All-Ireland intermediate camogie final: Offaly 0-14 Kerry 0-11
The tension of an All-Ireland final was evident in what was a defensive and error-ridden battle between Offaly and Kerry, but on a day when an array of forwards that have illuminated the intermediate championship so far were largely kept under lock and key by their markers, Grace Teehan brought the perfect mix of talent and tenacity to drive the Midlanders back up to the senior ranks.
Teehan registered four points from play and earned three converted frees, producing her biggest moments in the closing stages when all others seemed to have lost the ability to find the target in the face of suffocating defensive play.
Had Offaly let it slip, they would have been haunted by their tally of 13 wides and another handful of shots dropped short, though Kerry will look back at the game’s most clear-cut goal chance midway through the second half as their sliding doors moment.
Jackie Horgan’s seismic battle with Amy Byrne was one of the defining individual contests throughout the game and the Kingdom stalwart finally shook off the shackles of her Faithful follower before whipping a shot off her left from 12 metres out.
RM Block
Emer Reynolds, who has made the Offaly custodian position her own since getting a chance against Westmeath midway through the summer, got a strong block and then reacted sharply to put off Amy O’Sullivan from knocking the sliotar into the net from a few metres out.
Ellen O’Donoghue took a point from the loose ball that followed but it was Kerry’s best chance to take a lead. Instead they were always that point or two adrift, even if Offaly couldn’t relax until captain Orlagh Phelan collected the long, hopeful Kerry delivery in the sixth minute of stoppage time, the last action before the final whistle.
For the opening six minutes, Offaly’s attack looked every bit like the side that scored 12-71 in five games up to the final.
Clodagh Leahy split the uprights from under the Hogan Stand on the very first attack and difficult positions were to prove no obstacle for her as she also found the target with two frees, one from each touchline.
A Patrice Diggin reply was quickly followed by Mairéad Teehan emerging out of heavy traffic at centre forward to split the uprights, but Kerry stemmed the bleeding from there, aided by Offaly missing the target with their next three attempts.
Diggin, Caoimhe Spillane and Niamh Leen got around the breaks on the Offaly puckout and the decision to play just two inside forwards with O’Donoghue coming back to the midfield sector added to Kerry’s edge in that crucial battle.
Jackie Horgan exploited the space that was left close to goal by getting in to register one point of her own and win two frees converted by Diggin.
By the time Leahy struck Offaly’s next point from a 45 the momentum had been stripped from the Midlanders’ attack and it was Kerry who continued to enjoy more primary possession, even if they struggled to convert at the other end.
Two superb Grace Teehan points and another long-range effort from Ellen Regan ensured Offaly held the narrowest of leads at the break, though Amy Byrne and Róisín Kinsella both had to come up with big defensive plays to prevent Amy O’Sullivan and Kate Lynch from adding further scores.
The defensive dominance at both ends was turned after half-time when the first eight minutes passed without a score. Aoife Fitzgerald came up with a vital save to parry Mairéad Teehan’s goal attempt and Diggin duly levelled the game from a 45 a minute later, but as was the case so many times during this game, when Offaly’s need was greatest, Grace Teehan came up with a vital score.
A mere 0-2 apiece was added to the scoreboard over the next 17 minutes, but the last five minutes again belonged to Teehan as she fired over two points either side of winning a free that Clodagh Leahy pointed to see Offaly home.
OFFALY: E Reynolds; A Liffey, A Byrne, M King; E Regan (0-1), R Kinsella, O Phelan; C Cleary, S Shanahan; F Dooley, M Teehan (0-1), G Teehan (0-5, 1f); C Leahy (0-7, 4f, 1′45), C Maher, K Pilkington.
Subs: F Mulrooney for Maher (33 mins), C Fogarty for King (47), O Kilmartin for Pilkington (50), K Kennedy for Liffey (58), C O’Donovan for Cleary (60).
KERRY: A Fitzgerald; M Costello, S Murphy, R McCarthy; R Quinn, N Leen, A Behan; P Diggin (0-8, 6f, 1′45), C Spillane; AM Leen, K Lynch (0-1), R O’Connor; E O’Donoghue (0-1), J Horgan (0-1), A O’Sullivan.
Subs: S Collins for AM Leen (h-t), K Ryan for O’Sullivan (50 mins), E Conway for O’Donoghue (60).
Referee: D O’Callaghan (Limerick).
