CLARE have crashed out of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie championship at the quarter-final stage for the second year in succession.
Tipperary 3-20
Clare 3-14
Venue: Croke Park
Six points may have been the final margin but the gulf and gap was far greater in reality. A final quarter flurry where Clare hit 3-6 put some respectability on the scoreline.
Missed chances aplenty, fifteen in total, nine of which were in the first half and five from placed balls hindered Clare from making any real momentum. This coupled with the wait of twenty three minutes to register a score kept them at bay.
Áine O’Loughlin’s introduction allied with a bit of complacency from Tipperary saw Clare finally make some inroads but the result and outcome was known long before Gavin Donegan sounded the final whistle.
How Clare finished and kept plugging to the final whistle ensures it wasn’t so deflating as it looked when fifteen points separated the teams with as many minutes remaining.
An improvement has been evident in Clare’s cause all year in what has been Eugene Foudy’s first season. Last year, they exited the quarter-finals with a ten point loss to Waterford, this year the final margin is six and at the hands of Tipperary. Crucially it has been a season where Clare have been fitter and most importantly secured promotion out of Division 1B in the National League, getting into the top tier will help the long-term development of the county.
Needing to start strong, the wait to register a score was a disaster, Tipperary meanwhile had six points on the board at this juncture. The gap by half time would remain at six points, Andrea O’Keeffe’s opener was followed by frees from Clare Hehir and Roisin Begley plus a Roisin McMahon score.
Though the Premier County were the favourites, they were the side heading into the knockout stages without a win in this year’s championship while Clare only had the Kilkenny hammering to dent their confidence.
Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill.
Tipperary with a much stronger attacking threat were the better balanced side and were able to call on an abudance of scorers while Clare were still feeling the absence of the injured Lorna McNamara. Whichever of the Tipp forwards got on the ball were capable of scoring and causing damage, they did whereas the Clare attack was not as strong.
On top of this, soft chances were spurned by Clare and such misses cannot be left behind on big days. Though Abby Walsh was dropping deep at centre back, it was not enough to curb the influence of the Tipperary inside line who ran riot for the hour.
Scorers Tipperary: C Stakelum (1-4 1f), C McIntyre (1-2), E Heffernan (0-4 1f), E McGrath (0-4 1f), R Howard (1-0), G O’Brien (0-3), A Dwyer (0-1), C Hennessy (0-1), N Treacy (0-1).
Scorers Clare: E Casey (2-1 1f), A O’Loughlin (1-3), R Begley (0-5 4f), A O’Keeffe (0-2), R McMahon (0-1), C Hehir (0-1 1f), M Millea (0-1).
Tipperary:
1: Laura Leenane (Shannon Rovers)
4: Eimear Loughmane (Clonoulty/Rossmore)
6: Caoimhe Maher (Burgess Duharra)
2: Amy Quinlisk (Kilruane MacDonaghs)
5: Caoimhe McCarthy (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
3: Máiread Eviston (Drom & Inch)
7: Celine Guinan (Shannon Rovers)
8: Karin Blair (Cashel King Cormacs)
9: Clodagh McIntyre (Lorrha Dorrha)
10: Eimear Heffernan (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
21: Casey Hennessy (Clonoulty Rossmore)
13: Caoimhe Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields)
15: Grace O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg)
14: Eimear McGrath (Drom & Inch)
12: Roisin Howard (Cahir)
Subs:
17: Clodagh Quirke (Clonoulty Rossmore) for Maher (15) (inj)
23: Aoife Dwyer (Thurles Sarsfields) for Howard (38)
24: Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch) for McGrath (46)
11: Lucy Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields) for McIntyre (47)
18: Emma Carey (Thurles Sarsfields) for Guinan (55)
Clare
1: Doireann Murphy (Clarecastle)
4: Niamh Mulqueen (Broadford)
3: Sinead O’Keeffe (Kilmaley)
2: Muireann Scanlon (Broadford)
5: Lynda Daly (Scariff-Ogonnelloe)
6: Abby Walsh (Scariff-Ogonnelloe)
7: Clare Hehir (Inagh-Kilnamona)
9: Danielle Griffin (Inagh/Kilnamona)
8: Roisin McMahon (Feakle-Killanena)
15: Jennifer Daly (Scariff-Ogonnelloe)
11: Andrea O’Keeffe (Inagh-Kilnamona)
10: Aoife Anderson (Ruan)
13: Ziyan Spillane (Feakle-Killanena)
12: Ellen Casey (Newmarket-on-Fergus)
15: Roisin Begley (Truagh Clonlara)
Subs
17: Aine O’Loughlin (Truagh Clonlara) for Anderson (HT)
24: Susan Daly (Scariff/Ogonnelloe) for O’Keeffe (39)
23: Maeve Millea (Parteen-Meelick) for Spillane (44)
12: Caoimhe Carmody (Kilmaley) for Griffin (44)
20: Claire McNamara (Feakle-Killenana) for L Daly (54)
Referee: Gavin Donegan (Dublin)
