History for St Cillian's as they capture their first Offaly senior camogie title

HQPhysio Offaly Senior A Camogie Final

ST CILLIAN'S 1-10

BIRR 1-5

ST CILLIAN'S won their first Offaly Senior A Camogie title when they defeated reigning champions Birr by a five point margin to claim the R.J. Barber Cup in the final played at Grant Heating St Brendan's Park, Birr on Sunday.

St Cillian's had lost to Birr in last year's final but they made no mistake on this occasion as they took a hold on the game from the very start and never relinquished that grip thereafter. They led by seven points at half time and although Birr got a goal early in the second half, St Cillian's snuffed out their threat after that and ensured that they would go on to make history.

Over the hour St Cillian's were the better team and thoroughly deserved their victory. They were sharper than their opponents, played with more cohesion and dominated all the big battles. They started positively and kept the pressure on all the way through.

Birr were bidding to win three titles in a row but on the day they had to give second best and can have no quibble with the result. They tried their hardest but it wasn't working for them on the day and they found it very difficult to break down a solid St Cillian's defence.

St Cillian's looked the sharper team in the first half. They made better use of the ball and looked more threatening in attack. Birr had looked lively early on but they didn't make the best use of their chances and their attack struggled to hold the ball up against a strong St Cillian's defence.

St Cillian's had a goal and a point inside the first four minutes and that set the trend for the game. It was 1-2 to 0-1 after 20 minutes but three quick points then gave St Cillian's a seven point advantage and it was an uphill battle for Birr thereafter.

St Cillian's held a seven point lead at the break, 1-7 to 0-3 and after they added another early second half point, Birr hit back with a goal to give them hope but they were unable to add to that. Scores were hard to come by in the second half and the sides only added two points each in the remaining 27 minutes plus injury time with three of those scores coming from frees.

That statistic reflected the pattern of the game. It was stop start at times and it lacked a bit of fluency and both defences did well. St Cillian's won't care about that as they claimed the title and they provided the best of the camogie played on the day. They used the ball better and caused problems when they ran at the Birr defence, often yielding frees which Clare Hogan pointed.

St Cillian's were strong in defence where Megan King, Siobhan Killeen, Ciara Brennan and Aoife O'Donovan all caught the eye. Cathy Fogarty and Aisling Brennan were strong in the middle of the field while in attack Clare Hogan and Rachel Brennan carried most threat.

Birr fought hard and Rebecca Ryan, Alana Roddy and Sheila Sullivan battled hard in defence. Ellen Regan had good moments in the middle of the field while Arlene Watkins and Mairead Jennings were best in attack with sub Eimear Mooney also making an impact when introduced.

St Cillian's made the quicker start and after an early wide Clare Hogan opened the scoring from a free after three minutes. Less than a minute later a high ball was dropping under the Birr crossbar, Dawn Whelahan could only bat it out and Rachel Brennan was the only one following in and she finished the ball to the net.

Birr eventually got off the mark after eight minutes when Mairead Jennings pointed a free but Clare Hogan quickly replied for St Cillian's, cutting in from the left and shooting over. The ball was initially waved wide but after consultation between referee, linesman and umpires the score was awarded.

Eleven scoreless minutes followed before Clare Hogan pointed a free and she quickly added two more points, one a free and one from play. Birr had gone 18 minutes without a score before Faye Mulrooney won the ball and after losing her hurl she kicked the ball over. Elizabeth Harding hit a good point from 45m but Ellen Regan hit back with a Birr point. Another Clare Hogan free gave St Cillian's a 1-7 to 0-3 half time lead.

Rachel Brennan extended the lead to eight just 39 seconds into the second half but then Birr were thrown a lifeline after three minutes when Arlene Watkins made a good run and offloaded to half time sub Eimear Mooney who shot to the net. However Birr were unable to build on that and eight scoreless minutes followed before Clare Hogan added a point from a free.

After 18 minutes Arlene Watkins sent another ball in the direction of Eimear Mooney who pulled first time but Kacey Larkin got her stick to the ball to deflect it over the bar for a point. Another long scoreless period followed before Clare Hogan pointed a free for St Cillian's and Birr's lone reply was a Mairead Jennings point from a free which bounced in the square and over the bar. Birr had a lot of pressure but the St Cillian's defence stood firm in that second half and kept them out as they claimed their first senior A title.

MATCH ANALYSIS

THE TEAMS

ST CILLIAN'S: Kacey Larkin; Aoife Hoctor, Megan King, Siobhan Killeen; Aoife O'Donovan, Ciara Brennan, Elizabeth Harding; Aisling Brennan, Cathy Fogarty; Cara Hoare, Rachel Brennan, Sarah Freeman; Cara Coakley, Clare Hogan, Caoimhe O'Donovan. Subs. Aine Kennedy (for Sarah Freeman, 37 mins), Aideen Freeman (for Cara Coakley, 44 mins), Caoimhe Ginty (for Ciara Brennan, 50 mins), Emma Harding (for Cathy Fogarty, 58 mins), Lisa Hoctor (for Cara Hoare, 61 mins).

BIRR: Dawn Whelahan; Rebecca Ryan, Deirdre Cashen, Hannah Feenane; Hannah Murphy, Alana Roddy, Sheila Sullivan; Ciara Ryan, Ellen Regan; Orlagh Kirwan, Mairead Jennings, Arlene Watkins; Kate Pilkington, Faye Mulrooney, Hannah Riley. Subs. Eimear Mooney (for Hannah Riley, half time), Roisin Kinsella (for Orlagh Kirwan, half time), Sorcha Tierney (for Faye Mulrooney, 49 mins), Brooke Whelahan (for Kate Pilkington, 56 mins).

REFEREE: Kieran Dooley (Drumcullen)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

The evergreen Arlene Watkins had a fine match for Birr but most of the contenders were on the St Cillian's side and it came down to two in the end. Ciara Brennan got the official player of the match for a terrific game anchoring the defence from centre half back but Clare Hogan also deserves a strong mention as her eight points were a major contribution to their victory and as captain she led the side from the front.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

St Cillian's had a six point lead entering the final quarter and Birr were pushing strongly at the time and were threatening a goal which would really have put them back in the contest. With 12 minutes left Arlene Watkins sent a ball in the direction of Eimear Mooney who pulled first time but Kacey Larkin pulled off a great save to divert the ball over the crossbar and keep her side in control.

REFEREE WATCH

Kieran Dooley handled the game with authority. He was always in control, consulted with his other officials to rule in favour of a St Cillian's point that had initially been waved wide, and took firm action when required.

WHAT’S NEXT

St Cillian's will now advance to represent Offaly in the Leinster Club championship while defeat marks the end of the season for Birr.

VENUE WATCH

St Brendan's Park was in good condition for the double header of senior finals. There were plenty of stewards on duty and the pitch was in good condition. Overall they hosted the game very well.

STATISTICS

Wides; St Cillian's 6 (4 in first half) Birr 4 (2 in first half)

Yellow Cards: St Cillian's 1 (Ciara Brennan) Birr 1 (Hannah Murphy)

Red Cards: None

THE SCORERS

St Cillian's; Clare Hogan (0-8, 0-6 frees), Rachel Brennan (1-1), Elizabeth Harding (0-1).

Birr; Eimear Mooney (1-1), Mairead Jennings (0-2, frees), Faye Mulrooney, Ellen Regan (0-1 each).