St Finbarr's left frustrated at Croke Park as Athenry force All-Ireland camogie final replay
Athenry’s Kerri O’Driscoll and Aoife O'Neill of St Finbarr's keep their eyes on the sliotar at Croke Park. Picture: INPHO/James Crombie
St Finbarr’s and Athenry will have to do it all again as their AIB All-Ireland Club Camogie championship final ended level at Croke Park on Sunday.
With the Barrs looking like they had it won Athenry scored a late haul of 1-3 without reply to take it to a replay in January.
Eimear Keane set up Tara Donohue for the opening score in the second minute, with the Barrs replying from the restart. Orlaith Cahalane set up Nicole Olden to point as the Cork side were playing against the wind.
With five minutes gone, the Barrs had their first goal chance, when a sideline ball from Sorcha McCartan fooled the Athenry defence. But their keeper Laura Freeney recovered well to clear the danger.
A free from Sabina Rabbitte put Athenry back in front to make it 0-2 to 0-1 after 10 minutes.
They increased that to two when Jessica Gill set up Kerri O’Driscoll for their third point, before Keeva McCarthy made it a one-point game again.
The Barrs were soon back on level terms with Ciara Golden showing her semi-final winning point was no fluke as she scored from distance.
The Barrs took the lead after 17 minutes when Olden got her second point, before they were denied what looked like a certain penalty.
A shot by Orlaith Cahalane came back off the post and the onrushing Hannah O’Leary was upended by Freeney, but the referee waved the Barrs’ protests away. Sorcha McCartan converted a free for the Barrs and she added a second from another placed ball, to make it 0-6 to 0-3 after 22 minutes.
Donohue pulled a point back for the Galway side with Orlaith Cahalane replying at the other end. Kayla Madden put two between the sides before Olden got her third of the half to make it 0-8 to 0-5.
Deep into injury-time O’Driscoll scored for Athenry as they trailed by 0-8 to 0-6 at half-time.
Eva McGlyn, on as a half-time sub for Athenry, got the opening score of the second-half, with McCartan replying from a 45 for the Barrs. Cahalane got her second to put three between the sides with 35 minutes played, 0-10 to 0-7.
That became four when McCartan got her second of this half.
Rabbitte replied for the Galway side with McCartan on target from another free to put four between them again.
Donohue reduced the deficit, before we has a spell where both sides missed chances to add to their tally. Hawk-eye was called into action after Madden thought she had scored but it was ruled out with a firm nil from the technology.
It took until the 51st minute for the next score to arrive when Kate Wall pointed for the Barrs before McCartan was on target again.
Using the wind to her advantage she scored a magnificent point from inside her own half, to make it 0-14 to 0-9, with six minutes of normal time left.
Barrs subs Liz O’Donovan and Eimear Hurley combined for the latter to increase their lead before the game was back in the melting pot.
A Donohue shot came back off the crossbar and Anna Jordan was quickest to react to find the back of the net, to make it 0-15 to 1-9.
That lead was cut to two when Rabbitte scored from a free as the momentum was now with the Galway side, 0-15 to 1-10.
They had another goal chance but Ciara Hurley saved superbly to deny Gill as the game was deep into injury time.
With a minute left of injury time, there was only a point in it after Rabbitte scored from a 45, but the drama wasn’t over yet.
With the last shot of the game, Madden pointed to see it end level and go to a replay on the weekend of January 3-4, with details to be announced during the week.
S McCartan 0-6 (0-4 f, 0-1 45), N Olden 0-3, O Cahalane 0-2, K McCarthy, C Golden, K Wall, E Hurley 0-1 each.
S Rabbitte 0-4 (0-2 f, 0-1 45), T Donohue 0-3, A Jordan 1-0, K O’Driscoll, K Madden 0-2 each, E McGlynn 0-1.
C Hurley; S Punch, A Egan, G Cahalane; A O’Neill, M Cahalane, S Daly; C Golden, A Shannon; S McCartan, K Wall, K McCarthy; O Cahalane, N Olden, H O’Leary.
L O’Donovan for S Daly (38), E Hurley for H O’Leary (45), E Wigginton Barrett for N Olden (60).
L Freeney; T Kilkenny, K Screene, N Feeney; L Casserly, D Higgins, S Feeney; T Donohue, O Rabbitte; K Madden, K O’Driscoll, E Keane; J Gill, S Rabbitte, C Burke.
E McGlynn for K Screene (ht), A Jordan for C Burke (44), M Noone for E Keane (52).
Ray Kelly, Kildare.
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