Tipp minors serve notice with impressive win

CAMOGIE: Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor ‘A’ Championship Round 4

Tipperary 0-14

Galway 2-4

Report: Liam Hogan at The Ragg

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Celine Guinan (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Celine Guinan 0-4 (3 frees); Danielle Ryan (A) 0-3; Danielle Ryan (B), Kate Ferncombe, Katie Ralph, Lucy Purcell, Aoife Mellerick, Hazel Brennan, Ali O’Kelly 0-1 each.

Galway: Aoibheann Barry 0-4 (2 frees); Helena Tarpey, Caoimhe Kelly 1-0 each; Alannah Fahy 0-1.

Tipperary laid down a marker with this very good performance to defeat Galway in their third game of the All-Ireland Minor ‘A’ Championship on Sunday afternoon.

The victory makes it two wins out of three games and with their outstanding game against Cork, due to be played next Sunday, we will have a much clearer idea as to where Tipp stand in the championship. Six teams take part and top four make the semi-finals. Tipp face Waterford in their final game.

But back to Sunday’s game which based on this vantage point, Tipp will take some beating. While their victory margin was just four points, Galway’s second goal came in injury time, too late for the visitors who might not be too worried because their three wins out of three ensured a place in the knockout stages already.

While there was the concession of two goals, it by no means created the impression that the backline were weak. They were anything but where Shauna Heffernan, Sarah Corcoran and Niamh Franks had the Galway half forward line well out of the equation by holding their opponents scoreless from play in front of an inside backline led by the tenacious full back Alison Fitzgerald with Paula Burke doing very well at corner back.

Kate Ralph was excellent at midfield while up front Danielle Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty) and her namesake from Boherlahan were always on the move with Lucy Purcell always a threat on the inside forward line.

However, Tipp had one real gem in Celine Guinan who covered every inch of ground. Picked to play at centre forward, she moved up and down the field with abandon but there was more to her play as her striking has much improved as each delivery usually found its target while also finishing top scorer on four points including three frees.

Galway had their stars too with Ava Crowe and Ciara McGrath forming a strong line in the heart of the defence. Kayla Madden was eye-catching at midfield, but she was surprisingly replaced midway through the second half. Both Helena Tarpey and Caoimhe Kelly (both goal-scorers) were also to the fore although Tarpey was a loss when she was forced to be replaced at half time through injury.

Danielle Ryan (Annacarty) gave Tipp the lead after thirty-eight seconds before Aoibheann Barry leveled with a long range free. Galway continued to press and forced Tipp into the concession of frees, four in the opening five minutes, but despite this, the westerners failed to score.

Tipp had no problem at the other end with Celine Guinan converting a free in the seventh minute. The very busy Danielle Ryan (Annacarty) won another free and Guinan increased the lead, and it stretched to four after both Danielle Ryan’s each found the target.

Galway had their moments also and in the fourteenth minute there was real danger when Caoimhe Kelly’s excellent handpass put Helena Tarpey through on goal. After a solo run, she was forced wide and hooked very close to the end-line by Sarah Corcoran but in an instant Tarpey pulled first time off the ground to send a rocket past Molly O’Dwyer in the Tipp goal.

Two minutes later, Galway were back level through Alannah Fahey after she was put through by Caoimhe Kelly once more. However, Tipp had the greater threat all round and their busy footwork carried them back into a three-point lead starting with a Celine Guinan free, closely followed by a point each by Kate Ferncombe and Kate Ralph.

Galway hit back through Aoibheann Barry, but Tipp were on the move again when Emer Dwan forced Galway keeper Caoimhe Hickey off her line to deny the forward a goal chance from close range. Galway failed to clear and Danielle Ryan (Annacarty) re-directed the ball over the bar and at half time it was Tipp 0-9 to 1-3 in front.

Celine Guinan’s free in the 31st minute increased Tipp’s lead as the home side continued to keep the upper hand. They might have had a greater lead but for overuse of the short pass in the midfield area. Simplicity would be better.

At the other end, their defense held firm but on occasions they were fraught with danger as Sophie Flynn was fouled close in and Aoibheann Barry converted the free.

But Tipp didn’t panic as Alison Fitzgerald, Sarah Corcoran, Kate Ralph, and Celine Guinan led the way and the scores followed with substitute Aoife Mellerick, Hazel Brennan, and another substitute Ali O’Kelly on target.

The game was over all bar the shouting, but Galway had one final attack and Caoimhe Kelly (daughter of former Galway wing back Padraig Kelly) won possession on the wing and after a nice sidestep she found the top corner of the net with a brilliant shot, but it was too little too late.

TEAMS - Tipperary: Mollie O’Dwyer (Moycarkey/Borris); Aoife Bourke (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Alison Fitzgerald (Holycross/Ballycahill), Paula Quirke (Boherlahan-Dualla); Shauna Heffernan (Eire Og Annacarty), Sarah Corcoran (Moycarkey/Borris), Niamh Franks (Shannon Rovers); Kate Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Kate Ralph (Moycarkey/Borris); Danielle Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty), Celine Guinan (Shannon Rovers), Hazel Brennan (Moyle Rovers); Emer Dwan (Cashel King Cormacs), Danielle Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields).

Subs: Ali Kelly (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for Dwan (44); Aoife Mellerick (Newport/Ballinahinch) for Franks (47 inj); Aine Finn (Newport/Ballinahinch) for Purcell (58); Anna Murphy (Boherlahan-Dualla) for Brennan (60).

Galway: Caoimhe Hickey; Siofra Kelly, Ava Crow, Eva Doyle; Leanna Ni Dhonncha, Ciara McGrath, Zoe Rogers; Kayla Madden, Alana Fahey; Aoibheann Barry, Helena Tarpey, Clodagh O’Meara; Caoimhe Kelly, Abbie Massey, Sophie Flynn.

Subs: Sophie Carr for Tarpey (HT inj); Aoife Collins for O’Meara (38); Katie Burke for Flynn (38); Claire Glynn for Madden (41); Leah O’Halloran for Massey (52).

Referee: Alan Larkin (Cork).