Small in numbers, but huge in heart: Clanmaurice heading for Croke Park

Has a club side, male or female, reached a Croke Park final with only 17 players and two of them are goalkeepers?

Sun, 03 Dec, 2023 - 19:58

Mortimer Murphy, The Ragg

All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final: Clanmaurice (Kerry) 1-12 Shamrocks (Galway) 2-5

DEFENDING Munster Intermediate champions, battle-hardened Clanmaurice had too much experience for a young Shamrocks side from Galway in Sunday's AIB All-Ireland Intermediate Club semi-final and now they will face Meath champions Na Fianna in the All-Ireland final in Croke Park in two weeks' time.

From the opening minute when Jackie Horgan rattled the Shamrocks net following a Danielle O’Leary cross, the Eddie Murphy-coached Clanmaurice held the whip hand, save for a brief spell after half time when Shamrocks reduced the deficit to a point (1-5 to 1-4) and threatened to repeat last year’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat suffered by Clanmaurice.

But that hurt appeared to drive this tightly-knit Clanmaurice to a deserved four-point win - so tightly knit that they have just 17 players but have beaten the champions of Cork, Tipperary and Galway along the way. Has a club side, male or female, reached a Croke Park final with only 17 players and two of them are goalkeepers! It’s an incredible sporting story but there is one last chapter Clanmaurice would like to write.

The work rate of Clanmaurice was phenomenal right throughout the field but their half-back line of Aoife Behan, Niamh Leen and Aine O’Connor were up against the quicksilver Shamrocks half forward line of Niamh McInerney, Katie Donoghue and Emily Lawless and Kerry girls came out on top. Patrice Diggin and Kate Lynch held sway at midfield while dual player Daniel O’Leary fetched some great ball in the corner.

After Horgan’s goal inside 53 seconds, Anne Marie Leen then fired over a point a minute later. Then the quicksilver Galway minor Katie Donoghue converted a free and then finished a ball to the net after Clanmaurice failed to clear and it was 1-1 apiece after ten minutes. But Clanmaurice were looking the stronger side winning a lot of ruck ball through Caoimhe Spillane but with both defences on tops scores were at premium with Diggin and Donoghue swapping frees in a ten minute spell.

Clanmaurice finished the half the stronger, with three unanswered points from Julianne O’Keeffe, Jackie Horgan and Caoimhe Spillane while Aoife Fitzgerald made a blinding save from a Leah O’Halloran bullet and this allowed the Kerry girls to retire 1-5 to 1-2 in front at half time.

By the 33rd minute Shamrocks had cut the deficit to the minimum, after points from Leah O’Halloran and Niamh McInerney but Clanmaurice fired over the next five points with Jackie Horgan displaying wonderful stickwork as she added four points, one over her shoulder from close to the sideline while Kate Lynch chipped in with another. By thr 51st minute, they led 1-10 to 1-4.

But Shamrocks hit back with Katie Donoghue getting inside the Kerry defence and found Leah O’Halloran to blast the ball to the net. It made for a nervy ending for Clanmaurice. But with Behan, McCarthy, O’Connor and Leen keeping Shamrocks out, only Niamh McInerney added a point and it was fittingly left to Jackie Horgan to wrap the game with last minute 45.

Scorers for Clanmaurice: J Horgan (1-7, 1f, 1’45), K Lynch, And C Spillane, A M Leen, J O’Keeffe and P Diggin (f) (0-1 each).

Scorers for Shamrocks: K Donoghue (1-2, 2fs), L O’Halloran (1-1), N McInerney (0-2).

CLANMAURICE: A Fitzgerald; R McCarthy, S Murphy, M Costello; A Behan, N Leen, A O’Connor; D O’Leary, K Lynch; C Spillane, L Collins, A M Leen; J O’Keeffe, J Horgan, P Diggin.

Subs: E Ryall for J O’Keeffe (45).

SHAMROCKS: C McClearn; A Morgan, A Donoghue, A Coen; S Murray, A Hesnan, M Larkin; S Ridge, C Lawless; N McInerney, K Donoghue, E Lawless; A Lawless, K Gilchrist, L O’Halloran.

Subs: E Hesnan for A Lawless (42), S Devine for L O’Halloran (60).

Referee: G Donegan (Dublin)