All-Ireland Senior Camogie semi-final: Cork 4-17 Dublin 0-9
All-Ireland champions Cork were assured and comfortable as they easily accounted for Dublin in the first of Saturday afternoon’s two Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior semi-finals, with Amy Lee’s first-minute penalty save setting them on a straight path to a comprehensive victory at UPMC Nowlan Park.
When Emma Flanagan pulled down Claire Gannon’s high ball and was dragged to the ground, Dublin had a glorious chance to take a huge step towards their first All-Ireland senior final appearance since 1986.
Aisling Maher’s penalty was hit at good height for the Cork custodian to parry the ball clear however, and while Maher followed up with the first score of the game from a free two minutes later, Cork took over from there and wasted no time in asserting their superiority.
The two teams operated with very contrasting styles, with Dublin using a mix of long ball and running from midfield, while Cork played the ball through the lines with accuracy and efficiency.
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With Maher dropping back from her notional position as wing forward to operate as sweeper, Cork’s Laura Treacy was freed up to hoover up a lot of those long balls. At the other end, Cork took Maher out of the game with their precise stickwork, setting up good scoring chances.
Ashling Thompson and Aoife Healy were imperious at midfield for the Rebels, controlling the play and giving Amy O’Connor, Saoirse McCarthy and Orlaith Cahalane the platform to register the scores that put Cork 1-10 to 0-2 in front at half-time.
O’Connor was on the mark from frees and from play, McCarthy struck over two majestic points from distance and she also delivered the explosive run that set up Cahalane for the game’s first goal.
Dublin had the wind to come but they needed something to energise their challenge and give them a platform on which to build. And while they got it in the form of a wonderful goal chance for Elyse Jamieson-Murphy just before half-time, once again Lee came to Cork’s rescue to preserve their double-figure lead.
Dublin persisted with playing Maher as a sweeper in the second half and so they continued to struggle to make inroads up front after half-time, despite Aisling Gannon working hard to win primary possession while outnumbered in the full-forward line.
Laura Hayes opened the scoring for the Rebels after the interval and when Dublin’s Sinéad Wylde saw her goal attempt crash back into play off the upright, it felt as if Cork’s progression through to their fourth consecutive All-Ireland decider was guaranteed.
A blistering run and unstoppable close-range finish from McCarthy to make it 2-11 to 0-3 with 10 minutes played in the second half removed any lingering doubt, crushing the brief flicker of optimism that might have stemmed from Grace O’Shea breaking Dublin’s 32-minute scoring drought with an excellent point on the run.
Cork manager Ger Manley was able to flex somewhat by dipping deep into his bench and he got a substantial contribution in the form of 1-4 from play from his replacements, including two points from Clodagh Finn and Sorcha McCartan’s goal with her first possession after coming on to the pitch.
Dublin continued to battle on and they picked off some fine scores through Niamh Gannon, Flanagan and Aisling Gannon, but Cork were comfortable in possession and the chances kept coming.
It fell to Cahalane to round off the scoring with a perfectly placed shot into the bottom right-hand corner of the net, adding one final note of emphasis to a devastating display from the O’Duffy Cup holders.
CORK: A Lee; M Murphy, P Mackey, I O’Regan; H Looney (0-1), L Treacy, L Hayes (0-2, 1f); A Thompson, A Healy (0-1); C Healy (0-1), F Keating, S McCarthy (1-2); A O’Connor (0-4, 3f), K Mackey, O Cahalane (2-2, 1f).
Subs: S McCartan (1-0) for K Mackey, C O’Sullivan (0-1) for C Healy (both 41 mins); N O’Callaghan for O’Regan (48); O Mullins (0-1) for Keating, C Finn (0-2) for O’Connor (both 51).
DUBLIN: A Gorman; E O’Byrne, A Ryan, Z Couch; A McKearney, K Finnegan, C Gannon; S Nolan, N Gannon (0-1); S Wylde, E Jamieson-Murphy, A Maher (0-5, 4s); A Gannon (0-1), E Flanagan (0-1), G O’Shea (0-1).
Subs: A Kenny for Couch, A Heffernan for Nolan (both 41 mins); G Skelton for Jamieson-Murphy (47); N Comerford for Wylde, H O’Dea for Ryan (both 56).
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).
