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Four Roads, Roscommon 1-9 Corofin 0-6
FAILURE to match the experience and physical strength of their opponents proved costly for Clare champions Corofin in the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Club Championship final played at Duggan Park in Ballinasloe on Sunday.
The Roscommon and Connacht champions emerged as deserving winners of the Phil McBride Cup but the final scoreline is a little flattering in their favour.
Two points separated the teams with 30 seconds of normal time to play. Then Four Roads got through for the game’s only goal and they followed with a point shortly before the full-time whistle. That they emerged as deserving winners is without question but a six-point margin is not an accurate reflection of the effort put in by Corofin.
That said, Corofin will look back on this tie and wonder what might have been had they availed of all of the chances that came their way. They missed a couple of point opportunities in the opening quarter, while they had at least one goal chance early in the second half but they also failed to avail of this.
Given that they had reached the All-Ireland semi-final for each of the past two years and that they were in the final six years ago, Four Roads went into Sunday’s game with the edge in experience.
Given the severe frost, which resulted in a change of venue from Kenny Park in Athenry to Ballinasloe, the pitch was in quite good condition even if there was a portion of the pitch in front of the stand that was covered in frost throughout.
Conditions were bitterly cold throughout and this made good hurling very difficult. There was quite a big attendance, with Corofin having the majority support on the day.
Exchanges throughout the first half were very even with points exchanged twice in the first 20 minutes. Claire Commane was first on the scoreboard with a point from a 30m free after four minutes and this lead lasted until the ninth minute when Four Roads’ star player, Lizzie Glennon-Tully, opened the Roscommon team’s scoring with a point from a free.
A further 10 minutes went by before she struck again to give her side the lead for the first time but Commane levelled two minutes later with the first score from play. Points from Sinéad O’Brien and Gertie Dowd in the space of a minute gave the new All-Ireland champions a two-point lead, 0-4 to 0-2, and this was the position when the half-time whistle sounded.
Corofin resumed with an unchanged side and quickly cut the deficit to a point when Commane converted a 20m free. Four Roads responded with a point from Glennon-Tully to restore her side’s two-point advantage but Commane again hit back for the Clare champions when she was on target from another 35m free to leave one between the teams again with 22 minutes still remaining.
Despite all of their hard work, Corofin were unable to break down the winners’ strong backline and Four Roads clearly had their homework done as they kept a particularly close eye on Niamh O’Dea and Commane.
O’Dea loves to run at defences and in Corofin’s All-Ireland semi-final win, she caused a lot of problems for Belfast outfit Tír na nÓg. Whenever she got possession on Sunday, she was quickly closed down by the opposition, while she also had a couple of harsh frees given against her.
Midway through the second half, there was a crucial spell when the winners hit three unanswered points from Glennon-Tully, two of which came from play. These scores pushed the Connacht side into a four-point lead and left Corofin with a lot to do entering the final 10 minutes.
Points from a Commane free and one from play by Edel Keating, who was now operating at full-forward, closed the gap to two with six minutes to go. With the big crowd roaring them on, Corofin threw everything at their opponents but they simply could not match their physical strength and Siobhán and Niamh Coyle, Dowd and Glennon-Tully ensured that Corofin did not get through for any more scores.
Corofin were fortunate not to concede a goal two minutes from time but despite their best efforts, Four Roads found the net in the final minute to seal a first All-Ireland title for their club.
Corofin will, understandably, be disappointed but the experience gained is sure to be of benefit to the team in the future. Lisa Clancy, Muireann Kelleher and Brenda O’Donoghue played their hearts out in defence, while Claire Commane, Edel Keating and Marie Raftery did well.
