Morkan leads the way as Offaly claim another All-Ireland camogie crown
Offaly 2-12 Wexford 2-10
The Offaly camogie team made it two All-Ireland titles in two years with a superb victory over Wexford in the intermediate final at Croke Park last Sunday.
The Faithful County girls withstood a final quarter comeback from Wexford to claim the intermediate title, having won the All-Ireland junior crown last year.
Winning the intermediate title at the first attempt is a wonderful achievement for Joachim Kelly’s side who will play in the senior camogie championship next year.
With team captain Michaela Morkan producing a player of the match performance at centre half-back, Offaly laid the foundation for their victory in the first half, during which Elaine Dermody scored two goals.
Offaly looked to be in total control in this decider as they held significant lead heading into the final quarter. However, a resounding comeback from the Slayneysiders saw them make up a nine-point deficit to draw level with 11 minutes to go.
However, an exquisite point from substitute Ailsa Hughes ended a 15-minute scoring drought for Offaly as they clinched a two-point victory in the end.
The midlanders started the game in a perfect fashion after a shot from full-forward Elaine Dermody was misjudged by goalkeeper Helena Jacob and flew to the Wexford net for the game’s opening goal.
The winners kicked on from there and racked up five unanswered points through Jean Brady (2), Dermody (2) and Siobhan Flannery before Ciara O’Connor registered Wexford’s first score in the 17th minute.
Fiona Rochford, Lisa Bolger and O’Connor raised more white flags for the Model cause, but Dermody put Offaly firmly in the driving seat when she flicked the sliotar to the net for her second goal. Two more points from Flannery saw Offaly in a dominant position at half-time as they were nine points to the good.
Karen Barnes’ team came out a transformed outfit for the second half, though, and stated their intentions after the restart when Fiona Rochford landed a badly-needed goal for the Model women.
The wing-forward struck again moments later with a superb finish to the Offaly net which helped to draw the game level, as Offaly were outscored by 2-4 to 0-1 at this stage. However the Faithful County had another surge left in them and in the end it was last-gasp efforts from Hughes and Flannery that proved the difference.
Delighted Offaly manager Joachim Kelly said afterwards: “It’s fantastic. We’re delighted to come up two years in a row and win the intermediate a year after winning the junior,” he said. “It is all down to the girls in that dressing-room. The experience of playing in Croke Park three years in a row stood to us. That game could have been gone from us. We told them to dig deep, to stick to the plan. It got back to a draw match ... but we brought on two subs and they got a point each. I’m thrilled with the victory.”
OFFALY: A Kennedy; F Stephens, L Keena, K Brady (0-2); S Sullivan, M Morkan, L Sullivan; A Watkins (0-1), M Crean; M Davis, A Kelly, S Flannery (0-4); K Nugent, E Dermody (2-3, 1f), T Hannon. Subs: M Davis for Kelly (41), A Hughes (0-1) for Nugent (45), E Dunne (0-1) for Flannery (56).
WEXFORD: H Jacob; J Hayden, L O’Leary, C Atkinson; F Doran, L Codd, S Kehoe; E Moran, L O’Connor; F Rochford (2-1), S Nolan, S Redmond (0-1) , S Kehoe, C O’Connor (0-5, 3f), Lisa Bolger (0-2). Subs: E O’Connor for Nolan (h-t), B Curran for Doran (h-t), S Sinnott for Moran (41), Linda Bolger (0-1) for Keogh (54).
REFEREE: O Elliott (Antrim).
