All-Ireland camogie semi-final: Galway 1-18 Tipperary 1-11
A brilliant goal in the 39th minute by Niamh Mallon was the key score as Galway returned to the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final with a deserved victory over Tipperary.
The westerners were the better side but they certainly did not have things their own way. Tipp fought right to the end and it took a sensational block by the outstanding Dervla Higgins to deny Jean Kelly a goal that might have made it nervy.
But there was no questioning the merit of Galway’s win, with Higgins, Shauna Healy and Róisín Black forming a most obdurate full-back line that provided the platform for the triumph.
Up front, Mallon’s goal might have earned the plaudits but Ailish O’Reilly, who is in pursuit of a fourth All-Ireland medal, contributed four points as well as drilling a wonderful pass to Mallon for the definitive major.
RM Block
It was a strange sort of a game and when Mallon pointed off the stick via Laura Leenane’s hurley in the 25th minute, Galway seemed to be moving inexorably towards a Croke Park return.
They were 0-8 to 0-2 in front, full value for that, and there seemed a real danger of the game drifting to an inevitable conclusion.
Neither side had excelled and even with their eight points, Galway shot some poor wides. But Tipp were particularly disjointed and wasteful from the few good positions they had created.
When the lost Karin Blair with what looked like symptoms of concussion at the end of the first quarter, it only added to the sense of doom.
But a shot by Karen Kennedy in the 26th minute was miscontrolled uncharacteristically to the net by Sarah Healy. The leaders were suddenly shaken and the Premier County were shaken from their torpor.
The result was that somehow they went in level at the break, 0-9 to 1-6 and all the momentum with Denis Kelly’s side. Casey Heffernan and Eimear Heffernan pointed and Grace O’Brien brought her tally to four from placed balls.
The interval probably came at the wrong time for them, while Cathal Murray welcomed the opportunity to recalibrate.
All the evidence after the resumption was that the Galway players had recovered their composure but Tipp would thankfully not return to their early ineptitude.
But once O’Reilly placed Mallon, who carried to the edge of the square before firing a rocket to the far corner of the Tipp net, the Tribeswomen were able to keep their valiant opponents at arm’s length.
Kelly followed a pointed free by O’Brien with a smart score to keep Tipp interested.
Mairéad Dillon added to her first-half brace, however, and was promptly hauled ashore, Sabina Rabbitte having been stripped and ready to go, and the Athenry attacker justified the decision by splitting the posts within seconds.
There would be no way back for Tipp from there.
GALWAY: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins; R Hanniffy, A Starr, E Helebert; C Dolan (0-6, 4f), A Donohue; O Rabbitte, A O’Reilly (0-4), C Hickey; N Mallon (1-2), M Dillon (0-3), C Kelly (0-2).
Subs: S Gardiner for Helebert (42 mins); S Rabbitte (0-1) for Dillon, A Hesnan for Starr (52); N Niland for Kelly, J Hughes for O Rabbitte (60+1).
TIPPERARY: L Leenane; J Bourke, K Blair, C McCarthy; E Loughman, M Eviston, S Corcoran; K Kennedy (1-1), C Maher; E Heffernan (0-1, f), C Hennessy (0-1), G O’Brien (0-7, 7f); M Burke, R Howard, C McIntyre.
Subs: E Carey for Blair (20 mins, inj); J Kelly (0-1) for Burke (44); A McGrath for Maher (55).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).
Cork 1-21 Waterford 1-11
It was death by a thousand cuts for Waterford in the end, with substitute Orlaith Mullins’s goal and two points in injury-time a final flourish for Cork.
If 10 points feels a little harsh on the Déise, they did need Brianne O’Regan to make two phenomenal saves in the second half from Katrina Mackey – whose three early second-half points sent the Rebels on their way – and Orlaith Cahalane.
But the Déise did so much right and no one could say they did not deserve to lead at half-time, by 1-7 to 0-9.
Niamh Rockett was threatening but Beth Carton was near unmarkable, scoring a goal and three points from play.
They started really well, every pass sticking, winning a lot of the physical tussles. Vikki Falconer and Keely Corbett Barry were dominant in defence, where Kate Lynch was an effective sweeper and the forwards took their chances.
The goal came in the 15th minute, as Mairéad O’Brien shaped to shoot but placed the sliotar on the bas of her hurley and was away. Suddenly, she had created a two-on-one. From there it was about the pass. It was perfect and Carton approached Amy Lee with menace before rattling the net.
That opened a four-point gap but in the final 10 minutes Cork began to work their patterns, in particular sending the pacy Saoirse McCarthy rattling down Waterford’s right flank first, and then the middle.
The Courcey Rovers flyer lofted some lovely scores from play and frees, and Sorcha McCartan had another as Ger Manley’s squad drew level, only for Waterford to have the last say via Abby Flynn.
Cork had the wind in the second half and while that really didn’t have any impact on their possession and support style of play, it made it harder for Waterford to hit Rockett, who cut a more isolated figure up top as the game wore on.
Aoife Healy and Laura Hayes helped secure the upper hand around the middle third as Cork were happy to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Mackey brought her tally to four, Emma Murphy slotted her second after a lightning break, while McCarthy lofted over some scoring points from frees, and an absolute peach from play, a stand-and-deliver drive off the back foot from tight to the left touchline.
It was still only a five-point game when Lorraine Bray pointed approaching the hour but then Mullins hit the purplest of patches, having only come into the game in the 57th minute.
The bid for three-in-a-row remains alive.
CORK: A Lee; P Mackey, L Coppinger, M Cahalane; A Healy, L Treacy, L Hayes (0-1); H Looney, A Thompson; E Murphy (0-2), S McCartan (0-2), S McCarthy (0-7, 4f); O Cahalane, K Mackey (0-4), A O’Connor (0-3, 2f, 145).
Subs: C Healy for E Murphy (53 mins); M Murphy for Thompson, O Mullins (1-2) for McCartan (both 57); A Fitzgerald for Hayes (60+2).
WATERFORD: B O’Regan; A McNulty, K Corbett Barry, V Falconer; B Bowdren, R Walsh, O Hickey; L Bray (0-1), A Flynn (0-1); E O’Neill, B Carton (1-4), M O’Brien; A Fitzgerald, N Rockett (0-5, 3f), Kate Lynch.
Subs: T Power for Bowdren (40 mins); M Gostl for O’Brien (46); M Comerford for Flynn (55); N Ahearne for Fitzgerald (60+3).
Referee: Gavin Donegan (Dublin).
