Duharra roll back the years to see off Sars

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance County Senior Championship Group 1

Burgess-Duharra 2-16

Thurles Sarsfields0-8

Report: Thomas Conway in Kilcolman

It has been five years since Burgess-Duharra claimed the last county title of that glorious, trophy-laden era of dominance. They may have lost several players and semi-finals in the period since, but they’ve never lost their swagger. On Saturday afternoon Ailish Minogue’s side produced a performance which was almost redolent of that previous era, brushing aside Thurles Sarsfields with thorough professionalism.

The ease at which they strolled to victory was striking, given that some had considered Thurles to be an emerging force. But the Mid-Tipp side capitulated badly on this occasion, failing to match the relentless intensity of a Burgess team which now revolves around the powerful midfield axis of Caoimhe Maher and Jenny Grace.

Grace racked up twelve points, eleven of them frees, which was in itself indicative of Thurles’ inability to contain the hosts. They simply couldn’t cope with the constant barrage of Burgess pressure, the bursting runs of Maher, Grace, and even Aisling Cremin from centre-back. Cremin’s opposite number, Karen Kennedy, was, yet again outstanding, but her efforts alone were never going to be enough to topple this Burgess outfit.

What began as two early Grace frees quickly descended into target practice for the 2018 Intermediate All-Star. She swept them over from either side, left and right, near and far, punishing Thurles for their collective indiscipline. By the fifteenth minute Burgess were 0-5 to 0-1 in front.

However, the highlight of the first quarter had not been a Grace free, but rather a sweet individual effort from her teammate, corner-forward Laura Reid, who swept over a beauty while on the run in the ninth minute.

As the half wore on, Thurles did begin to rediscover the attacking flair which had guided them to victory against Silvermines a week previously. Wing-forward Aoife Dwyer slotted a free, Andrea Loughnane arrowed over another from play, and then on the cusp of half-time, the latter combined superbly with Sarah Stakelum to orchestrate their fourth point. It left them trailing by five, 0-9 to 0-4. They certainly weren’t out of reach, but the game was being played on Burgess’ terms, and so it remained after the interval.

There was a touch of class to Burgess/Duharra on Saturday, and the more the game unfolded, the more evident it became. They controlled the second-half expertly, immediately extinguishing any hopes of a Thurles revival through a slightly fortuitous Laura Reid goal.

When the Thurles defence failed to manage a high ball in from Grace, it seemed inevitable that the corner-forward would pounce, and so she did, fizzing a ground strike into the far corner and sending her side 1-10 to 0-4 ahead.

To Thurles’ credit, they responded, shifting onto the front foot and starting to run at Burgess. For their work they earned several frees, each dispatched well by Roisin Corbett, but the scores felt consolatory.

Midway through the half, Amy Kennedy would add a second Burgess/Duharra goal, channelling through the centre and finishing calmly past Katie McCormack. It put the result beyond all reasonable doubt, leaving the hosts third in Group 1 with a single game to play.

Assuming they overcome Silvermines in the final round, Burgess-Duharra will most definitely be in the shake-up come the knock-out stages, most likely in a quarter final. They may not have the personnel of old, but they have retained that same hunger for success. Don’t count them out.

Player of the Match: Jenny Grace (Burgess-Duharra)

Burgess-Duharra: Ciara Holohan (7), Grace O’Dwyer (7), Fiona Kirwan (7), Úna Quigley (7), Iris Grace (7), Aisling Cremin (8), Eimear Dwan (8), Jenny Grace (0-12, 11f, 8), Caoimhe Maher (0-1, 8), Kaitlin O’Halloran (0-1, 7), Danielle Nealon (7), Katie Grace (7), Laura Reid (1-1, 8), Amy Kennedy (1-1, 8), Caoilfhinn Maher (7).

Subs: Katie Grace (7) for I Grace (43); Ciara Bourke (6) for O’Halloran (47); Fiona McCauley (6) for Nealon (55).

Thurles Sarsfields: Katie McCormack (7), Aoife Butler (6), Niamh McCormack (6), Rebecca O’Mara (6), Aisling Dwyer (7), Karen Kennedy (0-1, 7), Emma Carey (6), Ciara Cummins (6), Laura Loughnane (6), Nicola Loughnane (6), Aoife Dwyer (0-1, 6), Roisin Corbett (0-4f, 7), Sarah Stakelum (0-1, 7), Andrea Loughnane (0-2, 7), Emer Kennedy (6).

Subs: Roisin Bambrick (7) for Aisling Dwyer (38); Robyn Fanning (6) for Cummins (43); Aisling Dwyer for N McCormack (50); Maria Ralph (6) for N Loughnane (55); Karen Bohan (NR) for E Kennedy (59).

Referee: Mike Ryan (Nenagh Éire Óg)