Second half rally secures semi-final spot for Tipperary U23's
CAMOGIE: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Under 23 Championship Round 4
Tipperary 1-18
Kilkenny 0-17
Report: Joe Scully at the County Camogie Grounds
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Danielle Ryan (Tipperary).
SCORERS – Tipperary: Aoife Dwyer 1-10 (0-9 frees); Danielle Ryan 0-3; Grace Moloney 0-2; Aoife Fitzgerald, Kate Ferncombe, Caoimhe McCormack 0-1 each.
Kilkenny: Rachel Dowling 0-10 (7 frees); Lauren Ronan, Amy Brennan 0-2 each; Laura Phelan, Ellen Gunner, Ciara O’Keefe 0-1 each.
Tipperary finished their group stage of the All-Ireland Under 23 Camogie Championship with a four-point victory over Kilkenny on Saturday and in doing so qualified for the semi-finals.
The Premier ladies can put their feet up ahead of the final round next weekend but barring a major upset, Tipp will be playing Galway in the last four.
This victory was based on a blistering start to the second half where they scored seven points without reply to turn a two-point half-time defect into a five-point lead.
Tipperary would finish the game with fourteen players after centre back Miriam Murphy received her marching orders for a second yellow card in stoppage time, but this didn’t have an impact on the outcome.
The home side, who have now won their last two games, to bounce back well from two opening defeats, will be happy with this win, but will also know they will still have improvements to make ahead of the upcoming semi-final.
There were some fine individual moments for the Premier Ladies at crucial moments, notably Danielle Ryan who when her side were coming under pressure, made a couple of superb catches and tagged on a couple of scores to keep her side ahead. Also Aine Slattery in goals who pulled off two excellent saves in the second-half when the game was in the melting pot.
The Munster side raced out of the blocks and were four points to no score ahead after just six minutes through three Aoife Dwyer frees and a superb effort under pressure from play.
The away side would take a stranglehold on proceedings over the next fourteen minutes, hitting seven unanswered points with Rachel Dowling opening their account with a free in the eighth minute, with Ciara O’Keefe next up with a fine effort from distance. Dowling added two more, the second a great score after a superb catch and finish, before Amy Brennan and Ellen Gunner got themselves on the scoresheet to leave the Leinster outfit seven points to four up after 21 minutes.
Aoife Fitzgerald got the home side back on track a minute later, before Lauren Ronan added another for Kilkenny. Danielle Ryan reduced the gap back to two in the 24th minute following a superb catch and finish. Ronan from play and an Aoife Dwyer free in stoppage tome with the last puck of the half left the score at the break 0-9 to 0-7 in favour of Kilkenny.
Whatever was said in the Tipperary dressing room at the interval certainly worked as they came out in the second half like a team possessed, opening the scoring after just 36 seconds through Danielle Ryan with an over the shoulder effort.
Aoife Dwyer struck next from a free from just inside her own half, with Kate Ferncombe adding the score next following a great run by Celine Guinan. Grace Moloney added the next point with a flick over the bar after being set up by the ever-influential Ryan, before Dwyer would hit three frees in a row to leave her side 0-14 to 0-9 ahead after 41 minutes.
As with all Kilkenny sides, they are never beaten as they responded with three frees through Rachel Dowling, to leave just two in it with fifteen minutes left.
A minute later though, and the gap was out to five with the crucial only goal of the game as Aoife Dwyer finished emphatically to the net from close range having being set up by Grace Moloney.
Rachel Dowling nearly had a goal back for the Cats straight away, but her effort was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Aine Slattery. Not long after, Slattery pulled off an even better save to deny Amy Brennan.
Laura Phelan pointed a couple of minutes later to reduce the gap to three points with ten minutes to play, but Tipp would respond with a point from substitute Caoimhe McCormack.
The game continued to flow back and forth, and Amy Brennan had the gap back at three in the 53rd minute. An Aoife Dwyer free had the gap back to four, before Rachel Dowling pointed again entering added time.
Straight from the resultant puckout, Danielle Ryan made another superb catch before setting Grace Moloney up for her second point.
The drama was far from over as Miriam Murphy received her marching orders two minutes into added time for a head high challenge, and from the resultant free Dowling reduced the gap to three.
Kilkenny would push for a levelling goal, but the game was put to bed in the 65th minute with Danielle Ryan once again making an excellent catch under pressure before knocking over the third and final point of the game.
TEAMS – Tipperary: Aine Slattery (Shannon Rovers 8); Lorna Ryan (Clonoulty/Rossmore 7), Maria Connolly (Drom & Inch 7); Anna Fahie (Cashel King Cormacs 6), Aoife Fitzgerald (Borris-Ileigh 7), Miriam Murphy (Silvermines 7), Eabha Dolan (Moyle Rovers 6); Lily Fahie (Cashel King Cormacs 6), Orla O’Brien (Eire Og Annacarty/D 6); Celine Guinan (Shannon Rovers 7), Kate Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore 6), Aoife Dwyer (Thurles Sarsfields 8); Grace Moloney (Cashel King Cormacs 7), Danielle Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty/D 9), Hannah Butler (Cashel King Cormacs 6).
Subs: Caoimhe McCormack (Knockavilla-D Kickhams 6) for Dolan (43); Ciara Gleeson (Gortnahoe/Glengoole 6) for A Fahie (46); Paula Quirke (Boherlahan-Dualla 6) for Ferncombe (54).
Kilkenny: Sinead Farrell (6); Hannah Larkin (7), Eadaoin Cody (6), Sofia Kerr (7), Muireann Gannon (7), Tara McGrath (6), Aisling Browne (7), Laura Phelan (7), Emma Mulhall (6), Katie Byren (6), Rachel Dowling (8), Ellen Gunner (7), Lauren Ronan (7), Ciara O’Keefe (7), Amy Brennan (8).
Subs: Rachel Phelan (6) for Mulhall (51), Emma Poyntz (NR) for Gannon (58), Eabha Carroll (NR) for Larkin.
Referee: Joseph Mullins (Clare).