Galway know Cork won't be as forgiving as tortured Tipp
BATTLE FOR BALL: Tipperary's Karin Blair and Niamh Mallon of Galway. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
Galway’s late surge of scores brought a surge of joy. But once emotions settled, reality wasn’t long knocking on their door. They’ve a fortnight to confront and correct that reality.
Barren spells of 13, 11, and 21 minutes respectively in a single fixture doesn’t typically lend itself to All-Ireland final progression. Galway were fortunate that Tipp proved incapable of punishing their fits-and-starts display. Cork will be anything but forgiving.
Referee Liz Dempsey played 67 minutes in the second of Saturday’s camogie double-header on Noreside. Add up Galway’s three periods of near terminal drought, running for 46 minutes in total, and what you had was the westerners going without a score for over two-thirds of the contest.
Cork would and will devour such lengthy periods of fade and bluntness. They already devoured Galway in the group phase last month. 2-16 to 1-7. To give themselves any chance on August 11, Galway need consistency, not consistency of drift.
“Cork have gone to a level way, way higher than last year, we certainly haven't reached that level yet. But that semi-final is going to bring us on a lot. We have another two weeks to work on things and we really need to work hard because it is a huge, huge challenge in two weeks' time,” said Galway boss Cathal Murray.
“If we can build on the last 10 minutes, or the second half even, we'd be delighted. It is going to take an unbelievable performance in Croke Park. Are the Galway team capable of it? Of course they are. Cork have brought it to another level. We need to get there fairly fast.
“All this year, it was about getting to the final. It didn't matter what we did in the league, it didn't matter how the group games went. We really needed to get to an All-Ireland final and we are delighted to be there.”
Their getting there by unlikely means inflicted the usual semi-final torture on Tipp. From the sixth to the 32nd minute, Galway managed only 0-2. From the 37th to the 59th minute, they managed nothing at all.
What scored them an unlikely victory from this scenario was a run of three late points and so much more along with that. A foul on Niamh Mallon, converted by Carrie Dolan, brought an end to their 21-minute second-half barren spell. A minute and a half into injury-time, sub Orlaith McGrath and Mallon combined to find Aoife Donohue. The leveller.
In the fourth and final minute of injury time, Dolan was fouled. She held her nerve to slot the resultant free and sneak the Tribeswomen in front. Tipp’s equalising opportunity was an Eimear McGrath sideline superbly fielded in the square by the excellent Dervla Higgins.
“The last few minutes were all about Galway and all about our character,” Murray continued.
“When you go two points down in a semi-final, there are certainly a lot of places to hide. In fairness to these players, they have never hidden.
“It needed massive character. It also needed an awful lot of quality. For Aoife Donohue's score, Orlaith McGrath gave an unbelievable ball across. You need quality, character, and you certainly need guts.
“At times we did look dead and buried, no doubt about that. After being beaten by Tipp in the League final, it did take that character to get over the line.”
In keeping with Galway’s year, they flowed and spluttered in fits and starts. 1-10 of their 1-12 was produced in smart openings and smart closings at the beginning and end of either half. Mallon delivered their goal in a ferocious second half start where they went from two behind to two in front. A perfect top-scoring start to a busy weekend for the performance nutritionist with Pádraic Joyce’s footballers.
Tipp will rue this latest semi-final chance let slip. A sixth semi-final defeat in seven years. For the second year in succession at Nowlan Park, their leader, Karen Kennedy, was given too deep a sweeper role to properly impact proceedings. Eimear McGrath and sub Cáit Devane will rue final quarter wides that could have left them four ahead.
Regrets for Tipp. Reality awaits Galway.
N Mallon (1-3); C Dolan (0-5, 0-5 frees); N Kilkenny (0-2); N McPeake, A O’Reilly (0-1 each).
E McGrath (1-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘45); C McIntyre (0-2); E Loughman, E Heffernan, C Devane (0-1 each)
S Healy; R Hanniffy, R Black, D Higgins; AM Starr, N Hanniffy, C Hickey; A Keane, O Rabbitte; N McPeake, A O’Reilly, N Kilkenny; C Dolan, N Mallon, A Donohue.
O McGrath for Mallon (25-30, temporary); N Niland for Rabbitte (50); A Hesnan for N Hanniffy (52); O McGrath for Starr (58).
N Walsh; K Blair, J Bourke, M Eviston; E Loughman, C Quirke, C Maher; C McCarthy, C Hennessy; K Kennedy, R Howard, C McIntyre; E Heffernan, E McGrath, G O’Brien.
: T Ryan for Hennessy (HT); A McGrath for Bourke (40); C Devane for Heffernan (42); M Burke for Howard (50); C Perdue for O’Brien (57).
L Dempsey (Kilkenny).
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