Fresh faced Tipp down Down

CAMOGIE: Littlewoods Ireland National League Division 1 Group 1 Round 1

Tipperary 3-16

Down 0-3

Report: Thomas Conway at the Camogie Grounds

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Grace O’Brien (Tipperary).

SCORERS - Tipperary: Claire Hogan, Casey Hennessy 1-1 each; Grace O’Brien 0-3 (1 free); Jenny Grace 1-0; Róisín Howard, Clodagh McIntyre, Ciara Brennan, Cáit Devane (free) 0-1 each; Karin Blair, Ciardha Maher, Caoimhe McCarthy 0-1 each.

Down: Dearbhla Magee 0-3 (2 frees).

In this, their first encounter of the 2022 National Camogie League, Tipperary never looked mildly under threat. And yet they played like a team intent on banishing even the slightest threat to their status as one of the top four forces in inter-county camogie, beginning their season with the smoothest of wins, and setting down a marker for the forthcoming year.

Tipp's superiority was evident right from the moment Casey Hennessy channelled through from the wing to slap over their first point in the third minute, and it remained evident throughout, with Down ill-equipped to manage a potent Tipp forward line, a powerful midfield unit, and virtually impenetrable half-back line.

Their second score was as splendid as the first, Jenny Grace snapping a high ball near the half-back before sending wing-forward Karin Blair on a pacey crusade down the wing. Blair angled her strike over from near the edge of the 45, sending Tipp two ahead.

By the time Claire Hogan had rounded the keeper and whisked in Tipp’s first goal in the fifth minute, the dye had effectively been cast. Down just were not up to it. Aside from the occasional assault on the Tipp goal, they resembled a team worn down by the tenacious energy of the home side.

And in fairness, the exhaustion was understandable. Physically commanding and technically superior, Tipp knitted together moves which would have been even more devastating had it been a dry day on a spacious Croke Park pitch.

Newly-appointed joint-captain Grace O’Brien took on the role of offensive midfielder, with her colleague Caoimhe Maher sitting deep in the pocket, and each thrived in their respective positions, the former pressing forward relentlessly while the latter provided constant stability. Keep an eye on this midfield partnership - we’re likely to see more of it.

It took Down ten minutes to register, Ciara Fitzsimons drilling over from the stand side. Tipp had already amassed 2-3 by that stage, Casey Hennessy doubling the goal tally with a fortuitous effort which dipped into the net at short-notice.

With O'Brien a constant presence and Blair bounding forward intrepidly, Tipp looked utterly dominant, outmuscling the Ulster side on the ball and outworking them across the half-back line - where Down's few attacks would invariably break down. The most glaring example came in the 17th minute, when Dearbhla Magee - one of the Ulster side's better performers - cut through the centre on a promising solo-run. She was stopped in her tracks just before the 45, dispossessed, and sent chasing the ball wearily back up the field.

Only seconds before, Bill Mullaney's side had sealed the game beyond reasonable doubt, Jenny Grace netting their third from close-range and extending their advantage to eleven points.

Tipp continued to apply their crisp finishing in the lead-up to half-time, Clodagh McIntyre striking twice in fashion - her first a venomous rising effort, arrowed over from the wing; her second a classical corner-forward score, grasping the ball from above her marker's head, turning sharply, and slicing over from the right.

Grace O'Brien would end the first-half with her own touch of class, collecting a pass from the wing, before clipping the ball straight between the posts with sumptuous precision, Tipp now leading 3-9 to 0-2.

Peppered with substitutes and rattled by a wind which gathered force over the course of the afternoon, the second-half was a far more stilted affair, Tipp intent on seeing the game out without incident but Down determined to make some kind of mark. Led by centre-back Magee and assisted by Aoife Keown in midfield, Derek Dunne’s charges showed a sort of semi-resilience which had to be commended given the gulf in class between the sides. Still, they could only manage a Magee free, as Ciara Brennan and Ciardha Maher infused the home side with new energy.

Cáit Devane made an appearance late on, slotting a customary free and contributing from play as well, but the score of the half arrived via Claire Hogan in the 65th minute, the full-forward swivelling around and pointing from an angle following a brilliant sprint through the centre by Sarah Delaney.

Down’s 2021 Championship campaign had been a story of fine margins. Creditworthy performances in the group stages had been rewarded by two exasperating single-point defeats to Waterford and Dublin, while another solid display against Cork earned them a six-point loss. They retained their senior championship status, but they remain at a level well below that of Tipp.

Whether Saturday’s victory can be interpreted as a statement of intent from Bill Mullaney’s side is entirely debatable, but given the conviction of their overall performance, you’d suspect it might be.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Áine Slattery (Shannon Rovers 7), Julieanne Bourke (Borris-Ileigh, J-Capt, 7), Sorcha Ryan (Cashel King Cormacs 7), Emer Loughman (Clonoulty/Rossmore 7), Karin Blair (Cashel King Cormacs 8), Courtney Ryan (Clonoulty/Rossmore 7), Sarah Delaney (Boherlahan-Dualla 7), Caoimhe Maher (Burgess/Duharra 8), Grace O’Brien (Nenagh Eire Og, J-Capt, 9), Caoimhe McCarthy (Knockavilla Kickhams 7), Róisín Howard (Cahir 8), Jenny Grace (Burgess/Duharra 7), Clodagh McIntyre (Lorrha 8), Claire Hogan (St Cillian’s 8), Casey Hennessy (Clonoulty/Rossmore 8).

Subs: Ciara Brennan (St Cillian’s 8) for McCarthy (HT); Ciardha Maher (Burgess/Duharra 7) for Grace (HT); Gemma Fox (Eire Og Annacarty 7) for Blair (45); Cáit Devane (Clonoulty/Rossmore 7) for Hennessy (48); Mary Ryan (Moneygall 7) for O’Brien (55).

Down: Catherine McGourty (6), Caitriona Caldwell (6), Cassie Fitzpatrick (6), Clare McGilligan (6), Alannah Savage (7), Dearbhla Magee (7), Deirbhile Savage (6), Aoife Keown (7), Clara Cowan (6), Blánaid Savage (6), Aimee McAleenan (7), Rhea Smyth (6), Isabella O’Hare (6), Lauren Clarke (6), Ciara Fitzsimons (7).

Sub: Amy Rose Gilmore (7) for Smyth (25 inj).

Referee: Andy Larkin (Cork).