CAMOGIE: ALL-IRELAND INTERMEDIATE CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP TWO – ROUND 1
Cork Carry Too Much Power For Kildare
CORK 1-15
KILDARE 0-7
By Daire Walsh
KILDARE endured a difficult start to their All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Group Two campaign at the Manguard Plus Kildare GAA Centre of Excellence in Hawkfield on Saturday afternoon as they fell to an 11-point defeat at the hands of Cork.
Powered the attacking triumvirate of Aoife Hurley, Kate Wall and Rachel O’Shea – who accumulated an impressive combined tally of 1-13 – Mark McCarthy’s Leesiders had too much for the Lilywhites on the day. Wall’s somewhat fortuitous goal on 23 minutes propelled the visitors into a 1-6 to 0-1 lead and while Kildare improved as the action developed, GT Troy’s outfit could never quite claw their way back into contention.
Dead-ball specialist Lea Sutton contributed three points to emerge as the Lilies’ scorer-in-chief, while inside forward Deirbhile Byrne posed a threat whenever she managed to get control of possession. Centre half-back Emer Reilly largely held her own at the heart of the Kildare rearguard and held her direct opponent – Fiona Neville – scoreless from play.
Nevertheless, they fell short of the performances that almost earned them a place in the knockout rounds of National Camogie League Division Two and a significant step-up in quality will be required for their forthcoming tussle against Kilkenny.
Facing a Cork side that are on top of the roll of honours in this competition (four-time winners with their most recent triumph coming in 2018), Kildare found themselves under pressure from the very opening moments of the contest. While it may not be the most powerful breeze they’ll face all year, the elements were against the hosts in the first half. After O’Shea got the Rebelettes up and running with a pointed free, Wall dissected the uprights from a left-hand angle. This was followed by a Hurley single, which ensured the entire Cork full-forward line had already gotten their names on the scoresheet by the eighth-minute.
Despite forcing a number of turnovers around the middle-third, Kildare were struggling to supply their attack with the kind of service that might exploit the opposition defence. Hurley subsequently knocked over a superb point on the run to give Cork a 0-4 to 0-0 cushion at the first half water break.
Troy was hoping his troops might bounce back from this point and they finally opened their account when the lively Byrne raised a white flag in the 18th-minute. The St Laurence’s star had fallen short of the target after turning Niamh O’Leary off an earlier move, but she got it right when repeating the trick on this occasion.
Rather than being the catalyst for a Kildare surge, the concession of this score ultimately sparked Cork back into life. O’Shea and midfielder Jacinta Crowley both converted placed-balls in advance of the only major of the proceedings.
Wall was seeking her second point of the tie when trying her luck from distance. Instead, it deceived netminder Tanya Johnson and wound up in the back of the Kildare net.
This was a hammer blow for the Lilies and even though Sutton disrupted Cork’s scoring sequence with her first successful free of the game, it was only a temporary respite. O’Shea, wing-back Lauren Callanan and Wall registered unanswered points to give the Munster side a commanding 1-9 to 0-2 interval buffer.
If Kildare were to have any chance of staging a dramatic fightback, they needed to come out in the second period firing on all cylinders. The impressive O’Shea did enhance her personal tally, but their eastern rivals finally put together back-to-back scores for the first time.
A strong presence in the half-forward line, Sutton added two points in the space of 60 seconds to offer her side a glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, Cork remained in control and brought an unassailable 1-13 to 0-4 advantage into the final-quarter.
The dynamic duo of O’Shea (two) and Hurley contributed three consecutive scores as Cork continued their relentless pursuit of scores. To their credit, Kildare enjoyed their best spell during the dying embers of this opening day encounter.
Emma Kielty and Ciara Egan posted excellent points from play, before Reilly bagged a similar score off a long-range free. Still, with O’Shea and Hurley once again showcasing their worth, Cork eased towards a deserved victory.
All isn’t lost just yet for Kildare – they will also face Antrim in the group stages over the coming weeks – and they will look to absolve the lessons from a tough day at the office.
CORK: Sarah Ahern; Niamh O’Leary, Aoife O’Callaghan, Grainne Hannon; Kate Kilcommins, Ashling Molloney, Lauren Callanan 0-1; Jacinta Crowley 0-1, 1 free, Michelle Murphy; Katie Walsh, Finola Neville, Rachel Harty; Aoife Hurley 0-4, Kate Wall 1-2, Rachel O’Shea 0-7, 7 frees. Subs: Ciara Daly for Crowley (49), Jillian O’Leary for Murphy (51), Hayley Ryan for Neville (53), Cliona O’Callaghan for Wall (61).
KILDARE: Tanya Johnson; Maria Doyle, Nicole Malcolmson, Ellen Morgan; Caoilfhionn Hallissy, Emer Reilly 0-1, 1 free, Niamh Hegarty; Aine Conway, Aoife Stynes; Caoimhe Maher, Siobhan Hurley, Lea Sutton 0-3, 3 frees; Ciara Egan 0-1, Emma Kielty 0-1, Deirbhile Byrne 0-1. Subs: Kelly Perkins for Hallissy (h-t), Shauna Mulligan for Conway (43), Aoife Fitzgerald for Stynes (49), Ciara McAndrews for Doyle (55), Aine Harrington for Sutton (60).
Referee: Philip McDonald (Cavan).