sarah Harding-Kenny, Zoe O’Leary, Ciara O’Connor, Aisling Byrne.