St Finbarr's will spend Christmas getting their heads right for camogie replay

In an ideal world, you’d want your season over by now to properly enjoy Christmas. 

But if ever the distraction of the festive break could prove beneficial, it’s for St Finbarr’s to reset and recover from an All-Ireland final which slipped from their grasp.

The good news is they will get another chance to contest those honours on the first weekend of 2026. The most important angle in the three-week turnaround between now and then is psychological. 

Forgetting the opportunity gone and remembering the one that awaits around the corner.

For such a battle-hardened team, it looked like the Barrs were doing their thing as they stretched six points clear of Athenry with five minutes of normal time to play. Except they haven’t won anything easy along the way.

In the Munster semi-final, for instance, they held Newcastle West scoreless for 26 second-half minutes, only to let a six-point lead slip in stoppage time. 

That will have felt similar to their Croke Park experience on Sunday. Athenry didn’t score for almost 14 minutes as the Barrs built that lead. 

The Corkonians came forward with the next attack, too, only for the shot from the impressive Nicole Olden to drop short. It would prove a sliding-doors moment.

When Thérèse Donohue’s subsequent shot dropped onto the crossbar, after tenacious defending by Méabh Cahalane, Anna Jordan was rushing across to sweep home the rebound. It was game on again.

The Barrs still came up with several big plays. Liz O’Donovan ended a dangerous attack by forcing an overcarrying free. 

Captain Stephanie Punch got in a terrific hook on her own 21 as the backtracking Sorcha McCartan applied extra pressure. 

Ciara Hurley’s quick adjustment allowed her to save from Jessica Gill in the first of four added minutes. Hurley was called into action twice more under dangerous balls in.

Trailing by two with 70 seconds remaining, Sabina Rabbitte briefly seemed in two minds whether to take her 45 short or go for the posts. 

She chose the latter option. The subsequent minute would determine whether that was the correct choice.

Like their footballers against Dingle, the Barrs came up with possession and the lead inside the final minute. Even when they lost the ball, a sideline at the opposite end seemed a safe location. 

Donohue, better known as Thérèse Maher, already has a Laochra Gael episode dedicated to her career. 

Her exploits this year may yet require a follow-up edition if she is to claim a long-awaited national club medal. The 44-year-old’s tireless solo run put Athenry back into scoring territory. 

She hit the ground, but Ray Kelly seemed reluctant to permit any soft frees in that final play, swerving a repeat of the Cork-Galway fallout this summer. 

He did allow the 18 extra seconds to complete the attack. The maroon side persisted, working the sliotar for Kayla Madden to slot the equaliser.

The Barrs were left to regret their shooting efficiency, so sharp at 80% in the first half, slipping by almost half to 44% in the second.

MOMENTUM

Would they have preferred extra time? Given momentum, maybe not. Given their track record, maybe yes.

The Togher side have won double-extra-time epics in both the Munster and All-Ireland semi-finals. 

Certainly, their stamina can’t be called into question.

The defining characteristic of this Barrs team, which they will rely upon over the coming weeks, has been their response to adversity.

Against Newcastle West, they shipped a third goal in extra-time before digging out an equalising brace to trigger the second extra period, in which they finally prevailed.

Kate Wall’s Munster final winning goal owed to incredible vision and calmness under pressure by Orlaith Cahalane with time almost up.

In the All-Ireland semi, Loughgiel Shamrocks twice struck goals in extra-time, only for the Barrs to come back off the canvas to force a second extra period and grind out a dramatic win.

The RTÉ stats summed up the fine margins of this All-Ireland final. 

Scoring chances: 28 apiece. 

Scores from play: 10 apiece. 

Wides: Athenry’s eight to the Barrs’ seven. 

Turnovers won: Athenry’s 42 to the Barrs’ 41. 

The Barrs held marginally more possession. Athenry claimed marginally more puck-outs.

UP FOR GRABS

The start and finish belonged to Athenry. The middle section was owned by the Barrs. The replay remains very much up for grabs.

Olwen Rabbitte’s cruciate ligament operation is due after the replay, which could enable her to play again. 

Remarkably, she completed the hour at Croke Park with a strapped-up knee.

She held the middle for a formidable Athenry defence, which kept its fifth clean sheet in eight games this season. 

But having scored 22 goals en route to the final, threatening the net could be key for the Barrs in the replay.