Galway prevail against Tipperary in dramatic finale
All-Ireland Senior Camogie semi-final: Galway 1-12 Tipperary 1-11
Two frees from Carrie Dolan either side of an equalising point from Aoife Donohue carried Galway across the finish line in a tense and dramatic second semi-final against Tipperary at UPMC Nowlan Park, sending the Tribeswomen back to Croke Park for their first final in three years.
Galway started with three points in a row, they finished with three points in a row and they got a much-needed boost of 1-2 without reply from Niamh Mallon either side of half-time.
Those proved crucial as aside from those three mini-purple patches, they struggled to contain a more powerful and direct Tipperary side that had very strong performances from Karen Kennedy at centre back, Caoimhe McCarthy at midfield and Eimear McGrath at full forward.
Once Cáit Devane was introduced midway through the second half, she fired over a point with her first possession and it looked as the former All Star winner would be the player that would tip the scales in favour of the blue and gold, but even as Tipp piled on the pressure, Galway’s defence was able to hold up enough to leave them still within striking distance at the death.
The Westerners also had Tipperary in a defensive stranglehold for the first 12 minutes, during which time Niamh Kilkenny’s opening point and two more Dolan frees saw them take a commanding lead.
McGrath fumbled possession to allow Róisín Black to clear her lines with one early attack and then hit the upright with another attempt, while a fantastic block from Rachael Hanniffy to deny Grace O’Brien only heightened the tension in the Tipperary contingent within the crowd of approximately 6,000 supporters, as they struggled to put their first score on the board.
A move of real quality then shifted the game’s momentum completely. Kennedy’s interception in the half-back line gave Tipperary the chance to wrong-foot the Galway defence and a sublime touch and pass from O’Brien fed McGrath close to the Galway goal. The Drom & Inch player still had a lot of work to do but she held off two tackles and rifled a perfect shot to the roof of the net, and the sense of relief among the Tipp players was palpable.
Six of the next eight points went the way of the Premier County, including gorgeous strikes from distance from Eimear Heffernan and Eimear Loughman, but after she briefly had to leave the field due to an injury, Mallon came back on and fired over two crucial points in first half stoppage time.
The former Down player, who is a nutritionist for the Galway footballers playing in the All-Ireland final against Armagh, further underlined her value to the Galway cause when she sprinted clear of the Tipp defence and batted a goal after two minutes of the second half. And while Tipp levelled through Clodagh McIntyre, well-crafted points from Niamh McPeake and Niamh Kilkenny pushed Galway two clear with 37 minutes gone.
Once again, however, Tipperary took over, in no small part because of Devane’s injection of quality. She fired over a point that could have been even more if an initial pass attempt didn’t fly a yard too far behind her, then after McGrath nudged Tipp back in front, Devane also played a key role in the 56th-minute point that saw Tipperary move 1-11 to 1-9 ahead.
On a day when the wide count was relatively even (7-6 to Galway), a couple of spurned opportunities during this run of four consecutive Tipperary points looked like they might prove very costly, but Galway held their nerve, crafted the chances they needed, and both Dolan and Donohue were able to deliver the finishes.
There was time for one last Tipperary attack from a sideline that McGrath cut perfectly into the heart of the Galway goalmouth, but Dervla Higgins’s brave catch in traffic was the final ingredient in Galway setting up a clash with All-Ireland champions Cork on Sunday, August 11th.
GALWAY: S Healy; D Higgins, R Black, R Hanniffy; AM Starr, C Hickey, N Hanniffy; Á Keane, O Rabbitte; N McPeake (0-1), A O’Reilly (0-1), N Kilkenny (0-2); C Dolan (0-5, 5f), N Mallon (1-2), A Donohue (0-1).
Subs: O McGrath for Mallon (27-30 mins, temp); N Niland for Rabbitte (50); A Hesnan for N Hanniffy (52); O McGrath for Starr (58).
TIPPERARY: N Walsh; E Loughman (0-1), J Bourke, K Blair; C Quirke, K Kennedy, M Eviston; C Hennessy, C McCarthy; R Howard, E Heffernan (0-1), C McIntyre (0-2); G O’Brien, E McGrath (1-6, 3f, 2 45), C Maher.
Subs: T Ryan for Hennessy (h-t); A McGrath for Bourke (40 mins), C Devane (0-1) for Heffernan (42); M Burke for Howard (50); C Perdue for O’Brien (57).
Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)
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