St Finbarr's retain senior camogie title defeating a battling St Catherine's
TITLE RETAINED: St. Finbarr's celebrate their win. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
St Finbarr’s retained their SE Systems senior camogie championship title following their win over St Catherine’s at MTU on Sunday.
It was a battle all the way to the finish but when needed the Barrs big players stood up, none more so than one of their Cork stars, Sorcha McCartan.
She came out around the middle of the pitch to pick up the ball for the winners, hitting six points as she did so and was the deserving winner of the Player of the Game award afterwards.
Speaking after the game she said: “It was a tough battle out there and at times it was really in the melting pot, particularly in the second-half and we just weren't getting our game going.
“They were stopping us and making it difficult for us. We were trying to get the message on the pitch that we just needed to take the points and keep the scoreboard ticking over. There was times where we were maybe forcing things a bit and then getting turned over.
“But I think once we got, you know, a few scores on the board, then we started to drive at them again.
“We’re just delighted to get the win, and you know this bunch of girls deserve it. A special shoutout to the Cahalane’s as well (Meabh, Orlaith and Kate), as they had to play a football county final on Saturday. So massive credit to them for that, they're absolute legends like and I’m so glad for them.
“I thought our backline were immense too and they came out with that ball after ball and then I think it was down the forwards to try and keep the scoreboard ticking over as much as possible.
“Thankfully we managed to do that and come out on top. To be honest we were probably more nervous going into this game that last year’s final as we knew what was at stake, so to retain the title is really special and a great day for all involved and the club.”
In the game itself Orlaith Cahalane showed no signs of having play a football county final the day before as she opened the scoring for the Barrs, with Keeva McCarthy adding a second to double their lead.
Aoife Hurley got Catherine’s first point, with Sorcha McCartan replying at the other end as the Barrs were enjoying the better of the opening exchanges.
Cahalane added a fourth, before Catherine’s had the first goal chance of the game, with Ally Mulkerrins effort going just wide.
McCartan added a point from a free for the defending champions, with Kate Wall also scoring to make it 0-6 to 0-1 after nine minutes.
McCartan pointed another free, before Mulkerrins got Catherine’s second point.
Catherine’s then had two efforts come back off the post with two Orla Cotter 45s dropping in and off the bar and the danger was cleared.
Cahalane was on target again as Catherine’s were guilty of missing some relatively easy scoring chances, which saw them have 10 wides in the first half.
Mulkerrins did point for them, with Nicole Olden getting the last score of the half as the Barrs led by 0-9 to 0-3 at half time.
O’Regan got the first score of the second half for Catherine’s with Olden replying at the other end.
Then Catherine’s enjoyed their best spell of the game as they hit five in a row, with Laura Hayes leading by example.
First the Barrs had keeper Ciara Hurley to thank as she saved a shot on goal from Aoife Hurley, before Orla Cotter pointed from the resulting 45.
Cotter was on target again and when Hayes pointed after 38 minutes the gap was down to three.
Hurley added another and when Cotter scored, after 46 minutes, there was only one between the sides, 0-10 to 0-9.
But the Barrs showed why they are the defending champions, with Olden stretching their lead, before McCartan took a hold of the game.
She hit a magnificent point from distance, before she hit another from a free to pout four between the sides.
Wall got her second of the afternoon to stretch their lead further, before McCartan was on target again from another free to make it 0-15 to 0-9.
This proved to be the final score of the tie as the Barrs retained their title and their third ever as they will now go on to represent Cork in the Munster series.
: S McCartan 0-6 (4f), N Olden 0-3, O Cahalane 0-3, K Wall 0-2, K McCarthy 0-1.
O Cotter (0-1 45) 0-3, A Hurley 0-2, A Mulkerrins, 0-2, N O’Regan 0-1, L Hayes 0-1 each.
S: C Hurley; S Punch, S Daly, G Cahalane; A O’Neill, M Cahalane, C Golden; E Olden, A Shannon; S McCartan, K Wall, K McCarthy; O Cahalane, N Olden, H O’Leary.
: E Hurley for H O’Leary (39), L O’Donovan for E Olden (41), E Wiggington Barrett for N Olden (58), A Egan for G Cahalane (59).
: Y O’Neill; M Murphy, C Motherway, C Hayes; F Sheehan, L Hayes, F Neville; E O’Brien, M O’Keeffe; A Hurley, O Cotter, M Fitzgerald; N O’Regan, A Mulkerrins, T Murphy.
SM Clancy for F Sheehan (49).
: Diarmuid Kirwan, Éire Óg
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