Tipp progress into first Munster Under 23 decider

CAMOGIE: Munster Under 23 Championship Semi-Final

Tipperary 2-13

Waterford 1-6

Report: Thomas Keane in Colligan

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Aoife Dwyer (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Waterford: Róisín Kirwan 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); Maggie Gostl 0-2 (1 free, 1 ’45), Mairead O’Brien 0-1.

Tipperary: Aoife Dwyer 0-7 (4 frees); Danielle Ryan 1-1; Ava Bevans 0-3; Ciara Gleeson 1-0; Lorna Ryan, Ali O’Kelly 0-1 each.

Tipperary advanced to the final of the inaugural Munster Under 23 Camogie Final and a meeting with Cork, after they proved too strong for Waterford at a sun drenched Colligan venue, outside Dungarvan on Sunday.

The under 23 grade is a new one to Camogie this year and will see sides compete against each other rather than to field second string sides in the Intermediate and Junior Grades as was the case up to the end of 2024.

Under the guidance of former senior manager Bill Mulaney, Tipperary were able to put out a strong side which had a number of players from the panel that contested the All-Ireland Junior Final in 2023 where the Premier Ladies lost out to Clare and from the side that beat Laois in the final in 2024, with some players also having some senior experience.

While this game was a knockout Munster Championship fixture, the main competition for players eligible to take part will start on May 24th, where five counties, Galway, Tipperary, Cork, Kilkenny, and Waterford will do battle over five weekends to see who will contest the inaugural All-Ireland Final.

Played in glorious sunshine, with a pre-noon thrown in, Tipperary were the better of the two sides, and were possibly the side that had done most for this fixture.

Bill Mullaney’s side played with a strong wind blowing down from the nearby Comeragh Mountains at their backs in the first half, and they turned around with a 1-8 to 0-2 lead at the break.

Supporters of both sides agreed during the half that the Premier County needed a good led at the interval, and as players tired as the game neared its conclusion with Waterford playing with the strong wind at their backs could crawl back any lead that the visitors had build-up.

The Déise did perform better in the second half, but a second Tipperary goal half way through the second half proved decisive.

Aoife Dwyer was a constant thorn in the side of the Waterford defence in this game. The Thurles Sarsfields player who lined out with Tipperary played in the 2023 All-Ireland Junior Final loss finished with seven points between placed balls and open play.

She opened the scoring after just 36 seconds from play and quickly followed up with a free. Lorna Ryan put her side three up and they soon went four in front, again Dwyer was the score-getter after her side quickly worked a Róisín Kirwan free at the other end that fell just short, down the field and she made no mistake. Kirwan opened Waterford’s account on eight minutes with a free, but two more scores from Dwyer was followed with a Ciara Gleeson goal on 21 minutes as she doubled on a ball that Hayleigh Acheson tried to bring down in her own goalmouth.

Ava Bevans, the daughter Tipperary hurling coach Mikey Bevans put over a brace of scores either side of the thirty-minute mark to stretch her sides lead with Róisín Kirwan finding the range for her second score in between from a placed ball.

While Tipperary opened the second half scoring with another score from Aoife Dwyer, Waterford followed up with scores from placed balls by Róisín Kirwan and Maggie Gostl to leave eight between the sides after 39 minutes.

However, another Tipperary goal, this time from Danielle Ryan ended the chances of Waterford, even with the wind at their backs and a quarter still to play. Mairead O’Brien pointed with twelve minutes remaining, but scores from Ava Bevans, Ali O’Kelly, Danielle Ryan, and a final score from Aoife Dwyer had the visitors out of sight with the hour played.

Waterford did pull a goal back from a Róisín Kirwan penalty late in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.

After the Munster Final against Cork, Tipperary will play in the All-Ireland competition, starting with an away game with Galway on May 24th, and then a repeat fixture at home to Cork the following week. Tipperary have another fixture away to Waterford on June 7th and round-off the group stages on June 14th with a home game against Kilkenny. With the group been a five-team group, Bill Mulaney’s side will have their turn for a bye in the fifth round of fixtures on June 21.

TEAMS - Waterford: Hayleigh Acheson (6); Kaci Brazil (6), Faye Murphy (6), Aoife Murphy (6); Niamh Ryan (6), Aoife Hartley (6), Jane Landers (6); Oneila Whelan (6), Ciara Sherlock (6); Kelsie Obanya (6), Rachael O’Brien (6), Niamh Hally (6); Rhona Drohan (6), Róisín Kirwan (7), Katelyn Lyons (6).

Subs: Rachael Walsh (6) for Landers, Maggie Gostl (7) for Hally, Vicky O’Sullivan (6) for Lyons, Emily Galgey (6) for Drohan, Mide Delaney (6) for Hartley.

Tipperary: Áine Slattery (Shannon Rovers 6); Lorna Ryan (Clonoulty/Rossmore 6), Maria Connolly (Drom & Inch 6), Paula Quirke (Boherlahan-Dualla 6); Emma Kelly (Borris-Ileigh 6), Miriam Murphy (Silvermines 6), Lily Fahie (Cashel King Cormacs 6); Anna Fahie (Cashel King Cormacs 6), Orla O’Brien (Eire Og Annacarty/D 6); Grace Moloney (Cashel King Cormacs 7), Katie Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore 6), Aoife Dwyer (Thurles Sarsfields 8); Ciara Gleeson (Kiladangan 6), Danielle Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla 6), Ava Bevans (Borris-Ileigh 7).

Subs: Caoimhe McCormack (Knockavilla-D Kickhams 6) for L Fahie, Aoife Mellerick (Newport/Ballinahinch 6) for Ferncombe, Niamh Franks (Shannon Rovers 6) for Moloney, Hannah Butler (Cashel King Cormacs 6) for D Ryan, Ali O’Kelly (Kilruane MacDonaghs 6) for Gleeson.

Referee: Philip Dee (Limerick).