Sarsfields show real grit to get past Truagh Clonlara and into Munster semi
Sarsfields Orlaith Mullins shoots from Truagh Clonlara's Niamh Powell in action. Picture: Eamon Ward
A RIGHT battle in Clonlara GAA grounds on Saturday saw Sarsfields take a deserved four-point victory which puts them into the Munster semi-final in Cork next weekend.
Leading by a point after Clare Mullins hit the net on the stroke of half-time, the sides were level three times in the second half before Sars edged a two-point advantage on 52 minutes. Clonlara reduced it again to one but three points in additional time from Kate Fennessy (2) and Lucy Allen gave Sars their four-point advantage.
Hannah Horgan, Roisin Begley, and a Laura Foley free got Clonlara up and running in front of a large home support on a heavy pitch. A superb point by Orlaith Mullins from the touchline and two from Kate Fennessy, one from play, and Sars were in their stride by the 13th minute.
A competitive opening half with plenty of good hooks and blocks kept the scoring low, Truagh with five wides, Sars two. A Fennessy free gave Sars the lead before Áine O’Loughlin finished brilliantly to the net for Clonlara.
She was double-marked as Clonlara played deep, pulling out their forwards and leaving Sars with the numerical advantage at the back. Still, O’Loughlin found a way to gather and hit across the goal on the far-right-hand side of Mollie Lynch.
A long delivery batted out by Clonlara keeper Sophie Cullen was pounced on by Mullins and with the goal-scoring touch she has produced all season she clinically finished to give Sars that half-time lead, one which Truagh would feel was hard on them.
Point for point in the second half, Clonlara drawing level within two minutes. But Sars looked the more dangerous from midfield up. Truagh were very busy, but they struggled for impact players and relied too much on O’Loughlin, who at times had to drift out looking for ball. On 47 minutes, Clare Mullins was unlucky for a second goal as her rasping shot came off the crossbar and two wides from Clare and Hollie Herlihy showed the dominance Sars were beginning to show but yet not creating daylight between the battling sides.
A great point by O’Loughlin had the sides level at 1-6 apiece but an equally good effort by Katlyn Sheehan pushed Sars into the lead again, an advantage they would hold onto. Fennessy and Laura Foley swapped frees with the game on 56 minutes. With five additional, Lucy Allen did very well to keep the ball up in the Sars attack while Orlaith Mullins won a huge amount of ball out around the middle to deny Clonlara any momentum in the closing 10 minutes.
A O’Loughlin 1-2, L Foley 0-3 f, H Horgan, R Begley 0-1 each.
K Fennessy 0-8 (0-6 f), C Mullins 1-0, O Mullins, K Sheehan, L Allen 0-1 each.
S Cullen; S Ryan, R Powell, S Hogg; E Horgan, M Caulfield, L Egan; L Foley, N Powell; H Horgan, J Egan, E Begley; R Begley, A O’Loughlin, N Ryan.
A Marren for H Horgan (25), L Hawes for E Begley (56).
M Lynch; L Dunlea, E Murphy, L Kelly; C Lynch, O McAllen, N O’Callaghan; A Fitzgerald, E Twomey; O Mullins, K Fennessy, K Sheehan; L Allen, C Mullins, H Herlihy.
R Roche for E Twomey (53), S Hurley for E Murphy (56)
TP O’Sullivan (Tipperary).
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