Tipp camogie ladies out of championship having lost to superior Galway side

Liberty Insurance All-Ireland camogie semi-final

Galway 1-11

Tipperary 0-8

Tipperary's senior camogie ladies were dumped out of the All-Ireland series by holders Galway who were the better side on the day in the All-Ireland semi- final  as they won out to play Kilkenny in the final.

Tipp will be disappointed with their performance  in Cork as they never got into stride - in truth they were not allowed to as Galway showed all their experience to hold them off. 

It was another wet day on Leeside – we have become accustomed to them over the last number of weeks with the Tipperary hurlers and footballers visiting to contest their championships with mixed results. And, despite the fact that the pitch was again in superb condition, the top was slippery and this meant that it took time for the players to master the conditions.

This was Tipperary's third All-Ireland semi-final in succession – they had been working really hard to make a breakthrough and the feeling was, that though they were encountering the All-Ireland champions, were they to get a top performance they could just get over the winning line in front.

A goal just before the first half water break from Carrie Dolan gave Galway a 1-1 to 0-2 lead and it was a score which came against the run of play as Tipp had been doing nicely up to that point.

And, that goal was the difference between them up to the half time mark as Galway led by 1-6 to 0-5 - their final score coming after Karen Kennedy was felled with a high tackle, and despite the head injury, play went on and Carrie Dolan got the final score of the half.

Indeed, Kennedy had received plenty of attention from the Galway players - that incident before the half time whistle was the third time she had been felled in a manner which certainly seemed worthy of a free. Yet, she received none from referee Ray Kelly.

Tipp looked to be in bother when Galway ran at them and their penchant for seeking goals was worrying. They had scored just one, but could easily have had more. Tipp certainly needed to brighten their ideas in attack which was not functioning with any major threat, but they would have the breeze behind them for the second half.

Galway had three in quick succession to open a seven point lead, but Tipp reduced it to five before the second half water break - moments after Tipp keeper Aine Slattery saved a penalty from her Galway counterpart Sarah Healy.

Galway had a second penalty in the last quarter but sub Siobhan mcGrath elected to take her point as the Tribes ladies ran out comfortable winners in the end. Tipp tried all they could to break through and force a goal but in reality it was Galway who looked more likely to raise a second green flag.