2008 National Camogie League Division 2 Final
Clare 4-8 Derry 3-9
At Blakestown, Dublin (Saturday, April 26th, 2008)
Fundamentally it was about setting the record straight as a never-say-die were armed with the hurt of the previous year’s All-Ireland Junior Final heartbreak.
However, atoning for that Croke Park crushing defeat was matched in terms of significance by the mere fact that the Banner just needed to get their heads on a national trophy of any kind just to break their final hoodoo.
Having suffered three All-Ireland Junior Final reverses in the previous five seasons, the need was never greater to redress the balance and having felt that they were the better side against Derry only seven months earlier, this was the chance to prove it.
It took only a minute for Carina Roseingrave to open the scoring but it was her Kilnamona team-mate Fiona Lafferty that lit up the final when latching onto a pass from captain Deirdre Murphy to race through from 40 metres and finish to the net.
It was the start Colm Hanley’s side craved in order to settle any nerves as the lively Lafferty extended the gap to five with a point. Derry weren’t about to lie down and accept revenge though as Maebh McGolderick raided for a much-needed goal to kickstart the Ulster side’s challenge
Deirdre Murphy responded with a ’45 but a buoyant Derry could smell blood and duly hammered home their momentum with a five point unanswered blitz through Aileen Laverty (3), Claire McNicholl and Sinead Cassidy to actually edge in front by 1-5 to 1-3.
Clare demonstrated their newfound resilience though when another Murphy delivery picked out Sharon O’Loughlin to billow the net for her side’s second goal, an advantage that the Banner would never relinquish thereafter as subsequent points for Claire Commane, Murphy and O’Loughlin ensured a relieving 2-6 to 1-5 interval edge.
They expected a Derry backlash and duly got one on the resumption, albeit that Denise Lynch was in stubborn mood to clear her lines on three early occasions. By the time, Derry got off the mark with points from Cassidy and Grainne McGolderick, the tie had reached the two-thirds mark, with O’Loughlin again cancelling it out with her second major, this time assisted by Chloe Morey to keep their opponents at bay at 3-6 to 1-7.
The drama was far from over as a Katie McCauly goal for Derry was matched by a kicked rebound equivalent from superb sub Laura Linnane but with Derry getting increasingly desperate, it had to take some stern defending from Siobhan Lafferty, Aimee McInerney and replacement Helen McMahon to hold off any potential revolt.
Linnane fired Clare’s last point but true to form, Derry weren’t about to be deterred and teed up another grandstand finish with a contentious Oonagh Mullen goal that had deemed to have crossed the line after hitting the post and trickling along the goal-line.
Slashing the arrears to just two by the hour mark, Derry through everything at Clare for the four additional minutes of injury-time. However, this time they found a more battle-hardened Banner too tough to crack, an omen that would also serve them well when it came to completing the double in the subsequent All-Ireland Final victory over Offaly five months later.
Clare: Denise Lynch (Kilmaley); Jane Scanlon (Clarecastle), Siobhan Lafferty (Kilnamona), Aimee McInerney (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Kate Lynch (Kilkishen), Dee Corcoran (Celbridge, Kildare), Chloe Morey (Sixmilebridge); Aoife Ryan (St Vincent’s, Dublin), Deirdre Murphy (Clooney-Quin) (0-2, 1’45); Carina Roseingrave (Kilnamona) (0-1), Fiona Lafferty (Kilnamona) (1-1), Aine O’Brien (Newmarket-on-Fergus); Claire Commane (Corofin) (0-1), Sharon McMahon (Newmarket-on-Fergus), Sharon O’Loughlin (Clarecastle) (2-1) Subs: Helen McMahon (Kilmaley) for Scanlon (HT), Laura Linnane (Athenry, Galway) (1-2) for O’Brien (41), Stephanie Moloney (Broadford) for Ryan (49), Aiveen O’Shea (Sixmilebridge) for Roseingrave (51)
Player of the Game: Siobhan Lafferty (Clare)
Referee: Ciaran Quigley (Kildare)