Teehan and Leahy fire Offaly back to senior camogie with victory over Kerry

Clodagh Leahy scored seven points for Offaly while Grace Teehan added five. 

Offaly’s Orlagh Phelan lifts the the McGrath cup after victory over Kerry in the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship final. Pic:  ©INPHO/Ben Brady

All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship final: Offaly 0-14 Kerry 0-11 

The accurate shooting of Grace Teehan and Clodagh Leahy proved decisive in Offaly recording victory in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate final against Kerry. With the game finely poised in the closing exchanges, Teehan and Leahy helped guide Offaly back to senior camogie once again.

It was an encounter that Offaly deserved to win but made heavy weather of it in a game that never rose to any great heights. Kerry wasted a gilt-edged goal chance that would have put them a point up late on, but they made too many basic errors to have deserved victory despite the best efforts of Patrice Diggin and Caoimhe Spillane.

Offaly started brightly in this tightly contested encounter, with Clodagh Leahy making an immediate impact. She opened the scoring after just 20 seconds and quickly followed up with two well-taken frees from 45 metres, giving her side a 0-3 to 0-0 lead after four minutes.

Kerry responded through Diggin, who converted a 21-metre free, before Mairead Teahan extended Offaly’s advantage once more. Diggin kept Kerry in touch with another free, and Jackie Horgan’s fine finish after a driving run from Ellen O’Donoghue reduced the gap to a single point by the 10th minute.

Kerry drew level on 16 minutes via Diggin’s long-range free, but Leahy’s accuracy from placed balls restored Offaly’s edge. Grace Teahan stretched the lead to two before Kate Lynch struck from distance to keep Kerry in contention with 24 minutes on the clock.

Diggin’s fourth free of the half brought the sides level again at 0-6 apiece after 27 minutes. Offaly pushed back ahead with points from Grace Teahan and Ellen Regan, making it 0-8 to 0-6, but Kerry’s persistence was rewarded just before the break when Diggin scored from play to leave the minimum between the teams at the break.

The second half began slowly, with the first score not arriving until the 39th minute when Patrice Diggin levelled the tie at 0-8 apiece with a well-struck 45. Grace Teehan quickly nudged Offaly back in front before Clodagh Leahy, reliable from placed balls all day, extended the lead from close range. Kerry threatened a breakthrough when Jackie Horgan’s goal attempt was saved by Emer Reynolds, with the follow-up also denied, but Ellen O’Donoghue managed to slot over a point to narrow the gap.

Leahy and Diggin exchanged scores before Grace Teehan restored a two-point cushion for Offaly in the 57th minute. A long-range Leahy free in the 59th minute pushed the lead to three, and a close-range Grace Teehan free deep into injury time effectively sealed the win.

Diggin’s final free reduced the deficit, but Offaly’s composure and accurate shooting, particularly from Leahy and Teehan, proved decisive. Kerry battled hard and created goal chances, but Offaly’s defensive resilience and clinical finishing ensured they took the points in a well-fought encounter.

Scorers for Offaly: C Leahy (0-7, 4f, 1 45’), G Teehan (0-5, 1f), M Teehan, E Regan (0-1 each) 

Scorers for Kerry: P Diggin (0-8, 6f, 1 45’), J Horgan, K Lynch, E O’Donoghue (0-1 each) 

OFFALY: E Reynolds; S Shanahan, A Byrne, M King; O Phelan, R Kinsella, A Liffey; C Cleary, C Leahy; G Teehan, C Maher, F Dooley; E Regan, M Teehan, K Pilkington.

Subs: F Mulrooney for C Maher (33 inj), C Fogarty for M King (47), O Kilmartin for K Pilkington (50), K Kennedy for A Liffey (58), C O’Donovan for C Cleary (60) 

KERRY: A Fitzgerald; M Costello, S Murphy, R McCarthy; R Quinn, N Leen, A Behan; P Diggin, C Spillane; R O’Connor, K Lynch, AM Leen; E O’Donoghue, J Horgan, A O’Sullivan.

Subs: S Collins for AM Leen (h/t), K Ryan for A O’Sullivan (50), E Conway for E O’Donoghue (60) 

Referee: D O’Callaghan (Limerick)