By Kevin Egan
With one game on the board for each of the teams in Group 2 of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, it’s Clare, Kilkenny and Offaly who have wins on the board – though all three have to go on the road next Saturday, so there is still plenty of time for Dublin, Limerick and Wexford to make up lost ground in the bid for the two quarter-final berths on offer.
Clare overcame Dublin by 2-16 to 3-10 in Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg on Saturday afternoon in a peculiar game where Dublin led by 0-3 to 0-1 after a quiet first quarter and where they added two late goals, but in between Clare were comfortably superior.
Banner manager, Eugene Foudy was disappointed that his charges didn’t push on from their commanding position, but overall he was content with his team’s performance, as they repeated the result from their Division 1B league final clash with the Dubs.
“We got the three points on the board, which was the main thing,” Foudy said, before acknowledging that his own desire to bring fresh players into the action may not have worked out in this instance.
“We played well but bringing in five subs late in the game upset our rhythm a little bit, they pushed away from using the sweeper and pushed up, and we were a bit naive on one or two of the plays.
“Winning the first game out at home is very important. It would have been shocking if we had come in without that after leading by ten points, but we didn’t pay the price and still got the points on the board.
“From the 20th minute on in the first half and the first 15 or 20 minutes of the second half, we were super. We got some great scores, there was some fantastic off the shoulder running, the goals were superb. Lorna (McNamara, who scored 2-7) got some wonderful points but the quality of the ball going into her made it easy for her.”
Clare travel to Wexford next week, hoping to continue their rich vein of form.
“Every game takes on a life of its own and we’ve a few things to work on, but all you can do is beat the team that’s in front of you and keep going. We’ll go down to Wexford now and they’ll give us a dogfight after getting beaten last week, and it’ll be up to us to match that level of fight and get a result.”
Kilkenny defenders Niamh Deely and Maria Brennan close in on Limerick’s Laura Southern (Photos: INPHO/Stephen Heaney)
Kilkenny had it much easier in their battle with Limerick, running out 3-19 to 1-11, winners by the time the final whistle sounded in a sun-kissed UPMC Nowlan Park.
Sarah O’Brien’s goal in the first minute gave Limerick a dream start and that was followed up by Orlaith Kelleher’s point, but the Cats had 2-7 on the board before Limerick raised a third flag, and it was that response that delighted team mentor, Michael Walsh.
“We got off to a terrible start, conceding 1-1 in the first couple of minutes, but it was a great response from the girls, they went to town in that 20 minute spell,” said Walsh.
“I was at a match the other night where a team was 12 points up and got reeled in so you have to be careful, but in reality the goal at the start of the second half was a killer blow to Limerick and the rest of the game petered out from there.”
With one of the youngest panels in the championship, Kilkenny are disproportionately affected by exam season, but the flip side of the coin is that strong performances from their minor, U-16 and U-23 teams have helped boost the mood in their camp even further.
“There’s lots going on. Rachel Phelan played in every league match but her Leaving Cert is coming up now. It goes to show that the attitude that girl has, herself and Grace Brennan the same.
“Things like (the underage success) have to have a positive effect, they all know each other so well and they all go to each other’s matches, so something like that has a huge impact across the board,” he added.
Kilkenny’s Ava Brett keeps close tabs on Limerick goalscorer, Sarah O’Brien
For Limerick, the pressure is now mounting and already, their home match with reigning intermediate champions Offaly now looks like a contest that could have huge connotations in terms of the relegation battle.
Offaly will go into that road trip with an extra week of rest after their one-point win over Wexford, though Limerick manger David Deady says his players will just be eager to get straight back into action after their mixed performance.
“There were spells of positive stuff, but there were poor periods too. Particularly in the first half, a lot of our mistakes coming out of our own half led to scores, and against the better sides you can’t afford that,” was his summary.
“We’ll reflect on it, try to learn from it, but as the underdog, you just can’t give up those chances.
“There’s no time, and I don’t think the group would want a whole pile of time, there’s nothing like games to rectify mistakes. You can do all the training you like, but it’s out here between the white lines where it matters and where you can really improve.”
