Carnacon’s Michelle McGing tumbles over Amy O’Shea of Inch Rovers
Carnacon inched out in CashelFinal
Inch Rovers 0-9
Carnacon 0-7Jackie Cahill
CashelCARNACON were denied in their bid for a third Tesco All-Ireland ladies senior football club championship title in four years last Sunday. Appearing in their fourth decider in just five seasons, the Mayo and Connacht champions fell at the final hurdle against Cork’s Inch Rovers, who won the title for the very first time.
Cork county dual star Mary O’Connor was the scoring ace for Inch Rovers, who had lost All-Ireland finals against Carnacon in 2007 and 2008. O’Connor led the charge in Cashel as Inch Rovers finally got one over on Carnacon.
Despite registering a massive tally of 14 wides, the team operating out of Killeagh GAA club would not be denied on this occasion. With the breeze at their backs in the opening half, Rovers established a 6-3 half-time lead and they more than matched Carnacon in the second half to secure the Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup.
Cork defender Angela Walsh enjoyed a ding-dong battle with Carnacon’s Mayo county star Cora Staunton, and this duel would go a long way towards deciding the outcome of the game.
Staunton hit 0-5, including three frees, over the course of the game, but Walsh can look back on her display with a considerable degree of satisfaction as Staunton was unable to wreak a massive amount of havoc.
With just seconds remaining, Carnacon were reduced to 14 players when another of the team’s county stars, Martha Carter, received a yellow card from referee Joe Murray. The game was gone from Carnacon by then, and the final whistle sparked jubilant scenes from Inch Rovers.
While Carnacon had some real class in their team, Inch Rovers displayed the greater hunger from the first whistle. Scores were hard to come by, however, on a bitterly cold afternoon, although the Leahy Park sod held up extremely well after the tie was switched from Banagher.
Two O’Connor frees sandwiched a fine Jessica O’Shea point from play to hand Rovers a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after 17 minutes. Michelle McGing landed the first Carnacon point in the 19th minute but O’Connor responded with two superb points from play off her trusty left boot, as Rovers surged 5-1 clear.
Staunton, extremely quiet until then and on the receiving end of some intense Rovers tackling whenever she got possession, kicked two quick-fire frees to keep Carnacon in touch. That brought Carnacon back to within two points, before Amy O’Shea pointed for Rovers.
A three-point half-time lead was a precarious position for Rovers having played with the wind advantage. But it would prove enough as the new champions decided that attack was the best form of defence in the second half.
Anne-Marie Walsh was in superb form at left half-back for Rovers, bombing forward time and time again. In the centre of the park, Annie Walsh pulled the strings with a powerful display and she kicked the opening point of the second half, three minutes after the restart, as Rovers moved 7-3 in front.
Staunton responded with a 35th point for Carnacon, but Tipperary native Jill Horan kicked arguably the score of the game in the 38th minute. The Premier County camogie star picked up possession 45 yards from goal, knifed through the Carnacon defence and landed a superb point into the breeze.
Now four points down, Carnacon were in big trouble, and their attempts to get back into the game became increasingly desperate. Staunton landed a free before registering her team’s very first wide of the day, with eight minutes of normal time remaining.
At the other end, Inch Rovers were ruining some good approach play with wasteful finishing. Staunton could have made them pay in the 52nd minute but shot straight at Rovers captain and goalkeeper Gearóidín Kearney.
O’Connor (free) and Staunton traded points as Rovers held a 9-6 advantage, which was almost wiped out by Michelle McGing in the 60th minute. The midfielder let fly with a fine shot from 20 metres, but Kearney produced a fine save to preserve her clean sheet.
Aoife Brennan completed the scoring as Carnacon kept pushing, but time ran out for the three-time winners as Inch Rovers celebrated a famous victory.
Inch RoversG Kearney; M Kennedy, Angela Walsh, J Duffy; D O’Shea, S Smiddy, AM Walsh; O Cotter, Annie Walsh (0-1); J O’Shea (0-1), C Keohane, S Harrington; A O’Shea (0-1), M O’Connor (0-5, 3f), J Horan (0-1).
Subs used: C Walsh for Kennedy (56 mins); F Neville for Harrington (60+3 mins).
CarnaconM Higgins; N Hurst, C McGing, S McGing; M Corbett, A Loftus, N Tierney; C Egan, M McGing (0-1); N Beegan, C Staunton (0-5, 3f), M Carter; A Brennan (0-1), F McHale, D Hughes.
Sub used: E Flannery for Beegan (47 mins).
Referee: J Murray (Dublin)
