Athenry force All-Ireland replay with late fightback against Barrs
Kayla Madden of Athenry scored a late equalising point for her side in the All-Ireland Club Camogie Championship final against St Finbarr's. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
For the third time in their last four outings, the Barrs were caught at the death in regulation time. No extra-time on this occasion. Their All-Ireland dream goes on ice until the first weekend of January.
The same as the Munster semi-final against Newcastle West and All-Ireland semi-final against Loughgiel Shamrocks, the Barrs held a winning hand. But they could not hold out.
A six-point lead on 56 minutes was wiped out in the eight minutes that remained. Kayla Madden’s 65th minute equaliser sealed a sensational - and unlikely - Athenry comeback.
Points courtesy of Kate Wall and sub Eimear Hurley sandwiched a mammoth Sorcha McCartan free from beyond halfway for a 0-15 to 0-9 Barrs lead seven minutes from the hour.
It was a lead fully merited. They were bouncier. They had the better spread. They were more intelligent in their use of the sliotar. But they will have regrets. Failure to hold onto that six-point lead will hurt and haunt.
There were chances thereafter to put the result further beyond the Galway champions. They were not taken. They now have to gather themselves over Christmas and prepare for a replay they know they should have clinched first time out.
The Athenry comeback was led by 44-year-old mother of three Therese Donohue. A colossus. What a warrior - still. She and Jessica Gill have twice tasted All-Ireland senior club final defeat. They refused the same meal here.
Donohue’s directness unsettled the Barrs. Every time she lifted possession onto her stick, Athenry believed something - anything - was possible.
Her point attempt on 56 minutes came off the crossbar. Sub Anna Jordan whipped the breaking ball to the net. Sabina Rabbitte followed with a free on 57 minutes. Two-point game. 0-15 to 1-10.
Another five minutes would come and go without a score. The decider was now drenched in tension. A madcap contest had broken out.
Goalkeeper Ciara Hurley denied Gill a winning goal. A Rabbitte '45 left the minimum between them.
Little over 15 seconds after the allotted four minutes of injury-time, Kayla Madden landed the leveler. The attack began with Donohue - who else - rampaging down the Cusack Stand sideline.
The Barrs left very little after them in the opening half. Ten shots, eight points. The two that came to nought was a Sorcha McCartan free driven wide and an Orlaith Cahalane effort that struck the post. The latter almost ended in green as Hannah O’Leary found herself unmarked in the large parallelogram as Cahalane’s effort came down off the post. All credit to Athenry ‘keeper Laura Freeney who bounced off her line and flicked possession away from O’Leary.
Having found themselves 0-3 to 0-1 behind inside 13 minutes, the Barrs settled and announced themselves to proceedings with five unanswered points in seven minutes to establish a double-scores 0-6 to 0-3 lead.
Orlaith Cahalane, as she had done for their first, assisted the opening score in this sequence. Ciara Golden and Nicole Olden sniped a pair from play, before Sorcha McCartan did likewise from the placed-ball.
The latter of those McCartan frees came from a deliberate and necessary foul on Keeva McCarthy, who had two teammates unmarked further inside the cover.
McCartan and Cahalane began as a two-person inside line. But with possession an infrequent visitor early doors, McCartan was brought out the field in an attempt to impose her influence.
Athenry were nowhere near as clinical. One passage four minutes from the end of the opening half captured said statement perfectly. Twice white flag attempts dropped short, Eimear Keane was blocked before Lisa Casserly sent wide a most scorable effort.
Their inside line was completely crowded out by a brilliant Barrs full-back line. Gráinne Cahalane swept masterfully.
The balance in blue was not there up west. 44-year-old Donohue was their most dangerous forward. The centre-forward scored their first, was fouled for their second, and scored their fourth on 24 minutes to end an 11-minute wait for a flag.
The gap was two - 0-8 to 0-6 - at half-time. The Barrs pushed further clear upon the restart. They owned so much of the second-half. They did not, though, get up the steps. For that, tip your winter bobble hat to Athenry.
S McCartan (0-6, 0-4 frees, 0-1 ‘45); N Olden (0-3); O Cahalane (0-2); C Golden, K McCarthy, K Wall, E Hurley (0-1 each).
S Rabbitte (0-4, 0-2 frees, 0-1 ‘45); T Donohue (0-3); A Jordan (1-0); K Madden, K O’Driscoll (0-2 each); E McGlynn (0-1).
C Hurley; S Punch, A Egan, A O’Neill; G Cahalane, M Cahalane, S Daly; C Golden, A Shannon; N Olden, K McCarthy, K Wall; H O’Leary, O Cahalane, S McCartan.
L O’Donovan for Daly (38); E Hurley for O’Leary (45); E Wigginton Barrett for Olden (59).
L Freeney; K Screene, D Higgins, T Kilkenny; L Casserly, O Rabbitte, S Feeney; N Feeney, K Madden; J Gill, T Donohue, E Keane; C Burke, S Rabbitte, K O’Driscoll.
E McGlynn for N Feeney (HT); A Jordan for C Quirke (43); M Noone for Keane (52).
R Kelly (Kildare).
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