Late Dublin goal sees Tipp held in league opener

CAMOGIE: Very Ireland National League Division 1 Round 1

Tipperary 1-10

Dublin 2-7

Report: Joe Scully

at the County Camogie Grounds

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Clodagh McIntyre (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Grace O’Brien 0-5 (3 frees); Clodagh McIntyre 0-3; Caoimhe McCarthy 1-0; Roisin Howard 0-2 (1 free).

Dublin: Aoife McKearney 1-5 (1-4 frees); Ashling O’Neill 1-1; Sinead Wylde 0-1.

An Aoife McKearney goal in added time earned Dublin a hard-earned point against the reigning champions Tipperary in the opening round of the National Camogie League on Saturday.

In a game that took a while to get going, both teams struggled to get any proper momentum throughout, and a draw was probably a fair result.

However, the home side will look back on the game with regret, in particular their free-taking as in the first half they used three different dead-ball strikers in the absence of the injured Eimear McGrath and the retired Cait Devane, with both Eimear Heffernan and Roisin Howard off with their accuracy, before Grace O’Brien stepped up and found the radar.

Also worrying for the Premier County, particularly in the first half also, was when the Dublin forwards won ball and ran at the defence, they caused all sorts of problems, although Tipp would eventually come to terms with it and defended well for the remainder of the game, particularly the half back line of Caoimhe McCarthy, Mairead Eviston and Aoife McGrath.

Tipp will be slightly disappointed not to have held on for the win and might have felt they had enough players back on the goal-line to keep out McKearney’s free out, but in fairness, it was a well struck shot to the top corner of the net.

Another slight concern for Tipp will be the fact they conceded nineteen frees, some of which kept Dublin in the game at times.

The game took a while to get going, and it was the visitors who started the brighter, causing problems running at the Tipperary defence and it was a run by Aisling Gannon in the seventh minute which led to them being awarded a penalty, but Ashling O’Neill would fail to make decent contact with the shot, and it went tamely wide.

However, two minutes later, O’Neill would make up for the miss when she would finish smartly to the back of the Tipp net from close range after turning her marker and running at the heart of the defence.

Tipperary would respond and hit their first score in the eleventh minute through Roisin Howard after a free dropped short and the Cahir native struck on the turn. It was Howard who would also hit the next score, from a placed ball, in the fifteenth minute as the defending league champions started to slowly get on top.

They would be level in the 22nd minute when the impressive Grace O’Brien pointed after quick-thinking by Niamh Treacy in playing a free short to O’Brien who then pointed from distance. Three minutes later, O’Brien had her side ahead with a free.

Dublin’s response was quick via Sinead Wylde from a smart finish after winning the ball back off her marker, and Dublin were ahead by the 28th minute through an Aoife McKearney free.

The home side would retake the lead in added time when a speculative effort from Caoimhe McCarthy from distance somehow found its way to the back of the Dublin net.

Aoife McKearney responded with a fine effort from play before Grace O’Brien followed as the home side led 1-5 to 1-3 at the break.

The margin was back to a point in the 35th minute through an Ashling O’Neill free. The game hit a bit of a lull until the 42nd minute when the next score came through a Grace O’Brien free, followed shortly after by a superb team score finished off nicely by Clodagh McIntyre.

Dublin reduced the gap to two through another McKearney free, but McIntyre had the gap back out to three in the 46th minute with another fine score from play.

Aoife McKearney added another free for the Blues before Grace O’Brien and McIntyre again hit two in a row to put Tipp four ahead with 53 minutes played. McKearney once again struck from a free to leave just three in it with five minutes of normal time remaining.

Just when it looked like Tipperary had done enough to hold on for the win, they conceded a free thirty metres out and Aoife McKearney stepped up and blasted to the back of the net, to level proceedings.

It set up a dramatic final few minutes where both sides pushed for winner, but neither side was able to get the elusive final score and had to settle for a share of the spoils.

Next up for Tipperary is a home tie against Kilkenny next Saturday and they will know there is a lot of work to be done.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Laura Leenane (Shannon Rovers 7); Ellen Cunneen (Silvermines 6), Julieanne Bourke (Borris-Ileigh 7), Eimear Loughman (Clonoulty/Rossmore 6); Caoimhe McCarthy (Knockavilla-D Kickhams 7), Mairead Eviston (Drom & Inch 7), Aoife McGrath (Drom & Inch 7); Sarah Corcoran (Moycarkey/Borris 6), Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch 6); Eimear Heffernan (Knockavilla-D Kickhams 7), Caoimhe Maher (Burgess/Duharra 6), Clodagh McIntyre (Lorrha 8); Amy Quinlisk (Kilruane MacDonaghs 6), Roisin Howard (Cahir 7), Grace O’Brien (Nenagh Eire Og 8).

Subs: Mary Burke (Drom & Inch 7) for Quinlisk (HT); Lucy Purcell for Howard (40-42 blood), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields 6) for Cunneen (42); Caithlyn Treacy (Moneygall 6) for McGrath (45); Jean Kelly (Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill 6) for Maher (50); Kate Ralph (Moycarkey/Borris 6) for Treacy (55); Sarah Madden (Silvermines NR) for McIntyre (60).

Dublin: Eimear Hurley (6); Abby Ryan (7), Christine Shanahan (6), Emma O’Byrne (6); Claire Gannon (6), Kerrie Finnigan (6), Niamh Comerford (6); Sarah Power (6), Gaby Couch (7); Aoife McKearney (8), Sinead Wylde (7), Aoife Heffernan (6); Ashling O’Neill (8), Emma Moran (6), Aisling Gannon (7).

Subs: Áine Rafter (7) for Power (HT), Issabel Davis (6) for Heffernan (55); Róisín Ní Cathasaigh (6) for Wylde (55); Aoife Higgins (NR) for Shanahan (60+1); Hannah Leddy (NR) for Finnigan (60+4).

Referee: Ray Kelly (Kildare).