Clare 1-19
Tipperary 1-7

CLARE qualified for the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship quarter-final on Saturday in Portalaoise with a comprehensive 1-19 to 1-7 win over Tipperary.

When the sides met in the round-robin stage four weeks ago, Tipperary left Clare reeling with a 13-point victory, having bossed Clare all around the field in Semple Stadium.
On Saturday in O’Moore Park, they came up against a side determined to prove the performance at Semple Stadium wasn’t an accurate reflection of Clare’s current form. And prove it they did, especially with their second-half performance, which left Tipperary well beaten throughout the field.
The opening half was a tightly contested affair, with Ailish Considine opening the Clare tally with a point from play, having received a pass from Kate Lynch. Tipperary’s Noreen Flanagan equalised two minutes later, before Claire McMahon, who was flawless from placed balls throughout, pushed Clare in front with two frees. Nicole Walsh pulled one back for Tipperary with a free in the 12th minute before Jill Horan equalised again for Tipperary, when she pointed a long-range effort.
Chloe Morey went highest to bat down the puck-out to the waiting Fiona Lafferty, who gathered, turned and sent the ball back between the posts. McMahon converted another free to again have two points between the sides. Cait Devane pulled one back for Tipperary before Lafferty pointed again for Clare, following a well placed Morey delivery from a long-range free.
Devane was again on target for Tipperary in the 26th minute. Alice Fogarty sent a shot to the Clare net in the 28th minute but this was disallowed as she was penalised for a square ball infringement, leaving the last score of the half to McMahon to give Clare a 0-7 to 0-5 advantage at half-time.
Clare’s Niki Kaiser opened the second half scoring with a point inside the opening 30 seconds, Kaiser’s first at senior level. Caoimhe Maher and Walshe, with two points in quick succession, closed the gap to a point with two minutes played.
However this was as good as it got for Tipperary, as they didn’t score again for 23 minutes and Clare firmly took control of the game.
Five points in as many minutes, four McMahon frees and a Naomi Carroll effort from play, saw Clare punish Tipperary’s indiscipline. When Tipp conceded their sixth free in the 11th minute out on the wing, McMahon sent her shot to the square, where Ailish Considine executed a well-timed flick to send the ball to the Tipperary net, giving Clare a 1-13 to 0-7 advantage.
Considine followed with what could only be described as the score of the game. Having moved outfield to offer support to Carroll and Kaiser, the latter flicked a pass into Considine, who, with her back to the goals, pulled in the air and split the posts.
Five more points followed for Clare, two from McMahon (free and a 45’), one each from Lafferty and Kaiser from play and one from Carroll, fresh from her exploits with the Ireland U-21 hockey team the previous weekend, saw Clare enter the final five minutes with a 1-19 to 0-7 advantage.
Tipperary grabbed a consolation goal with a Walsh penalty in the last few minutes but it was Clare who deservedly won the day and progressed to a quarter-final meeting with Cork this weekend.

Clare: Denise Lynch; Maire McGrath, Marian O’Brien, Carol O’Leary; Orlaith Duggan, Niamh O’Dea, Chloe Morey; Katie Cahill, Kate Lynch; Niki Kaiser (0-2), Deirdre Murphy, Ailish Considine (1-2); Claire McMahon (0-10, 9f, 1 45), Fiona Lafferty (0-4), Naomi Carroll (0-1).
Subs: Siobhán Lafferty for Deirdre Murphy, Ruth Kaiser for Kate Lynch (both 50 mins), Shónagh Enright for Niki Kaiser, Louise Woods for Naomi Carroll and Susan Fahy for Ailish Considine (55 mins).
Tipperary: Rita Bourke; Maria Tynan, Julie Kirwan, Sabrina Larin; Norma Harrington, Mary Ryan, Julie McGrath; Joanne Ryan, Jill Horan (0-1); Nicole Walshe (1-2), Siobhán McGarth, Caoimhe Maher (0-1); Sarah Fryday, Cait Devane (0-2), Noreen Flanagan (0-1).
Subs: Alice Fogarty for Noreen Flanagan (inj, 12 mins) and Sheile Ryan for Norma Harrington (36 mins).
Referee: Mike O’Kelly, Cork.

In the other game on the Portlaoise bill, extra time was needed before Dublin recorded a one-point win over Kilkenny, 0-17 to 2-10. They will play Offaly in a quarter-final tie this weekend.
Wexford and Galway are already through to the semi-finals.

 

Confidence is high – Carmody

CLARE had targeted Saturday’s knock-out game against Tipperary since the start of the season, according to team manager John Carmody.
“The group games meant nothing more than match experience and ranking in the draw and we had targeted Saturday’s game since the start of the year. Thankfully, the players produced the performance we had demanded and this was most pleasing,” the Kilmaley clubman told The Clare Champion.
When the sides met in the group stage a few weeks ago, Tipperary were comfortable winners and, as a result, carried the favourites’ tag into Saturday’s game.
“Beating them in that game would have been no advantage. We had trained hard that week. We were confident going into Saturday’s game in Portlaoise,” Carmody said.
Saturday’s win has set up an All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Cork this Saturday at a Cork venue.
“This is a massive game and confidence in our camp is high. We are playing a nice brand of hurling and we will be travelling to Cork determined to justify our Munster final win over the same opposition,” he said.
This will be the third meeting of the sides at senior level this season. Clare came out on top in the Munster final but suffered a one-point loss when the teams met in the group stage of the All-Ireland competition.
Based on both of those games, it is likely that there will be little between the teams this week.
When the teams last met, Clare did not have Naomi Carroll, Nikki Kaiser or Ailish Considine in their line-up. All three were influential figures in Saturday’s win over Tipperary and are expected to be in the starting line-up on Saturday. Clare will again be without Susan Vaughan, who is out of contention because of a broken finger.
“It is a massive game and Cork will see it as a huge opportunity to get revenge. The pressure is off us. We can go there and have a real go and if we do that, we will be there or thereabouts,” according to Carmody.
“The younger players have won two Munster championships in Cork and they have beaten Cork in an All-Ireland semi-final. They have no fears of Cork and that will rub off on the more experienced players this week,” Carmody concluded.