AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Camogie Championship final: Sarsfields (Galway) 2-14 Loughgiel (Antrim) 1-14
BEFORE we go into the match report of a terrific finale to the senior club championship, let us start with the stats.
Sarsfield’s have won six of the last seven Galway titles and each time they came out of their own county, they have reached the All-Ireland final. Their balance sheet for finals now reads, three won and three lost.
Loughgiel have won the last nine Antrim titles but have only come out of Ulster this year for the first time in seven years. Saturday was their first final.
It started badly for the Shamrocks, a goal down inside 33 seconds, five points down inside five minutes. Yet they were two up with five minutes left to play in the first half.
Shortly after half-time they went five down once again, but were level in the 55th minute. Sarsfield’s, however, got their wind once again and had the experience to see out the last few minutes, slowing the game down.
Experience was something that their manager and double-All-Ireland hurling winner 35 years ago, Michael 'Hopper' McGrath, touched on afterwards.
“We struggled at the end of our first two finals with Slaughtneil. We were very young then, only one player was over 23. Now we are a more mature team and winning today, retaining the title, making it three out of the last four years, we are up there with the greatest ever teams.
“Loughgiel are a very good team, a pure hurling team. I have gone up to watch a number of Ulster finals and they were every bit as good as Slaughtneil.
"We were not surprised that they beat Drum and Inch (in last Saturday’s semi-final). We were well aware what they would do in Croke Park.
“Even after the start we got, they came back to lead by two going into half-time. The two points we got to make it level were very important. We felt that we could regain control. But it took all our experience to see them off.”
McGrath’s daughters again played a big part in the success. Orlaith, the match-winning half-forward in other years, has missed this championship with a cruciate injury. Four McGrath sisters still finished the game with teenager Ciara making her Croke Park debut in injury time as her father ran down the clock.
Midfielder Niamh picked up the Player of the Match award and contributed four points, Siobhán got the early goal and added five frees while Clodagh became an emergency centre half-back when Maria Cooney picked up an injury.
The early goal looked a rehearsed move, with Siobhán left one-on-one with Katie Lynn inside the 45 from the throw-in.
Her first shot was saved by Eimear Boyle, but McGrath picked up the half-clearance and found the net. A few minutes later McGrath and teenager Caoimhe Kelly added points. First time finalists Loughgiel looked in trouble.
Midfielders Amy Boyle and Lucia McNaughton however drove them forward and points from Mary McKillen, Róisín McCormick (a free) and McNaughton got them moving.
The departure of Cooney helped the Ulster champions unhinge the Galway defence. McCormick pointed a free, a couple of minutes later Caitrín Dobbin broke clear to find the net and Annie Lynn pointed twice within a minute to turn the tables and give Loughgiel a lead of two points.
There were eight minutes of injury time however and the Galway girls used them to haul themselves back to parity at the interval, 1-6 to 1-6.
Sarsfield’s seemed to move up a gear at the start of the second half, even though Róisín McCormick had edged her side into the lead.
At the other end, points from Siobhán McGrath and Sarah Corcoran were followed by McGrath sending Rachel Murray in for the goal after 37 minutes.
With Niamh McGrath firing over a free from 65 metres, Sarsfield’s were five up again.
However five frees from Róisín McCormick dragged Loughgiel back level by the 51st minute. Siobhán McGrath got her team going again with a free and McCormick cancelled it with a huge effort from midfield.
However, Sarsfield’s had closed off the gaps that had appeared before half-time; there wasn’t a sniff of a goal-chance for the Antrim side and then in the run in to the line, the McGrath sisters stepped up again to find the winning scores.
Siobhán set Niamh up for the lead point and added a free. Niamh then found the target from a long range free before Sarah Spellman picked off the insurance score.
Although Róisín McCormick brought her total to nine points with a late free, Sarsfield’s used their experience to close out the victory in added time.
Loughgiel will feel sore for a while, but they can still look back with pride on their first visit to Croke Park. The defence did well for huge swathes of the game, Boyle and McNaughton drove the show from midfield and the half-forwards did what they have done in all the games en route to the final.
They foraged and hassled for possession. There was anticipation every time the inside forwards got sight of the sliotar. But the employment of a Sarsfield’s sweeper closed the space and another goal was just beyond them.
Sarsfield’s: L Glynn; R Kelly, L Ward, K Gallagher; T Kenny, M Cooney, J Daly; Clodagh McGrath, N McGrath (0-4, 0-2 frees), K Donohue (0-1), R Murray (1-0), C Kenny; S Corcoran (0-1), S McGrath (1-5, 0-5 frees), C Kelly (0-2).
Subs: S Spellman (0-1) for M Cooney (24), Ciara McGrath for C Kelly (60 + 2), C Cahalan for S Corcoran (60+ 4)
Loughgiel: E Boyle; C Campbell, K Lynn, C McKillop; M Lynn, Ú McNaughton, S Doran; A Boyle, L McNaughton (0-1); C Laverty, M McKillen (0-1), A Connolly; C Dobbin (1-1), R McCormick (0-9 frees), A Lynn (0-2)
Subs: K McKillop for A Connolly (45), C Boyle for C Campbell (49), C Higgins for C Laverty (60+ 2)
Referee: L Dempsey (Kilkenny)
