Camogie: Galway reach decider

Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Semi-Final

Galway 1-18 Tipperary 1-11

By Daragh Ó Conchúir at UPMC Nowlan Park

A brilliant goal in the 39th minute by Niamh Mallon was the key score as Galway returned to the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final with a deserved victory over Tipperary.

The westerners were the better side, but they certainly did not have things their own way.

Tipp fought right to the end and it took a sensational block by the outstanding Dervla Higgins to deny Jean Kelly a goal that might have made it nervy.

There was no questioning the merit of Galway’s win, Higgins, Shauna Healy and Róisín Black forming a most obdurate full-back line that provided the platform for the triumph.

Up front, Mallon’s goal might have earned the plaudits but Ailish O’Reilly, who is in pursuit of a fourth All-Ireland medal, contributed four points as well as drilling a wonderful pass to Mallon for the definitive major.

It was a strange sort of a game and when Mallon pointed off the stick via Laura Leenane’s hurley in the 25th minute, Galway seemed to be moving inexorably towards a Croke Park return.

They were 0-8 to 0-2 in front, full value for that, and there seemed a real danger of the game drifting to an inevitable conclusion.

Neither side had excelled and even with their eight points, Galway shot some poor wides but Tipp were particularly disjointed and wasteful from the few good positions they had created.

When the lost Karin Blair at the end of the first quarter, it only added to the sense of doom.

A shot by Karen Kennedy in the 26th minute was mis-controlled uncharacteristically to the net by Sarah Healy. The leaders were suddenly shaken and the Premier were shaken from their torpor.

The result was that somehow, they went in level at the break, 0-9 to 1-6 and all the momentum with Denis Kelly’s side. Casey Heffernan and Eimear Heffernan pointed and Grace O’Brien brought her tally to four from placed balls.

The interval probably came at the wrong time for them, while Cathal Murray welcomed the opportunity to recalibrate.

All the evidence after the resumption was that the Galway players had recovered their composure but Tipp would thankfully not return to their early ineptitude.

Once O’Reilly placed Mallon, who carried to the edge of the square before firing a rocket to the far corner of the Tipp net, the Tribeswomen were able to keep their valiant opponents at arm’s length.

Kelly followed a pointed free by O’Brien with a smart score to keep Tipp interested.

Mairéad Dillon added to her first-half brace, however, and was promptly hauled ashore, Sabina Rabbitte having been stripped and ready to go, and the Athenry attacker justified the decision by splitting the posts within seconds.

There was no way back for Tipp.

Scorers for Galway: C Dolan 0-6 (4fs), N Mallon 1-2, A O’Reilly 0-4, M Dillon 0-3, C Kelly 0-2, S Rabbitte 0-1.

Scorers for Tipperary: G O’Brien 0-7 (7fs), K Kennedy 1-1, E Heffernan (f), C Hennessy, J Kelly 0-1 each.

Galway: Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins, R Hanniffy, A Starr, E Helebert, C Dolan, A Donohue, O Rabbitte, A O’Reilly, C Hickey, N Mallon, M Dillon, C Kelly.

Subs: S Gardiner for Helebert (42); S Rabbitte for Dillon, A Hesnan for Starr (52); N Niland for Kelly, J Hughes for O Rabbitte (60+1).

Tipperary: L Leenane; J Bourke, K Blair, C McCarthy, E Loughman, M Eviston, S Corcoran, K Kennedy, C Maher, E Heffernan, C Hennessy, G O’Brien, M Burke, R Howard, C McIntyre.

Subs: E Carey for Blair inj (20), J Kelly for Burke (44), A McGrath for Maher (55).

Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).