Champs!
MARYFIELD COLLEGE 1-7 ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE 0-4
DAIRE WALSH – 23 JANUARY 2014 02:30 PM
IT was a low-scoring final encounter at Clanna Gael Fontenoy last Thursday morning, but a 55th-minute goal from full-forward Aisling Maher proved to be the catalyst as Maryfield College secured the Dublin Post-Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ Camogie title over defending champions St Joseph’s College.
The Lucan side had defeated Maryfield 3-5 to 1-7 in the 2013 decider, but despite restricting them to the same final tally, a superb defensive display ensured that the Drumcondra outfit emerged victorious.
With both teams eager to keep tabs on their familiar opponents, the early exchanges were quite tentative. Maryfield were somewhat wasteful when presented with some decent opportunities on goal, although Joseph’s corner-forward Charlotte Rooney was also off-target from a good position 12 minutes in.
Lucan midfielder Orlaith Murphy was on hand to finally open the scoring from a 30-metre placed-ball effort just two minutes later after Laura O’Mahony had been impeded, but this score only served to ignite the challenge of Maryfield, who hit the front courtesy of impressive points by pacey wing-forward Louise Walsh.
With the respective attacks beginning to find their feet, Joseph’s were able to restore parity with a fine Ciara Casey point, but it was the north Dublin brigade who were the happier of the two sides during the interval, as well-worked contributions from Kaitlyn Murphy, Maher (free) and the excellent Walsh gave Maryfield a 0-5 to 0-2 cushion.
Clear-cut openings were once more at a premium upon the resumption. The reliable Casey did narrow the gap with a pointed free from the right-hand side on 43 minutes, but Maryfield’s Laura Mulvey quickly restored her side’s cushion with an eye-catching score from play.
The game developed into a stop-start affair, but Maryfield dealt effectively with whatever Joseph’s threw at them.
The decisive score arrived with five minutes of normal time to play, when the dynamic Maher turned smartly, and fired a clinical shot past Joseph’s custodian Jenny Ryan.
This left Joseph’s with too much to do during the dying embers, and although there was seven minutes of stoppage time, the only score they could muster in the remaining period was a Niamh Power point from play, as Maryfield put the seal on their triumph with a second score from the tireless Mulvey.
Scorers – Maryfield College: A Maher 1-1 (0-1f), L Walsh 0-3, L Mulvey 0-2, K Murphy 0-1. St Joseph’s College: C Casey 0-2 (1f), O Murphy (f), N Power 0-1 each.
MARYFIELD COLLEGE: E Loo; C Drumgoole, L Smith, H Rice; K Murphy, EM Elliott, E O’Grady; C McCullough, E O’Leary; L Walsh, L Mulvey, S Clinton; C Meehan, A Maher, E Coyle. Sub: I Maher for Clinton (62).
ST JOSEPH’S COLLEGE: J Ryan; A Flynn, R Kenny, F Dowler; O Moloney, A Gorman, E O’Flynn; J Condron, O Murphy; S Fitzgerald, L O’Mahony, C Casey; N Power, L Morrissey, C Rooney. Sub: M Dowler for Moloney (46).
Referee: D Oman (Ballinteer St Johns).