Fitzgerald the difference as Camross narrowly beat Ballincollig to All-Ireland intermediate title
STAR: Sarah-Anne Fitzgerald scored 1-7 for Camross in their victory over Ballincollig in the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Camogie Championship final. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
On the final day of the club championships, Camross delivered a masterful second-half display to overcome Ballincollig by four points in a tightly-fought AIB All-Ireland intermediate camogie final in Croke Park on Sunday.
The destination of the Agnes O’Farrelly Cup still hung in the balance against a battling Cork side who trailed by two points and the fourth quarter yet to play. But Camross drove at them courtesy of a late flurry of points.
However, the actual shift in power came just before half-time, when the new champions rallied and went to the dressing-room just a point behind.
Laois legend Sarah-Anne Fitzgerald was the star performer with 1-7, her goal nine minutes after the break was crucial.
“They definitely had it over us in the second half,” was Ballincollig manager Mike O’Brien’s assessment of the Camross victory.
“We couldn’t seem to get our inside forwards free. We weren’t getting the ball in quick enough to them. We struggled a bit at midfield to get good clean ball into the forwards. We started bringing them out to try and remedy that.
“Camross got the decisive goal, which switched over the lead. Once we lost the lead, Camross definitely closed the door. We didn’t seem to be able to penetrate after that.
“We tried our best. The dream was to get to Croke Park and win, we did half of it.”
The Laois and Leinster champions were made to work for it though.
With the sides level two points apiece, and Niamh Dollard forced to save from Tara Goulding, it was the southern outfit that set the ball rolling.
Sixteen-year-old Leah Hannigan was at the end of a quick exchange started by Ailish Scanlon and Goulding, and her eighth minute blast to the net put them 1-2 to 0-2 up.
The young emerging talent took her score so well.
And it got better for Ballincollig with Scanlon flashing over a long free after Camross were guilty of over-carrying. Captain Linda Dorgan found the range and Sorcha McCarthy pointed to put them ahead by double scores, 1-5 to 0-4, and the final 10 minutes left to play.
Camross hadn’t scored in 12 minutes, but when they needed a fillip it came in the guise of a Fitzgerald free.
They would produce their best period of the half from there to the break, with Fitzgerald unerring from placed balls and Premier Junior Player of the Year Aimée Collier landing her second point. Kristen Keenan also found the range.
By the half-way mark, they trailed by the minimum 1-7 to 0-9, but they had renewed energy with wind assist to come.
And they re-emerged with real purpose.
Ana Hartnett was forced into two point-blank saves from Andrea Scully and 17-year-old Erin Walsh.
However, at the third time of Camross asking, a first-time ground shot from Fitzgerald flew all the way to the far corner of the net, this despite great work by Leah Weste, but it was the brave block by Keenan that enabled the ball to break favourably for Fitzgerald in the 39th minute.
Camross regained a lead they had held in the third minute.
Collier stretched that to two on the three-quarter mark, 1-10 to 1-8, and they looked to be in a good position. Defiant at the back as well, leaving Ballincollig with just two converted frees in a fiercely-fought third quarter.
With sweepers operating at either ends, space was at a premium, but significantly Camross were taking control.
The magical Fitzgerald, who had to leave the field for three minutes as a temporary blood sub, rolled back the years, adding white flags from play and frees.
Ballincollig, meanwhile, couldn’t improve their situation due to a defiant Camross defence, and their only score was a third second-half Scanlon free.
The winners defended in numbers with Ella Cuddy, Donnagh Mortimer and Andrea Scully in particular defending their lead.
S A Fitzgerald (1-7, 0-6 frees), Aimée Collier (0-3), G Delaney, A Scully, K Keenan and E Walsh (0-1 each).
A Scanlon (0-7 frees), L Hannigan (1-0), S McCarthy (0-2), L Dorgan (0-1).
N Dollard; M Burke, A Burke, F Scully; Aoife Collier (Capt), D Mortimer, E Cuddy; L Delaney, Aimee Collier; L Daly, G Delaney, A Scully; E Walsh, S A Fitzgerald, K Keenan.
T Lowry for S A Fitzgerald (52-55 temp), S Burke for L Daly (56), A Guilfoyle for M Burke (63), T Lowry for E Walsh (63).
A Hartnett; A Cotter, M Healy, C O'Sullivan; O Keating, L Weste, E Hickey; A Scanlon, S Healy; K Goulding, L Dorgan (Capt), O O'Leary; S McCarthy, T Goulding, L Hannigan.
B Cunniffe for O O’Leary (42), N O’Brien for S Healy (49), I Fleury for S McCarthy (61).
Joe Mullins (Clare).
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