Munster title with stylish display

Clare 4-14   Limerick 1-9

Snatched from the jaws of a possible nine-point semi-final defeat, Clare’s minor ladies footballers took the Munster title against Limerick in Cooraclare last Wednesday.
Sharpshooters Orla Devitt, Aoife O’Gorman, Aisling Torpey and Alanna O’Brien were to repeat sterling performances in the Clare attack to dominate Limerick from the outset.
Claire O’Riordan pointed for the visitors from the throw-in but by the third minute both O’Gorman and Torpey had announced their intentions by rattling the Limerick net.
O’Riordan was back for her second Limerick point but Ellie O’Gorman had quickly negated that and a great Torpey spell had her convert a free and take a top-drawer individual point from play.
Kerrie Dillon worked hard for the opposition and pointed but a characteristic 50m run from Shauna Harvey from the depths of the Clare defence yielded a point in the 15th minute to take the wind out of the visitors’ sails until the last kick of the first half. 
The presence of Ellie O’Gorman, Róisín Howley and Shauna O’Brien (back from injury) in this game was both timely and vital as they were immersed in the Banner attack, releasing the scorers again and again. 
The second quarter was Orla Devitt’s, who could not be marshalled and she delivered a close-range goal plus another from a 20m darting run.
The impeccable timing and prowess of all the forwards was evident as O’Gorman returned to take a point and Nikki Kaiser’s hard-fought point signalled five of the six forwards on the board. Stephanie Carroll pulled a point back for Limerick just before the break but as Paddy Russell blew for half-time it was 4-7 to 0-4 for Clare.
Limerick were to outscore Clare in the second half and they started with two points from Stephanie Carroll, putting the back line of Rebecca Culligan, vice-captain Edel McMahon and Róisín Rouine under pressure.
However, they snuffed out a lot of play, together with half-backs Emer Hillery, Shauna Harvey and Munster skills champion Ellie O’Gorman. Two Torpey points (one free) were interspersed by a Jackie Lynch score for Limerick. Attacking midfielder Alanna O’Brien, always involved, stepped up and contributed two rapid points, recycling through Laura Egan and sister Shaunagh on the way.
Limerick had a better second half and two points from Claire O’Riordan and Jackie Lynch kept them going all the way to the end. Clare custodian Aoife O’Neill took several balls off the goal-line and her clearances and distribution under pressure was her best performance of the campaign so far.  Sensing the inevitable outcome, Limerick leaked three points from Devitt, Torpey and Kaiser in the closing five minutes, a good indication of the veracity of this Clare panel.
When Paddy Russell (Tipperary) concluded proceedings at 4-14 to 1-9, Clare had defied the odds and taken their first Munster minor title since 2009 when they beat Cork, Dublin in the semi and were unlucky when Donegal beat them in the All-Ireland final.

Clare panel: Aoife O’Neill (Éire Óg); Gráinne Harvey (West Clare Gaels), Edel McMahon (vice capt) (Kilmihil), Róisín Rouine (Liscannor); Laura Egan (Kilmihil), Shauna Harvey (West Clare Gaels), Emer Hillery (Liscannor); Alanna O’Brien (Éire Óg), Shaunagh O’Brien (Éire Óg); Orla Devitt (Éire Óg), Aoife O’Gorman (Cooraclare), Rebecca Culligan (Banner Ladies); Róisín Howley (Burren Gaels), Aisling Torpey (Liscannor), Niki Kaiser (Newmarket-On-Fergus), Siobhán Behan (Doonbeg).
Subs: Orlaith Lynch (Banner Ladies), Shauna Crowley (Miltown) Sinéad O’Keeffe (Banner Ladies), Niamh Reidy (Doora-Barefield), Mary Kate Moloney (Clooney Quin), Molly Brannock (Doora-Barefield), Aoife Sheehan (Éire Óg), Sophie Hanna (Éire Óg), Mary Williams (Kilrush), Ellie O’Gorman (Kilmihil), Fiona Loughman (Burren Gaels), Kayleigh McCormack (Burren Gaels).
Team management: Kieran Harvey, Linda Russell, Edel Conway, Johnny Hayes. Physio Bernie Reagan, Marie Louise Kaiser.