Sizzling Sarsfields spare no effort in returning to top of club camogie

Inside Track with John McIntyre

Lesson learned. Unlike last December at Nowlan Park, Sarsfields were not going to be caught napping this time. They were not alone ready for another early Oulart-the-Ballagh onslaught, they were primed to give the reigning All Ireland club senior camogie champions a dose of their own medicine.

By the first water break of the delayed 2020 decider, Sarsfields were already in dire trouble, trailing by 2-4 to 0-1. They rallied from that disastrous start to trail by only five points at the finish, but the New Inn/Bullaun outfit were always chasing the game and never really looked like pulling off a successful comeback.

That experience would have rocked the then defending All-Ireland champions, but it also steeled them in their bid to regain the Bill and Agnes Carroll Cup. They have been women on a mission since; they trained harder than ever; and after surviving a tough semi-final against old rivals Slaughtneil in wretched conditions in Gorey, Sarsfields knew what they had to do when they hit Croke Park on Sunday.

Some of their players have significant mileage on the clock, but you’d never have known it the way they went about their business in this highly anticipated rematch. Sarsfields’ hunger, commitment and intensity soon had the title holders on the back foot, and they made the perfect start when their ‘pocket rocket’ Siobhán McGrath went for the jugular early on.

She could have settled for the point, but McGrath typified Sarsfields’ level of intent in continuing her run before expertly driving low to the net. She finished with 1-7 to her credit and was probably the final’s most influential performer, though her sister, Orlaith, seemed to be nearly at the heart of everything positive about Sarsfields’ attacking play.

Two more goals followed in that opening half from the Kenny sisters, Tara and Cora, but Oulart were hanging in there, trailing by 3-6 to 2-4 at the break after green flags from Shelly Kehoe and the long-serving Una Leacy. There was an element of luck about a couple of the goals scored in that opening half, but the scoreline was still a fair reflection of how the exchanges had evolved.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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