Drom & Inch dethroned by Sarsfields in high quality Munster camogie final in Clonoulty

AIB Munster Senior Camogie Club Championship Final

Drom & Inch 2-7

Sarsfields 2-11

Drom & Inch relinquished the Munster title they won in 2022 after they were outfought and outclassed by a pacey and prolific Sarsfields team in a frantic and brutally contested Munster Senior Camogie Championship Final in the Dillon Quirke GAA Grounds, Clonoulty on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the quick start of the reigning champions to the game which took a 1-3 to 0-2 lead in the opening ten minutes, it is hard to argue a case that Drom were unlucky to lose out here, as the Cork champions dominated large swathes of the game outside of that opening salvo from the Mid Tipperary club; Siobhan McGrath scoring a fortuitous goal from range to open up a four-point gap.

However, after a brief bedding-in period to the game, Sarsfields went into another gear with their pace and fitness a real feature, particularly in their forward division as all six of their starting forwards have pace in abundance with Lucy Allen, Kate Fennessy, and Clare Mullins, in particular, proving to be a real handful towards the end of the first half with two goals from their centre forward Allen giving them a healthy six-point lead in a heavy pitch in Clonoulty.

Try as they might - and they certainly did give it everything - Drom simply couldn't do enough damage in the second half to pull back the deficit, and even though Miriam Campion gave them an early shot in the arm with a well-taken goal just three minutes into the second half, the Cork champions didn't waiver and always had their opponents at arm's length to see out the win and a place in the All-Ireland series.

Played in fairly amenable conditions given the time of the year, Sarsfields were quickest out of the blocks as they hit the front within 15 seconds of the throw-in thanks to a powerful run and finish by Orlaith Mullins who gave Drom an early flavour of the strong running that was to come from the Cork champions throughout the game.

Kate Fennessy added to that five minutes later to make it 0-2 to nil but Drom found their feet soon after and it started thanks to a fairly ambitious shot from distance by Siobhan McGrath, who no doubt was going for a point, but with Eimear McGrath following the flight of the ball all the way into the square it caused Sarsfield's goalie Molly Lynch to misjudge the flight and let the ball in over her head to the net.

That was a big early score to help Drom settle into the game, and it did just that has they hit three points in as many minutes following that eighth-minute goal, with Mary Burke's strong running creating two of those scores with the McGrath sisters Eimear and Aoife pointing along with a first of the day for the hardworking Katie O'Dwyer putting Drom ahead by four after just 11 minutes.

Both defences were being opened up with fair regularity in the opening quarter and after Drom had created a few goal-scoring chances without punishing, Sarsfields made more of their sights of goal and had raised their first green flag in the 12th minute; Claire Mullins showing great pace and vision on the end line, burning her marker before stick passing across the 14-yard line to Lucy Allen who finished with assuredness.

Indeed, Drom were now being exploited with ease in the next few minutes with Sars's running at goal twice to take points from Orlaith Mullins and Hollie Herlihy to turn the game quickly and put the Cork champions back into the lead after the first quarter. 

Miriam Campion got her first sight of goal in the 17th minute after a clever flick from Katie O'Dwyer gave her space to fire over from a tight angle to equalise. Still, Sarsfields were now firmly in the ascendancy and it was Lucy Allen who repeated her earlier feat by netting again. It was the same equation of Claire Mullins providing the assist to give the centre forward the opportunity which she didn't turn down, and by the time Kate Fennessy pointed from a free in the 27th minute, Drom were up against it even at this early stage.

Eimear McGrath briefly cut the gap to three points a minute later from a free, but the Cork ladies were finding room at an alarming rate from a Drom perspective and they finished the half strongly, hitting the final three points through a pair of Fennessy placed balls and a first of the day for the dangerous Claire Mullins. Drom looking in trouble at the break as they trailed 2-8 to 1-5.

Drom were going to need to tighten up significantly at the back and they also needed to start winning individual battles as Sarsfields were winning the battles everywhere. They started the half like a team who got that message from management at half-time and Miriam Campion's well-finished goal after three minutes of the restart was just what was needed as it put Drom back in contention with plenty of play to go.

In fairness, Drom were far more combative than they were in the first half early on in the second period and they did curtail Sarsfields to a large degree in the half as a whole, but they couldn't find enough going toward goal in what was a very tight half all told, as the teams traded four points apiece between them up to the 50th minute as they three point gap was maintained with time ticking down.

Michelle Woodlock was denied by a smart save by Molly Lynch in the Sarsfields goal in the 47th minute, and her introduction along with the energy of Joanne Ryan was all in an attempt to find that key score, but Sarsfields did manage to open the lead out to a healthy four points in the 52nd minute thanks to another class score from Orlaith Mullins and with time ticking down, Drom were now in desperation mode.

Drom were pouring forward now and the moment they were looking for came just on the stroke of 60 minutes when Aoife McGrath - now deployed in the full forward line - found room in a sea of bodies in the full-back line to hand pass to Deirdre Dunne who had a clear sight of goal, but hurl stroke for goal went straight at the keeper and the chances was lost.

That was all she wrote for Drom who just couldn't find their way through a well-organised Sarsfields defence who repelled all late attacks to take the title and consign Drom to a provincial final defeat.

Scorers: Drom & Inch: Eimear McGrath (0-4, 0-3f, 0-1 45), Miriam Campion 1-1, Siobhan McGrath 1-0, Aoife McGrath 0-1, Kate Ferncombe.

Sarsfields: Lucy Allen 2-0, Kate Fennessy (0-5, 0-2f, 0-1 45), Orlaith Mullins 0-3, Hollie Herlihy 0-2, Clare Mullins 0-1.

Drom & Inch: Kristina Kenneally; Maria Connolly, Christina Brennan, Eimear Cahill; Niamh Long, Mairead Eviston, Anne Eviston; Caroline Shanahan, Aoife McGrath; Siobhan McGrath, Mary Burke, Niamh Treacy; Katie O'Dwyer, Eimear McGrath, Miriam Campion.

Subs used: Joanne Ryan for Shanahan (HT); Michelle Woodlock for S McGrath (40); Deirdre Dunne for O'Dwyer (44); Maureen Ryan for Cahill (50); Noirin Butler for Burke (54, blood sub).

Sarsfields: Molly Lynch; Laura Dunlea, Ellen Murphy, Olivia McAllen; Niamh O'Callaghan, Cliona Lynch, Lucy Kelly; Ava Fitzgerald, Evie Twomey; Orlaith Mullins, Lucy Allen, Hollie Herlihy; Clare Mullins, Kate Fennessy, Katlyn Sheehan.

Subs used: Rachael Roche for O'Callaghan (59).

Referee: Aaron Hogg (Clare)