Second half fade sees Tipp exit Minor Championship
CAMOGIE: Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor ‘A’ Championship Round 5
Tipperary2-9
Waterford1-14
Report: Thomas Conway at The Ragg
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Maggie Gostl (Waterford)
SCORERS – Tipperary: Celine Guinan 2-5 (1-0 pen, 1-3 frees), Ali O’Kelly 0-2; Sarah Corcoran, Lucy Purcell 0-1 each.
Waterford: Maggie Gostl 1-6 (0-4 frees), Eimear O’Neill 0-4; Niamh Ryan 0-2; Alannah McNulty, Kelsie Obanya 0-1 each.
Make no mistake about it, this defeat will sting Tipperary on several levels.
First and most obviously, Sunday’s loss to Waterford means that Tipperary’s 2023 All-Ireland Minor Championship campaign is over. For the players, that means no more training, no more adrenaline fuelled fist pumping in the dressing room, no more pre-match pep talks, no more on-field excitement.
This Minor Championship has been heavily advertised and promoted - as it should be. The competition now has a genuine allure to it. It is more than just an inter-county development tournament and has taken on a greater status across the country. This, in the words of Electric Ireland, the main competition sponsors, “is major.” But no more of it for Tipperary.
They entered last Sunday’s showdown in The Ragg knowing that only a win would do, and for large parts of this game, played out amid mild and balmy conditions on the Thurles road, it appeared as if Tipp would indeed prevail.
In a flash of an eye they conjured up several unanswered points, starting the game with clear purpose and vigour. By the fifteenth minute they were six points to one up. Seconds later, their sharpshooting full-forward Celine Guinan could be seen blazing a penalty into Hayleigh Acheson’s net. It seemed, even at such an early juncture, that the outcome of this game had effectively been sealed.
But credit where credit is due. Waterford came roaring back into the contest in the second half, having edged their way forward during the latter stages of the first. They swept Tipp away with a storm of well-taken points, finding the target from all kinds of impossible angles.
Then, in the 47th minute, Maggie Gostl showed immense composure before rifling the sliotar beyond Molly Gilmartin in the Tipp goal. In hindsight, that moment represented this game's critical juncture. Up until that minute Waterford had been creeping forward. After it, they started to sprint.
By the fiftieth minute, the sides were level at 1-8 apiece, and Tipp looked all at sea. Soon enough, Waterford would take the lead, slowly edging their way in front by one point, two points, three points.
But Tipp’s challenge did not disintegrate. Far from it. These girls wear their hearts on their sleeves, and despite fading away somewhat in the second-half of Sunday’s game, they still battled valiantly, slotting a late, late goal which - had it arrived several minutes earlier - might have proved to be their lifeline. But it wasn’t to be for The Premier last Sunday.
Their first-half performance was stunning. Celine Guinan and her fellow inside forwards Ali O’Kelly and Lucy Purcell were each razor sharp, shooting points but also running clever little diagonals and maximising the space for the incoming wave of Tipp players.
Tipp midfield’s partnership, Sarah Corcoran and Kate Ralph, were also imperious during that opening thirty minutes, effectively dictating the middle third and cutting off Waterford’s supply lines for large parts of the half. Tipp entered the interval with a six-point advantage, leading 1-7 to 0-4 and looking totally in control.
Inevitably, the question will arise as to whether Tipp capitulated in the second-half, or whether Waterford simply hit another gear. The latter proposition seems to be the most accurate. Something happened in that Waterford dressing-room at half-time, something inspired them to throw off the shackles and play with loose abandon. They re-entered the fray fearlessly and confronted every ball with the sort of aggression required to win these kinds of high-stakes championship encounters.
Molly Gostl is an altogether beautiful player, a forward with a killer instinct but also an intellectual ability to read and perceive the game. Last Sunday, she floated around the inside line waiting for the right moment to strike, and invariably produced the goods when that moment arrived.
She was helped, it must be said, by the similarly influential Eimear O’Neill, responsible for four of Waterford’s final tally of points. Her on the run striking was outstanding, but like Gostl, it was her vision and composure which truly set her apart. Both that duo will surely feature prominently for the Déise in their bid to claim All-Ireland honours this season. Both will almost certainly feature in the county’s senior set-up in the years to come as well.
For Tipp, the agony of this defeat is likely to hurt for some time. But these players will bounce back. They’ve demonstrated their share of fortitude and resilience throughout this championship campaign, and with the passage of time, they may look back on 2023 positively as a learning exercise. For now, however, there is only grief.
TEAMS – Tipperary: Molly Gilmartin (Boherlahan-Dualla); Aoife Mellerick (Newport/Ballinahinch), Alison Fitzgerald (Holycross/Ballycahill), Paula Quirke (Boherlahan-Dualla); Aoife Bourke (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Shauna Heffernan (Eire Og Annacarty), Niamh Franks (Shannon Rovers); Sarah Corcoran (Moycarkey/Borris), Kate Ralph (Moycarkey/Borris); Danielle Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty), Kate Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Danielle Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla); Ali O’Kelly (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Celine Guinan (Shannon Rovers), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields).
Subs: Hazel Brennan (Moyle Rovers) for D Ryan (35); Eimear Dwan (Cashel King Cormacs) for Mellerick (47).
Waterford: Hayleigh Acheson, Alex Healy, Melanie Buck, Fare Murphy, Lia Harty, Laoise Forrest, Jane Kirwan, Ciara Sherlock, Bevin Bowdern, Katelyn Lyons, Niamh Ryan, Allanah McNulty, Maggie Gostl, Eimear O’Neill, Kelsie Obanya.
Subs: Katie O’Neill for Kirwan (32); Sarah Byrne for Healy (35); Eimear Griffin for Lyons (50).
Referee: Andy Larkin (Cork).