Drom produce a champions performance to see off Nenagh
CAMOGIE: Tipperary Senior Camogie Championship Group 1
Drom & Inch 3-18
Nenagh Eire Og 2-4
Report: Enda Treacy at The Ragg
An emphatic performance from reigning Drom & Inch put a young and spirited Nenagh Eire Og side to the sword in round 2 of the County Senior Camogie Championship last Friday.
This match will be a clear signal to everyone that this Drom & Inch team won’t be resting on their laurels after last year’s success, with Nenagh unable to keep with their opponents' pace and accuracy for the sixty minutes.
Drom’s attack was something to behold, especially in the second half of this contest as Nenagh simply couldn’t live with the interplay and fitness of their opponents, with Eimear McGrath in fine form again adding a further two goals to the hat-trick she scored the week previous against Clonoulty.
Nenagh, to their credit, made things uncomfortable early in the game and had a number of good performances around the field, with Alanna Morris, Hazel McAuliffe and Caroline Browne all playing well throughout.
The home side were first out of the blocks with Eimear McGrath and Anne Eviston opening their sides account in the first seven minutes as the sides were easing into the contest. The game certainly burst into life in the ninth minute as Nenagh came looking for their first score of the game, and it proved to be a unbelievable strike from Caroline Browne, as she picked up the ball in midfield and pinned her ears back before producing a rocket from well outside the 21-yard line that flew past Caoimhe Bourke into the top left-hand corner.
Indeed, Nenagh were growing in confidence throughout the field with that goal and it was Browne again who extended the Nenagh lead a few minutes later, reading a breaking ball to pick off a lovely score on off her left to give Nenagh a deserved 1-1 to 0-2 lead after the first quarter.
Eimear McGrath settled her side down with a free in response and this set off a champion response which seen the home side notch 1-5 without response in the next ten minutes; the goal a contender to Browne’s effort earlier as McGrath was sent through on goal from a lovely pop pass from Miriam Campion and made no mistake with a rasper into the top corner.
Grace O’Brien was having somewhat of a meltdown on placed balls and she had a penalty well saved by Bourke in the Drom goal in the 28th minute, as Browne was sharp to the rebound as she pointed well to keep her sides interest going into half time as they trailed 1-8 to 1-2.
Unfortunately, from a Nenagh perspective, it wasn’t long before Drom had put the game beyond the North sides’ reach as a Miriam Campion goal in the 35th minute gave Drom a firm lead and they didn’t let up as they had four further points on the board from McGrath (frees), Dee Dunne and Joanne Ryan to open a 2-12 to 1-2 lead at the 42 minute mark.
A Maeve Coffey effort a few minutes later got Nenagh off the mark for the second half but the killer blow came just a minute later with Eimear McGrath scoring her second goal of the game to bury the Nenagh challenge.
Grace O’Brien and the excellent Caroline Browne (who would finish with a tally of 1-3) was as good as Nenagh could muster as Drom cruised down the last ten minutes with Niamh Treacy top scoring with three points in this period to top off an excellent personal performance at midfield.
Drom & Inch are now in an excellent position with two wins as Nenagh will need a win the next day out to Clonoulty to have any chance of avoiding finishing bottom of the group.
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch)
Drom & Inch: Caoimhe Bourke; Maria Connolly, Christina Brennan, Mairead Eviston; Eimear Cahill, Aoife McGrath, Maureen Ryan; Niamh Treacy (0-3), Mary Burke (0-1); Dee Dunne (0-2), Anne Eviston (0-1), Siobhan McGrath; Eimear McGrath (2-7, 0-7f), Joanne Ryan (0-3), Miriam Campion (1-1).
Sub: Niamh Long for S McGrath (42).
Nenagh Eire Og: Sarah Quigley; Zoe Gratton, Ella Carey, Rachel Maher; Megan Grace, Hazel McAuliffe, Alanna Morris; Rachel O’Connor, Ruth Hassett; Michelle Collins, Caroline Browne (1-3), Grace O’Brien (0-1); Aislinn O’Brien, Maeve Coffey (1-0), Eimer Ryan.
Subs: Ellie Spain for A O’Brien (39); Maeve Hassett for Grace (41); Lily O’Brien for O’Connor (50).
Referee: Sean Everard (Moyne-Templetuohy)