Tipp’s radar is on in league ending win over Waterford

CAMOGIE: Centra National Senior League Division 1A Round 5

Tipperary 3-21

Waterford 1-8

Report: Joe Scully at the County Camogie Grounds

Photos: Marty Ryan/SportsFocus

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Karen Kennedy (Tipperary).

SCORERS – Tipperary: Eimear McGrath 1-6 (0-6 frees); Caoimhe Stakelum 0-5; Roisin Howard, Karen Kennedy 1-2 each; Lucy Purcell 0-3; Aoife Dwyer, Niamh Treacy, Eimear Heffernan 0-1 each.

Waterford: Beth Carton 0-4 (3 frees); Maggie Gostl 1-1; Eimear O’Neill, Mairead O’Brien, Niamh Rockett (free) 0-1 each.

Tipperary rounded off their National Camogie League campaign with an impressive 19-point win over final-bound Waterford on Saturday.

The home side dominated from start to finish, and were well worth the margin of victory, albeit up against a Waterford side who had already booked their place in the league final, and who had made several changes from their previous outings.

Having said that, the Premier ladies were excellent over the hour, with their work-rate exceptional, and hit some fine scores.

It was an all-round team performance, and one Tipp will be hoping they can build on going forward, starting in a month’s time when they face Cork in the Munster Championship quarter final.

The tone was set as early as 25th second when Clodagh McIntyre setup Roisin Howard who blasted to the back of the Waterford net. After this Tipp put to pedal to the floor and blew the Waterford challenge right out of the water.

In what was a fine team performance, the likes of Mairead Eviston, Karen Kennedy, Lucy Purcell, Roisin Howard, Eimear McGrath, and Caoimhe Stakelum who continues to impress in her debut season stood out.

By the eighth minute, Tipp had added six points to go nine up. Lucy Purcell hit the first with a long-range effort, with Roisin Howard adding the next. Eimear McGrath converted two frees, with a Karen Kennedy effort sandwiched in-between. After a scramble near the Waterford goal, the ball fell to Niamh Treacy who pointed from close range.

After a faltering start, Waterford finally got off the mark a minute later when star forward Beth Carton fired over from close range, and this seemed to click them into gear momentarily, as she added another free, before Maggie Gostl added a third point in the 13th minute.

Tipp hit straight back when Caoimhe Stakelum pointed following a storming run, before another McGrath free from just inside her own half extended the lead.

Beth Carton then punished a mistake from Tipperary with her first from play, but once again Tipp would put the foot down with Karen Kennedy pointing while on an advantage, with another McGrath free added to by another Howard point after great work from Kennedy to win the ball.

Eimear O’Neill, who impressed throughout, added Waterford’s fifth point, but the home side responded with two Caoimhe Stakelum points, the second blasted over from a tight angle.

Waterford’s Mairead O’Brien and Tipp’s Aoife Dwyer exchanged scores before Beth Carton hit the final score of the half with Tipp leading 1-14 to 0-7.

Just as in the first half, Tipp goaled early after the restart when in the 34th minute a long-range effort from Eimear McGrath dropped over the head of Waterford goalie Noelle Murphy and into the back of the net.

This led to another purple patch for the home side with a McGrath free sandwiched in-between two more superb Caoimhe Stakelum scores.

Waterford responded with their first score of the half in the 41st minute when sub Niamh Rockett pointed a free. McGrath hit another free, and then it was the turn of a Tipp sub to get on the scoresheet when Eimear Heffernan found herself in space, before finishing from distance.

The game then hit a bit of a lull until the 51st minute when Waterford would show what they are capable of; a fine move started by Eimear O’Neill, who passed to Beth Carton, who in turn picked out Maggie Gostl with an exquisite cross-field ball, and she buried to the back of the net, 2-19 to 1-8.

Three minutes later, Tipp responded with their third goal from Karen Kennedy, after being played in by Caoimhe Maher, when on one of her trademark runs before hitting a sweet shot low into the bottom right-hand corner.

The game petered out after this but there was still time for two more Tipperary points, both from the stick of Lucy Purcell as they finished their league campaign with a morale boosting win, ahead of a Munster showdown with Cork on 19th April as part of a double header with the Munster hurling showdown between the same counties, in what promises to be an epic day.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Laura Leenane (Shannon Rovers 6); Amy Quinlisk (Kilruane MacDonaghs 8), Mairead Eviston (Drom & Inch 8), Eimear Loughman (Clonoulty/Rossmore 7); Caoimhe McCarthy (Knockavilla-D Kickhams, Capt 7), Celine Guinan (Shannon Rovers 8), Emma Carey (Thurles Sarsfields 7); Karen Kennedy (Thurles Sarsfields 9), Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields 8), Aoife Dwyer (Thurles Sarsfields 7), Roisin Howard (Cahir 7), Clodagh McIntrye (Lorrha 7); Caoimhe Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields 9), Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch 7), Eimear McGrath (Drom & Inch 8).

Subs: Eimear Heffernan (Knockavilla-D Kickhams 7) for Treacy (39); Caoimhe Maher (Burgess/Duharra 7) for McIntyre (46), Jean Kelly (Eire Og Annacarty/D 6) for McGrath (49), Ellen Cunneen (Silvermines 6) for Howard (51), Mary Burke (Drom & Inch NR) for Eviston (56), Danielle Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty/D NR) for Stakelum (57).

Waterford: Noelle Murphy (6), Iona Heffernan (7), Clodagh Carroll (6), Alannah Murphy (6), Rachael Walsh (6), Keeley Corbett Barry (7), Ciara Sherlock (6), Eimear O’Neill (8) (0-1), Rebecca Farrell (6), Sarah Lacey (6), Beth Carton (8), Mairead O’Brien (6), Laoise Forrest (6), Maggie Gostl (7), Alannah O’Sullivan (6).

Subs: Bevin Bowdren (6) for Sherlock (HT), Niamh Rockett (7) for Farrell (HT); Katelyn Lyons (6) for Lacey (38), Kelsie Obanyas (6) for Forrest (38), Abbie Burrows (6) for Carton (51).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork).