Pres show steel to secure their shot at three-in-a-row
Pres Mitchelstown 5-7 Pres Ballingarry 4-5
Conditions were soft and the scenario was new. Having conquered all that was put in front of them with little fuss in the senior ranks, the junior camogie team of Presentation Secondary School, Mitchelstown were faced with a tough task. Trailing at half-time and without four from the team that started both senior finals, Pres found themselves in a situation that hadn’t been seen all season. The response was emphatic.
Trailing by three points at the break, 3-4 to 3-1, it looked like an uphill battle. The home side from Ballingarry in Tipperary were really up for the game. They burst out the traps and took a 1-1 to 0-0 lead within five minutes. Pres responded well to this through goals from Aoife Moriarty and Niamh Mullins. But the battle continued to commence through the remainder of the first half.
Ballingarry were the dominant side in the opening 30 minutes. Pres worked and battled hard but it would be fair to say the Premier side were value for their half-time lead, and it could be argued that they should have been further ahead. Playing with noise and aggression they aimed to show that nobody entered their turf and left with a victory but the dogged and persistent Pres Mitchelstown had other ideas.
Aoibhe Maher added a first half goal that put Pres ahead entering the second quarter. This second quarter would then be dominated by Ballingarry. They attacked and created many chances. Ali O’Donnell in the Pres goal was not beaten easily and this was a major factor in the result as she made a number of excellent saves. Ballingarry failed to make the 45’s, and other free opportunities, count. Pres worked hard and when the half-time whistle arrived, it was a welcome chance to regroup.
The three-point lead was by no means an impossible feat, but what looked a strong Ballingarry outfit were met with an outstanding comeback from Pres. Right from the first whistle of the second-half Pres took back the initiative and dictated proceedings. While Ballingarry would come back into the game, Pres were primed to show their opponents that there was a set of Senior County and Munster champions in town.
The midfield and attacking unit clicked brilliantly as they made the wind advantage count with some great scores. The half-forward line of Sarah English, Aoibhe Maher and Aoife Moriarty began to dominate. The midfield duo of Niamh Mullins and Katie Kelly covered huge ground and Aoibhinn Roche proved a real handful as both a target and a scoring threat at full-forward.
The defence also stood firm against any Ballingarry attacks. The concession of 1-2 in the second-half really was down some fine saves, hooks and blocks. Ellie O’Connor grew into the game along with Leah Cremins. Eirinn Brennan and Lauren Hickey also both battled hard in the half-back line, while further Ali O’Donnell saves were very important in the second-half.
The introduction of Rachel Mulqueen was significant as she helped to link the half and full forward lines while also adding a fine point. Aoibhe Maher was in great scoring form and she added two key goals in the second half that were the difference between the sides in the end. With five minutes remaining, it was a two-point game, with Ballingarry primed for a late assault on the Pres goal.
But Pres maintained all composure, and this finished with Aoibhe Maher soloing through and burying a shot to the net to give Pres the final bit of breathing space that they needed to secure the victory on a final score of 5-7 to 4-5. It was a win built on honesty, heart and determination. Pres have held a significant upper hand in all of their camogie games so far this season. This one was a lot different, but they showed the form and characteristics of champions to get themselves over the line.
They have one more game to become champions again and secure a milestone Three-In-ARow of trophies for the 20212022 season. Crescent of Limerick stand in their way as the exceptional camogie season in the school continues.
Pres – Ali O’Donnell; Leah Cremins, Dearbhla Kearney, Ellie O’Connor; Lauren Hickey, Orla O’Connell (c), Eirinn Brennan; Katie Kelly, Niamh Mullins (1-0); Aoife Moriarty (1-2), Aoibhe Maher (3-3), Sarah English; Shelly Ryan, Aoibhinn Roche (0-1), Megan Coleman. Subs - Rachel Mulqueen (0-1) for Megan Coleman