Kelly’s brace crowns defensive masterclass as Tipp Juniors reach All-Ireland Final
Glen Dimplex Premier Junior All-Ireland championship semi-final
TIPPERARY 2-12
ROSCOMMON 0-8
Report: Kevin Egan at Donaghmore-Ashbourne
Tipperary’s bid to secure their place in both the senior and junior deciders in next month’s Camogie All-Ireland finals at Croke Park is well on track after David Sullivan’s junior side outclassed Roscommon in drizzly, dull conditions at Donaghmore-Ashbourne GAA Club in Meath on Saturdary afternoon.
Jean Kelly will get many of the plaudits after she racked up 2-7, meaning that the former senior star has now scored all ten of her team’s goals in this year’s three-match campaign so far, but this was a win built on the platform of defensive dominance, in particular the wonderful marking job executed by Ciara McKeogh on Roscommon joint captain Shauna Fallon.
Fallon scored 0-12 out of her team’s tally of 0-13 in their quarter-final win over Limerick in Clane, but the Burgess Duharra player dropped back into the corner back position to take on the Roscommon talisman and she did a wonderful job, with Aisling Sheedy and Ciannait Walsh also imperious in their key positions along the spine of the defence.
Niamh Watson got the Rossies out to an excellent start when her shot from 40 metres out just crept inside the right hand post with the opening attack, and even after Kelly replied with the next two scores, one from a free and one from play, a Shauna Fallon free tied up the game once more and hinted at a relatively tight game.
Though underfoot conditions were good and there was no strong wind to speak of, persistent light rain made handling and stickwork difficult, and throughout the tie, Tipperary’s better stickwork gave them an edge.
Roscommon had plenty of good moments defensively, but after the game their joint manager spoke of how it felt like they were “hurling into a ball alley” as Tipp mopped up the play at the other end, which eventually bore fruit as they turned a narrow 0-3 to 0-2 lead after 15 minutes into an 0-8 to 0-3 half-time advantage, a significant lead on a day when neither side was likely to score freely.
Another wonderful point from Kelly at the start of the second half, struck under pressure from the right wing, stretched that lead further, but Roscommon were quite competitive in the third quarter, aided by decent contributions from Tara Naughton and Mairéad Lohan off the bench, both of whom brought energy and zest to their play. Niamh Watson found a bit more space close to goal and picked off a couple of points from play while Orla Connolly struck a good score from distance, and at 0-10 to 0-6, a goal might have allowed Roscommon to set up a big finale.
That was never likely to happen however, and instead Kelly found the net twice to ease the nerves of the Premier County’s management and supporters. Her first resulted from a dipping shot from a tight angle that just dropped under the Michaela Fallon’s crossbar, inches inside the far post, and then after she picked up a breaking ball and slammed a simple shot to the net to kill off the game with 52 minutes gone.
For a full report, reaction and analysis of this game, see next Wednsday’s Nenagh Guardian