All-Ireland bid ends in defeat
Super Galway just too good
IT PROVED to be a disappointing end to a memorable All-Ireland Under-16 ‘A’ camogie championship campaign for Wexford as they fell to defeat against a superb Galway side in Kinnegad on Sunday.
The Slaneysiders rode into the title decider on the crest of a wave after victories over Waterford, Clare and Dublin but came up against a western outfit that was just a little too good all over the field.
In fairness to the Wexford girls, they hung in the game in the firsthalf, despite Galway looking the far more dynamic side, but they couldn’t hold out after the break as attack after attack battered Aoife Mahon’s goalmouth.
Neil Cullen’s side lined up very much like they had in recent successes and were competitive but a little nervy in the opening quarter. While Galway deployed a sweeper, there were opportunities to get the ball into Anais Curran who was left one-on-one with the full-back, but it proved easier said than done.
Galway were so good, so physical and commanding around the middle third of the field that Wexford just couldn’t get the ball into their one real game-changer anywhere near as often as in previous games.
Suffocated of possession, Curran moved further out the field in the second-half but it didn’t really change the pattern of the game. Wexford were sinking under the quality of their opponents’ play and they got zero joy out of any tactical switches.
The nerves probably accounted for a couple of early wides at either end as the sides settled into a rhythm.
The impressive Niamh Niland registered the first two scores of the game but Wexford got a major fillip in the eleventh minute.
It was Aisling Alouf with the ball into the danger area that was blocked out to Megan Cullen. The Castletown forward had just one thing on her mind as she cut in and sent a blistering shot across Nessa Kelly’s goal to the roof of the net.
It gave the Slaneysiders a huge jolt of confidence and, when Curran was dragged back after collecting Ciara O’Connor’s free two minutes later, the Oulart-The Ballagh clubwoman fired her county 1-1 to 0-2 ahead.
Niland immediately responded at the other end but Wexford were on a roll. Ciara Walsh got Curran away in the right corner, and the goal might have been on but the youngster took the easy point to put her side two ahead again.
Potent Galway danger Niland brought her tally to five in the 17th minute (0-5 to 1-2), but Wexford regained the lead when Cullen collected a loose clearance, took her time from 40 metres out and bisected the posts.
A foul on Chloe Quinn-Reilly by O’Connor gave Galway an opportunity from a penalty in the 23rd minute, but Mahon made a fine save from Niamh Horan’s rocket. The Connacht side did level the tie in the 26th minute when Niamh McPeake pointed.
It looked like Ciara O’Connor had done enough to give Wexford an interval lead when she burst out of defence with the ball and fired over from distance, but Niland tapped over an injury-time placedball to leave the sides deadlocked at the break (0-7 to 1-4).
The second-half was a different affair altogether. Maybe things could have been a little different had Quinn-Reilly not drilled low to the net within three minutes of the re-start, but for about 20 minutes after that goal Wexford rarely got inside the Galway ’45.
Three more Niland points helped the champions into a 1-12 to 1-4 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The killer blow of the second goal arrived in the 47th minute, with Quinn-Reilly finding the net again to all-but clinch the title.
Anais Curran drove in a couple of low, late frees that Galway scrambled away but did tap over her side’s first score of the half two minutes into added time. Moments later, Ciara O’Connor launched a dead-ball into the goalmouth, Curran caught it and handpassed to the net.
The lemon-bitter consolation goal was followed by a couple of Galway points as they ended up eleven-point winners, and it would be hard to argue that they didn’t deserve their double-scores win.
There’s not much time for reflection for Wexford, as they play what should prove to be the final game of their season on Saturday (3.15 p.m., Laois venue) when they finally face Dublin in the delayed Leinster final.
Wexford: Aoife Mahon; Tara Doyle, Amy Cahill, Laura Doran; Róisín Parker, Ciara O’Connor (capt., 0-1), Lorna Fortune; Ciara Walsh, Kate Kirwan; Megan Cullen (1-1), Katie Smyth, Amy O’Leary; Aisling Alouf, Anais Curran (1-3, 0-2 frees), Eimear Byrne. Subs. - Amy Mitten for Parker (47), Emma Dempsey for Byrne (51), Doireann Cullen for Fortune (55), Amy Cousins for Alouf (59), Lauren Murphy for Smyth (60), also Sophie Roche, Shauna O’Leary, Aoife Dempsey, Siobhán Sinnott, Eimear O’Connor, Leanne Rowe, Molly Somers, Kate Foley, Elena Kenny.
Galway: Nessa Kelly; Sara McCartin, Alanah Kelly, Joanne Daly; Shannon Keady, Muireann Flaherty, Rachel Burke; Niamh Horan (capt.), Tegan Canning; Niamh Niland (0-10, 4 frees, 3 ‘45s), Rachel Murray, Kate Moran (0-1); Niamh McPeake (0-3), Aoife Ní Dhonnacha, Chloe Quinn-Reilly (2-1). Subs. - Niamh Heffernan (0-1) for Ní Dhonnacha (44), Aoife Brennan for Moran (57), Alannah Glynn for Daly (59), Eileen Donohue for Keady (59), Niamh Keogh for Murray (60+3).
Referee: Cathal Egan (Cork).