Tipperary are the All-Ireland U16A camogie champions for second consecutive season, and the third time in four, after a wonderfully fluid display in the Gaelic Grounds that left Galway as the bridesmaids for the third season in a row.
The Munster crew actually fell behind early on as they took a little while to settle but with Sinead Meagher scoring a hat-trick of goals and Grace O’Brien slotting nine points, they cruised to a 3-13 to 1-7 success.
Galway scored the first three points of the game and looked to be motoring nicely after seven minutes thanks to Eimear O’Donovan’s brace from frees and another score from Carrie Dolan.
Tipperary had already shown their threat by that stage, as O’Brien had a goal disallowed in the fifth minute for a square ball. As they exerted their superiority, particularly around midfield, they gained complete control though and ran riot.
The westerners couldn’t cope with the flowing movement and clinical finishing of their opponents’ attack and they failed to score for the remainder of the half, while Galway plundered two goals and nine points.
Meagher clocked up two goals and O’Brien shot six points as the Premier girls pulled clear. Sinead Buckley added two points and Chloe Kirwan completed the scoring for a rampant Tipperary.
Galway managed to tighten up defensively in the second half but could not present a sufficient enough attacking threat. Taragh Moloney (three frees) and O’Brien (two frees, one form play) exchanged scores for their respective sides before Dolan was rewarded for her efforts with a goal after 58 minutes following a pass from Siobhan McGrath.
There was still time for Meagher to claim her hat-trick however, after good work from Jessica Ryan and Sinead Buckley.
Tipperary were magnificent and had standout performers all over the pitch. O’Brien, Meagher, Buckley, Karen Kennedy, Keely Lenihan and Maureen Ryan were just some of them. Galway were under pressure for most of the game but Aisling Downey, Moloney and Serena Brehony held up their end well.
Waterford beat Derry in the All-Ireland minor B final early this year and they added a second underage title at the expense of the same county when recovering from a nervous start to win the U16B final at Radley Park by 6-17 to 3-5.
Derry got off to a strong start with a point and followed this up with a goal from Niamh Gallagher. The Oak Leaf girls were completely dominant in the early stages and also recorded four wides early on as they drove forward.
Claire Mulholland struck for a second goal but Waterford were beginning to settle down by this stage and a goal from Beth Carton, who scored 1-4 in the first half and finished with 2-10, really galvanised them.
The Suirsiders went level at the break (1-6 to 2-3) and they thundered out of the traps after the resumption, scoring a goal and four points without reply. The goal came from the unstoppable Carton and while Derry did steady the ship with a couple of points, another goal from Niamh Murphy finally killed off the valiant Ulster representatives.
Aisling Power brought her tally to five points and Waterford enjoyed themselves in the eight minutes of time added on due to a lengthy stoppage for an injury by banging in three further goals courtesy of Murphy, Kate McMahon and Róisín Uniacke. Jackie Donnelly hit a consolation goal for Derry in this period too but it was Waterford’s day.
In Geraldine Park, Laois annexed the U16C title with a strong final quarter seeing off Kildare on a 2-8 to 1-4 scoreline.
Lea Sutton registered all of Kildare’s scores but Laois had a greater spread of scoring and that proved significant.
Full-forward Sarah Cuddy had a goal for Laois after 30 seconds. Centre-back, Belinda Keyes and player of the match, Aisling O’Dea shared four points but Sutton had a goal just before half time to leave it 1-4 to 1-2 at the break.
Sutton reduced the margin to the minimum with the only score of the third quarter but Laois upped the tempo with a goal from Liadan Fennell and three points from O’Dea to take the honours.
