Slick Sars much too good for depleted Duharra
CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Championship Group 1
Burgess/Duharra 0-5
Thurles Sarsfields 3-22
Report: Shane Brophy at Pairc na nGael, Kilcolman
Thurles Sarsfields began the defence of the County Senior Camogie Championship title in dominant fashion with an emphatic victory over Burgess/Duharra on Saturday afternoon.
The game was a mis-match almost from the get-go with Thurles much too strong for a heavily depleted home side who plugged away in difficult circumstances and only for the visitors taking off county stars Karen Kennedy and Caoimhe Stakelum in the third quarter, the final margin could have been much worse.
In fairness to Burgess/Duharra, they have sustained blows this year that few teams could sustain, including the tragic death of Laura Kennedy in a road traffic accident in May, and with this being their first competitive game since her untimely passing, a minutes’ silence was impeccably observed, and the number 9 jersey was not worn in her memory.
On top of that, their best player, Caoimhe Maher sustained a season-ending knee injury playing for Tipperary last month, and with leading forward Jenny Grace and full back Aisling Cremin also unavailable, the heart of the team had been virtually ripped out.
In these circumstances, the former queen-pins of Tipperary camogie, including an eight-in-a-row between 2011 & 2018, could be facing into relegation battle.
However, in their remaining three group games, they will hardly face a team as complete as Thurles Sarsfields who could be destined for a period of dominance of their own.
The vast majority of their team has inter-county experience plus their quality on the ball, impressive athleticism, and tactical nous, they will take stopping, but will face much tougher tests than this.
They scored the first ten points without reply inside fifteen minutes when one feared that the home side would struggle to register a score such were their lack of attacks until Caoilfhionn Maher finally got them off the mark on seventeen minutes.
Playing a sweeper in an attempt to curtail Sarsfields attack, it didn’t have the desired effect with Thurles’ own plus-one Lucy Purcell cutting out Duharra attacks time and again from where they counter-attacked with Andrea Loughnane particularly effective up the right wing, scoring three points from play and creating another.
Thurles had thirteen points on the board by the time they scored their first goal on 24 minutes when Caoimhe Stakelum punished the Duharra defence who failed to clear their lines.
She could have had a first half hat-trick but for two fine saves from Ciara Holohan but she could do nothing about Aoife Dwyer’s shot to the corner in added time to help the visitors into a 2-16 to 0-1 half time lead.
What do you say to a team at half-time who are being outclassed but credit to the Duharra management for refocusing the team and until the closing stages were outscored 0-6 to 0-4 until Laura Loughnane’s 60th minute goal put the tin-hat on it for Thurles who host Moycarkey/Borris in round 2 while Burgess/Duharra have to dust themselves down for the short trip to Moneygall.
Player of the Match: Andrea Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields)
Burgess/Duharra: Ciara Holohan (8); Lucy Slattery (7), Ella Slattery (6), Kara O’Carroll (6); Malwina Dziewiatka (7); Roisin Duffy (0-1, 6), Katie Grace (6), Iris Grace (6); Kaitlin O’Halloran (7), Danielle Nealon (6); Caoilfhionn Maher (0-1, 7), Amy Kennedy (0-1, 7), Tara Kennedy (0-2f, 6); Lily Duffy (6), Ruby Power (6).
Thurles Sarsfields: Siobhan Hennessy (6); Niamh McCormack (7), Emma Carey (7); Lucy Purcell (8), Leanna Coppinger (7), Emer Kennedy (6), Aoife Butler (6); Karen Kennedy (0-2, 8), Aoife Dwyer (1-4, 0-1f, 8); Andrea Loughnane (0-4, 9), Marie Creedon (6), Sarah Stakelum (0-2, 7); Laura Loughnane (1-1, 7), Caoimhe Stakelum (1-9, 0-4f, 9), Maria Ralph (6).
Subs: Rebecca O’Mara (6) for Purcell (HT inj); Robyn Fanning (6) for K Kennedy (39); Nicola Loughnane (7) for C Stakelum (39).
Referee: David Kennedy (Nenagh Eire Og).