Classy St Finbarr's retain Munster camogie title against Waterford champs Gailltír
DEADLY: St Finbarr’s Sorcha McCartan was Player of the Match for the third time in a major final this year. Picture: Noel Sweeney
St Finbarr’s retained their AIB Munster senior camogie championship title after a ferocious battle with Gailltír at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday.
Eight of the Gailltír started in the Munster ladies football final last week, with the replay of that to come next Saturday against Aghada. They didn’t let that bother them as they took the game to the Barrs early on.
But once the Barrs got going, which took about 15 minutes, they never looked like losing. They had some outstanding displays with Sorcha McCartan and Kate Wall leading their attack, with the former named Player of the Game afterwards.
Aisling Shannon, as always, worked tirelessly in midfield and defensively the likes of Aoife O’Neill and Meabh Cahalane stood strong when they needed them to.
Laoise Forrest put Gailltír in front from a free in the second minute, with Molly Comerford adding a second for the Waterford side from the restart.
The Barrs were slow to settle and were guilty of missing a number of chances, with five wides in the first six minutes or so.
Gailltír increased their lead after 10 minutes, when Kate Lynch played Ali Ferguson in to score, to make it 0-3 to no score.
Three minutes later and it got even better for Gailltír, when Annie Fitzgerald caught a long ball in to find the back of the net, to make it 1-3 to no score.
McCartan got the Barrs off the mark, with Liz O’Donovan adding their second as they started to settle.
McCartan was on target again to put only the goal between the sides, after 17 minutes.
Forrest pointed for Gailltír, before the Barrs got a goal.
A long ball in from McCartan was seized upon by Orlaith Cahalane, leaving two defenders in her wake, to make it 1-3 to 1-4.
Fitzgerald put two between them, before Wall pointed for the Barrs with 24 minutes gone, to make it 1-5 to 1-4.
A minute later and the Barrs were back on level terms when McCartan got her third of the half as the Togher side were now well in the game.
They took the lead for the first time a minute later when Nicole Olden pointed, before McCartan was on target again, to put two between the sides, 1-7 to 1-5.
It got even better for the Barrs in the 30th minute when Ella Wigginton Barrett got on the end of another long ball in, to score their second goal from the tightest of angles.
That put the Barrs 2-7 to 1-5 up at half-time as they finished the half strongly.
Cahalane got the first score of the second half, with Forrest replying from a free, with Emma Fitzgerald adding a other to close the gap.
McCartan replied at the other end to see the Barrs lead by 2-9 to 1-7 after 36 minutes.
Another free from Forrest put only four between the sides, in a highly entertaining game.
A sixth from McCartan, after 45 minutes, stretched the Barrs lead again, with Forrest surprisingly, missing two frees as she failed to reduce the deficit.
It took nine minutes for the next score to arrive with Wall catching the ball from a restart and bursting past several players to point.
Wigginton Barrett added another as the Barrs led by 2-12 to 1-8 with five minutes to go.
Annie Fitzgerald pulled a point back for Gailltír and in the 60th minute they were thrown a lifeline when Faye Murphy scored a goal, to make it 2-12 to 2-9.
Wall added a point as the Barrs deservedly retained their title.
They will now face Sarsfields from Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final in two weeks. Gailltír will now have to pick themselves up ahead of the Aghada game next Saturday.
S McCartan 0-6, O Cahalane, E Wigginton Barrett 1-1 each, K Wall 0-3, L O’Donovan, N Olden 0-1 each.
A Fitzgerald 1-2, E Fitzgerald 1-1, L Forrest 0-4 (0-3 f), A Ferguson, M Comerford 0-1 each.
C Hurley; S Punch, A Egan, K Cahalane; M Cahalane, G O’Connor, A O’Neill; L O’Donovan, A Shannon; N Olden, E Wigginton Barrett, C Golden; K Wall, O Cahalane, S McCartan.
E Hurley for K Cahalane (42), A Byrne O’Riordan for E Wigginton Barrett (60).
V O’Sullivan; K Lynch, S Fitzgerald, M Sheridan; A Hartley, C Carroll, C Sherlock; M Brennan, A O’Sullivan; A Ferguson, A Power, C O’Sullivan; M Comerford, L Forrest, A Fitzgerald.
E Fitzgerald for K Lynch (ht), C Flynn for A Ferguson (34), F Murphy for M Brennan (56).
John Lillis, Tipperary.
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