U16 All Ireland A Camogie Final Replay
St Brendan’s Park, Birr, Co. Offaly.
St. Brendan’s Park was the venue again for the highly anticipated replay between two extremely talented and determined U16 camogie teams, Galway and Kilkenny. This gripping replay saw Galway emerge victorious over Kilkenny, proving themselves deserved champions with a performance that combined skill, grit and determination.
From the first whistle, Galway set the tone with excellent interaction between their mid field of Maia Nevin and Katie Brogan with their half forward line. Centre forward, Cara Giblin, opened the scoring with a well worked point. Kilkenny needed more time to settle but it was the in form Rachael Duff, at wing forward who got Kilkenny’s first score; after displays of hard work from Ruby Norris and Dearbhla Ryan, Duff got on the end of a hand pass from Ryan and took the opportunity to put the ball into the back of the net! Kilkenny were unlucky for a second goal one minute later as Amy Walsh’s effort hit the crossbar and the impressive Galway defence of Alannah Hughes and Aoife Lawlor were effective in keeping the ball out. Both teams spent the next ten minutes battling for possession and even though both sides saw the ball going wide, it was Rachael Duff who got Kilkenny’s next score, a point, in the 13th minute. Galway’s response was immediate. Their pressure on the Kilkenny backs paid off when Grace Roche was rewarded with a goal from a looping strike into the Kilkenny net. Again, Kilkenny’s Rachael Duff responded with another point but Galway’s dominance across large sections of the field saw their attacking play was fluid and relentless. Three unanswered Galway points from Cara Giblin, Grace Roche and Orna Dunne put them firmly in control. Kilkenny’s Ruby Norris was rewarded for all her hard work with a point of her own in the 24th minute and Dearbhla Ryan followed this up with two more point for Kilkenny, one from a free. Kilkenny were now challenging and making dangerous attacks. The last five minutes of the half saw both teams trading points with Ruby Norris and Elizabeth Sida scoring one point each for Kilkenny and Cara Giblin and Orna Dunne score points also for Galway, to finish the match with the smallest of margins between the teams.
Half time score: Kilkenny 1-7 Galway 1-6
The second half was a titanic battle. It took eight minutes for the first score to come, as both teams fought relentlessly for every ball. The intensity on the pitch was palpable, with players displaying tremendous stamina and commitment. Galway eventually broke through, levelling the game as mid fielder, Katie Brogan put the ball over the bar. Following this passage of play, Kilkenny made substitutions; Leyla Ahern came on for Dearbhla Ryan and five minutes later, Sophie McCabe replaced Ruby Mullins. Kilkenny’s Ruby Norris was working extremely hard at mid field and scored her second point of the game in the 15th minute but after this score, the Galway girls stepped up their intensity and took the game by the scruff of the neck. Player of the match, Orna Dunne was in a perfect position to scoop up the ball which broke to her in the square and wasted no time in putting it into the back of the net. Dunne was on fire as she slotted a point over one minute later. And Eva Harkin, at corner forward for Galway added another point. Kilkenny introduced substitutes Meabh Kenny and Katie Mulcahy in the final minutes of the game but Galway were dominant and in control and their defence was solid. Even though Kilkenny’s Leyla Ahern got a point from a free, it was the Galway forwards who powered on to get the final two points of the game, through Giblin and Meave Cronin to see out this match. By the final whistle, Galway’s superiority across large portions of the field has shone through. Their combination of tactical control, disciplined defence and clinical finishing secured a well deserved victory and saw them retain the U16 title.
Full time: Kilkenny 1-9 Galway 2-11
Kilkenny team: Heidi Culleton, Sinead Cash, Robyn Corcoran, Ciara Joyce, Holly Drennan, Rachel Murphy, Isabel Carroll, Ruby Norris, Elizabeth Sida, Rachael Duff, Amy Walsh, Ruby Mullins, Rebecca Smith, Kate Dalton, Dearbhla Ryan.
Subs: Rachel Tennyson, Alice Maher, Katie Mulcahy, Sophie McCabe, Leyla Ahern, Megan Harding, Saidhbh Farrell, Roisin Gibbons, Meabh Kenny, Katie Harnett, Sarah Buggy, Noa Bambrick, Clea Whelan, Amy Hughes, Molly Ryan.
Galway team: Ciara Doyle, Kate Melville, Alannah Hughes, Aoife Lawlor, Emily McDonnagh, Nessa Coen, Kayle Dolan, Maia Nevin, Katie Brogan, Katelyn Hayes, Cara Giblin, Orna Dunne, Eva Harkin, Maeve Cronin , Grace Roche.
Subs: Vicki Lyons, Sarah Maher, Delia Griffin, Ciara Mullins, Kayla Burke, Kate Kilkenny, Alanna Joyce, Sarah Kililea, Lauren Morley, Rachel Hanrahan, Tara Power, Eabha McSharry, Ellen Clarke, Chloe Murray, Emily Behan.
By PRO Mon 1st Jun
