Glen Dimplex Senior Championship semi-finals: Kilkenny 1-13 Galway 0-12
ALTHOUGH the group encounter between these sides ended in a draw, the reigning league and All-Ireland champions Galway were expected to see off Kilkenny in Saturday’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior semi-final in Croke Park.
Kilkenny are much changed from the team that won the 2020 final, but Galway failed to penetrate their defence and, in particular, beat outstanding goalkeeper Aoife Norris in a thrilling encounter that went to the wire.
The Cats held the upper hand for most of the second half, from the time Laura Murphy drilled a rasper to the corner of the Galway net in the 37th minute to put them ahead, just two minutes after Norris had denied Sabina Rabbitte at the other end.
The game was played with real pace and intensity and Kilkenny set that pace with some quality hurling in the first half. Yet they trailed at half-time by two, 0-8 to 0-6, after Galway had appeared to weather the storm and begin to make inroads of their own.
Indeed Galway could well have been further ahead with Norris making three excellent stops, including from a penalty by Galway goalkeeper Sarah Healy, after Michelle Teehan had rugby-tackled Siobhán McGrath to the ground.
Julianne Malone returned to the Kilkenny colours this year after a three-year absence and weighed in with four invaluable points from play, including the opener. Katie Nolan added a second point before scores from Carrie Dolan and Catherine Finnerty brought Galway level.
Mary O’Connell should have goaled after being put through by Miriam Walsh but blazed over and it continued to be nip and tuck, the teams also level on 0-4, 0-5 and 0-6 apiece. Dolan and Ailish O’Reilly provided some separation, either side of Norris’s 28th minute penalty save.
The exchanges were ferocious and Shauna Healy did remarkably well to survive a shuddering hit before off-loading to O’Reilly from the deck for the final score of the opening period.
Gaule halved the deficit from a free 50 seconds into the second period but she wasn’t to have a good day on placed balls and Nolan took over later on.
Norris was called into action once more in the 35th minute with her best stop, coming out to narrow the angle as Rabbitte cut in from the left and making a brave stop from point-blank range.
Dolan made no mistake from the 45, but two minutes later, Murphy got in a fierce drive that gave Sarah Healy no hope. It felt a significant point in the game.
That said, the indomitable Aoife Donohue slotted a sweet score and Dolan an equaliser from a placed ball and all was in the melting pot with ten minutes remaining.
However it was Kilkenny who found what was required, with some quite heroic defending keeping Galway scoreless, while at the other end, Murphy, Nolan (free), Malone and Sophie Dwyer edged Kilkenny ever closer to the Holy Grail.
Kilkenny scorers: J Malone (0-4); L Murphy (1-1); K Nolan (0-3, 0-2 frees); M O’Connell (0-2), D Gaule (0-2 frees); S Dwyer (0-1)
Galway: C Dolan (0-8, 0-7 frees); A Donohue (0-2); A O’Reilly (0-1), C Finnerty (0-1)
