Tipp dig deep to earn second win

CAMOGIE: Liberty Insurance All Ireland Senior Championship Group 3 Round 2

Tipp dig deep to earn second win

Dublin       0-11
Tipperary 1-13 
 
Report: Enda Treacy 

MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Grace O’Brien (Tipperary) 
SCORERS – Dublin: Aisling Maher 0-7 (5 frees, 1’ 65), Sinead Wylde 0-2; Ali Twomey, Leah Butler 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Cait Devane 1-5 (0-3 frees), Grace O’Brien 0-3, Roisin Howard, Orla O’Dwyer 0-2 each; Karin Blair 0-1. 
 
Tipperary just about managed to put away a dogged Dublin team in tough conditions in the capital last Sunday afternoon and in the process clinched top spot in Group 3 and a place in the All-Ireland senior camogie quarter-finals. 

An excellent first half against the significant breeze in Parnell’s GAA grounds in Coolock gave Tipp enough of a cushion as they led at half-time 1-5 to 0-5 after Cait Devane’s goal provided some lee-way going into the second half with an opportunist effort in the 14th minute. 

But Tipp were pushed to the pin of their collar in the second half by a stubborn Dublin team as the visitors seemed to go through the motions, perhaps believing the elements would do the work for them. 

Dublin had the game back to within a single score going into the last ten minutes, as Tipperary’s indiscipline was giving Dublin sharpshooter Aisling Maher opportunities to keep her side in the game but Tipp finished the game strongly with Devane, Grace O’Brien and Roisin Howard putting in impressive performances to clinch the win. 

Despite conceding some needless frees, particularly in the second half, Tipp were solid defensively again and this will be the most pleasing aspect for them going forward, with less than twenty points conceded in their two group games, with Mary Ryan really impressing at full back. 

The game started slowly as there was a cold bite and breeze present and with Dublin opting to play with the elements, Tipp would need to get off to a solid start but were slow to get to their usual beat as Dublin were threatening early as debutante Áine Slattery was called into action in the third minute, producing a fantastic reflex save from a close range Jody Couch effort. 

The resulting ‘45 was converted by Aisling Maher, and she had doubled the lead two minutes later with a free from straight in front of the goals, but Tipp eventually settled down to the task with Grace O’Brien showing a deft first and turn to make space for herself and slot over a nice point. 

Orla O’Dwyer was making her presence felt too as she began to storm into the game and she created and finished her won score in the ninth minute, digging out a ball from a body of players before slipping over a point from close range to level proceedings. 

The strength of the breeze was apparent when Dublin re-took the lead a minute later, with Ali Twomey’s effort catching in the wind to sail over from some 70-metres out, but Tipp were getting into a good rhythm at this stage and when a Nicole Walsh effort for a point rebounded off the post, Cait Devane showed why she is so dangerous, latching onto the ball on the bounce to lash home in invaluable goal just before the water break. 

Karin Blair extended the lead after the resumption with a lovely effort to put Tipp into a 1-3 to 0-3 advantage, as the away side were beginning to dominate with Ereena Fryday proving effective as a third midfielder, but Dublin were still proving dangerous with Maher whipping over her first from play in the 22nd minute. 

The industrious Roisin Howard was putting in a big shift at centre-forward and missed a sitter of a goal prior to that Maher effort, but she atoned for that a few minutes with a good score on the run to open that three-point lead again, and that gap remained for the last five minutes as Devane and Maher traded points to finish the half. 

A healthy three-point lead with a significant breeze to come would have had confidence high of a win from here for Tipp, and they started the half positively but were guilty of some poor shooting in the opening five minutes with four bad wides, letting Dublin off the hook with Maher again closing the gap for her side. 

Another trademark O’Dwyer point from a crowded Dublin defence gave Tipp their first score after the resumption, but they were sloppy at times as they were allowing Dublin to chip away with placed balls, with Maher scoring again from close range before Cait Devane whipped over a major from distance after a delicious Karen Kennedy delivery as Tipp looked to power ahead. 

Tipp were starting to make better use of the ball and Grace O’Brien in particular was making room ahead of her marker continuously and she made it count with another smart touch, turn and strike to again to open a four-point gap. 

However, Dublin were not lying down and were running with the ball effectively which was causing some problems as Tipp continued to cough up scoring frees for Maher, and she was unerring with two free before the second half water break to close the gap to just two points with the last quarter to come. 

It was getting sticky now for Tipp and they needed to up it big time to avoid an upset and in fairness, they certainly did that, gradually pulling away from Dublin in this period; Roisin Howard again coming up trumps with a nice score before Grace O’Brien and Devane both slotted over to give their side some much needed breathing space. 

Devane produced another outstanding effort in the 56th minute as the Tipp bench rolled in to shore up the defensive effort and hold out and despite two Dublin points a few minutes from time, a late Devane free was the last action of the game as Tipp did the necessary and left Dublin with the win and a place in the knockout stages. 
  
TEAMS - Dublin: Rosie Kenneally; Emma O’Byrne, Emma Flanagan, Dee Johnston; Niamh Gannon, Aisling Carolan, Grainne Quinn; Hannah Hegarty, Muireann Kelleher; Ali Twomey, Aisling Maher, Laura Quinn; Kerri Flanagan, Jody Couch, Sinead Wylde. 
Subs: Carragh Dawson for Couch (26); Gaby Couch for L Quinn (34); Roisin Baker for Finnegan (41); Leah Butler for Kelleher (57).
Tipperary: Áine Slattery (Shannon Rovers); Julieanne Bourke (Borris-Ileigh), Mary Ryan (Moneygall), Eimear Loughman (Clonoulty/Rossmore); Clodagh Quirke (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch), Aoife McGrath (Drom & Inch); Karen Kennedy (Thurles Sarsfields), Karin Blair (Cashel); Nicole Walsh (Borris-Ileigh), Roisin Howard (Cahir), Ereena Fryday (Knockavilla); Grace O’Brien (Nenagh Eire Og), Cait Devane (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Orla O’Dwyer (Cashel). 
Subs: Shauna Quirke for Bourke (40); Miriam Campion for Walsh (44); Jean Kelly for Blair (57); Ciardha Maher for Fryday (57); Mairead Eviston for McGrath (59). 
Referee: Owen Elliot (Antrim).