Tipperary relinquish Munster crown after semi-final loss to Waterford

Munster Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final

Tipperary 0-18

Waterford 1-18

By John O’Shea

Tipperary surrendered their Munster Senior Camogie crown to a Beth Carton-inspired Waterford at Golden last Saturday. Carton blasted Waterford into the Munster final with a total of 1-11, including six from-placed balls. Scoring her opening point after nine minutes, the De La Salle lady was a thorn in the Tipperary defence throughout.

Played before a decent crowd on a surface conducive to good hurling, both teams served up a thrilling contest right to the final whistle, with Carton’s goal on 44 minutes proving to be the difference between the sides.

With 12 of the team that beat Galway in the recent league final, Tipperary got off to a perfect start and had six points on the board, without reply, inside the opening seven minutes. 

Waterford responded, hitting the next four points, to cut the deficit to two by the quarter-hour mark. Tipperary were finding it hard to break the Waterford lines and with Laoise Forrest and Clodagh Carroll in pivotal defensive positions, they ensured a quality supply to their forwards. 

The crowd were treated with a good end-to-end physical battle from both sides, with the referee allowing the game to flow. Scores were traded for the remainder of the opening half and Tipperary went in at the break, leading by the minimum, 0-11 to 0-10. Two brilliant blocks in succession from Eimear Loughman in injury time denied Niamh Rockett a goal for the Deise.

Beth Carton tied the game for the first time after the break, but Tipp responded well and were two points to the good until Carton goaled at the far end to put the visitors in front for the first time. Eimear McGrath equalised from a free but Waterford were equal to anything Tipp threw at them for the final quarter, limiting them to a Karen Kennedy point five minutes from time.

Tipperary missed two frees late on as they sought to salvage the game but in an action-packed last few minutes, Waterford goalkeeper Brianna O’Regan made two top-class saves as they advanced to meet Cork in the Munster decider.

Tipperary attacked from the throw-in with Clodagh McIntyre running at the defence and drawing a free, which Eimear McGrath converted inside the opening minute. McGrath followed up with probably the score of the game as she put over off her knees from out near the far corner at the open side. 

Clodagh McIntyre, McGrath from a free, Grace O’Brien and Karen Kennedy all followed up with minors as Tipperary were in full flight, leading by 0-6 to nil after seven minutes.

Waterford regrouped and Beth Carton hit their opening point from a placed ball after nine minutes. Rachel Walsh added a second before Carton cut the deficit to three. Heading towards the quarter-hour mark, Orla Hickey took a quick free to Carton and the ace attacker made no mistake as she split the posts.

Tipperary’s response came from Casey Hennessy and Caoimhe McCarthy with two fine points in succession. Mairead O’Brien and Grace O’Brien from Nenagh Eire Og traded points as the game headed towards the final ten minutes before the break, with Tipp still four to the good.

Waterford shaded these final ten minutes with Niamh Rockett and Carton to the fore, chipping in with five points between them. Eimear McGrath hit two-point frees for the home side to keep their nose in front coming up to the break. 

In a final attack, Niamh Rockett was denied a certain goal with two brilliant blocks from Eimear Loughman in injury time as Tipperary led by the minimum at half-time, 0-11 to 0-10.

Waterford were quickly off the mark for the second half as Beth Carton equalised early on. Eimear McGrath, from a free, and Caoimhe McCarthy hit two inside a minute to put Tipp two up. 

As the play flowed from end to end Mairead O’Brien hit her second for the Deise before Karen Kennedy and Caoimhe Maher put three between the sides, 0-15 to 0-12, with twenty minutes remaining. 

Again Beth Carton came to Waterford’s rescue, putting over two points inside a minute before Mary Ryan responded with a good point at the dressing room end.

The turning point in this game came 44 minutes in, following a long-range free by goalkeeper, Brianna O’Regan, which was kept in play, before Beth Carton pounced to bat to the Tipperary net. 

Waterford now had their heads in front for the first time in the game and while Eimear McGrath equalised from a free immediately, the Deise drove on from this point, limiting the home side to just one score for the remainder of the game, a point from Karen Kennedy with five minutes of normal time remaining.

Lorraine Bray and Annie Fitzgerald landed two points in normal time before Beth Carton hit her eleventh point of the day, in injury time, from out near the stand side to put three between the sides.

Tipperary attacked in numbers, looking for the goal that would tie the game, but the Waterford defence stood firm with goalkeeper Brianna O’Regan denying Tipp with two top-class saves.

Tipperary have surrendered their Munster crown, but have the All Ireland series coming up, where they will again face down the Deise in their opening group 1 game at the end of May.

Scorers: Tipperary: Eimear McGrath (0-7, 0-6f), Karen Kennedy 0-3, Caoimhe McCarty 0-2, Grace O’Brien 0-2, Casey Hennessy 0-1, Caoimhe Maher 0-1, Mary Ryan 0-1, Clodagh McIntyre 0-1.

Waterford: Beth Carton (1-11, 0-6f), Mairead O’Brien 0-2, Niamh Rockett 0-2, Rachel Walsh 0-1, Annie Fitzgerald 0-1, Lorraine Bray 0-1.

Tipperary: Nicole Walsh; Julieanne Bourke, Mairéad Eviston, Mary Ryan; Caoimhe McCarthy, Eimear Loughman, Clodagh Quirke; Clodagh McIntyre, Casey Hennessy; Karen Kennedy, Caoimhe Maher, Eimear Heffernan; Grace O’Brien, Eimear McGrath, Roisin Howard. 

Subs used: Tess Ryan for Mary Ryan (48); Mary Burke for Eimear Heffernan (48); Niamh Treacy for Grace O’Brien (51); Karin Blair for Clodagh McIntyre (58).

Waterford: Brianna O’Regan; Keeley Corbett Barry, Laoise Forrest, Iona Heffernan; Tara Power, Clodagh Carroll, Bevan Bowdren; Lorraine Bray, Orla Hickey; Alannah McNulty, Rachel Walsh, Mairead O’Brien; Niamh Rockett, Beth Carton, Kate Lynch. 

Subs used: Sarah Lacey for Niamh Rockett (37); Annie Fitzgerald for Alannah McNulty (37); Rosin Kirwan for Rachel Walsh (54).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)