Heartbreaking defeat for Galway minors in All-Ireland semi-final

Kilkenny 1-13

Galway 1-12

Eoghan Cormican in Nenagh

A missed opportunity right at the death put paid to Galway’s hopes of contesting a second consecutive All-Ireland minor camogie decider in a hugely exciting semi-final encounter at McDonagh Park on Saturday.

Though Galway trailed their opponents for most of the second-half, the deficit was twice narrowed to the minimum before Ciana Ní Churraoin was presented with one final stab at salvation right on the stroke of full-time.

Silence descended upon the Nenagh venue, while an even greater pressure fell on the shoulders of the half-forward as she stood over the crucial free, sixty yards or so from goal. Agonisingly, Ní Churraoin’s effort drifted wide of the left-hand post and from the ensuing puck-out, refereed John Dolan sounded the full-time whistle, ending Galway’s reign as champions in the cruellest fashion imaginable.

Kilkenny had prevailed in a massively entertaining game which was level on several occasions. The closeness of the scoring, and the manner in which the lead changed hands, provided a gripping spectacle and while the error count was high on both sides, it was more than compensated for by the intense drama.

The game’s conclusion, unkind and all as it was, left Galway with a horrible empty feeling, one which won’t be helped by the evidence from the post-mortem which was sure to be conducted this week.

They restricted Kilkenny to a single point in the final 12 minutes of action, during which they hit three points and created three further chances, yet failed to see the job through to a successful conclusion
Ultimately, Galway displayed an over-reliance on Ní Churraoin to tally the bulk of their scores, whereas five of Kilkenny’s front eight got on the scoresheet. While Sarsfields Orlaith McGrath was a bundle of energy and enthusiasm, and Ní Churraoin showed her usual brilliance from the placed ball, too many of the Galway forwards failed to adequately impose themselves.

That said, it was the westerners who opened brightly with Ní Churraoin converting a pair of frees. Lydia Fitzpatrick replied for the winners, beginning a trend which would see both players dominate proceedings over the course of the hour. The Kilkenny midfielder would finish with seven points to her name, three less than that racked up by the impressive Ní Churraoin.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.