Drom & Inch dethroned by Sarsfields in high quality Munster camogie final in Clonoulty

AIB Munster Senior Camogie Club Championship Final

Drom & Inch 2-7

Sarsfields 2-11

Drom & Inch relinquished the Munster title they won in 2022 after they were outfought and outclassed by a pacey and prolific Sarsfields team in a frantic and brutally contested Munster Senior Camogie Championship Final in the Dillon Quirke GAA Grounds, Clonoulty on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the quick start of the reigning champions to the game which took a 1-3 to 0-2 lead in the opening ten minutes, it is hard to argue a case that Drom were unlucky to lose out here, as the Cork champions dominated large swathes of the game outside of that opening salvo from the Mid Tipperary club; Siobhan McGrath scoring a fortuitous goal from range to open up a four-point gap.

However, after a brief bedding-in period to the game, Sarsfields went into another gear with their pace and fitness a real feature, particularly in their forward division as all six of their starting forwards have pace in abundance with Lucy Allen, Kate Fennessy, and Clare Mullins, in particular, proving to be a real handful towards the end of the first half with two goals from their centre forward Allen giving them a healthy six-point lead in a heavy pitch in Clonoulty.

Try as they might - and they certainly did give it everything - Drom simply couldn't do enough damage in the second half to pull back the deficit, and even though Miriam Campion gave them an early shot in the arm with a well-taken goal just three minutes into the second half, the Cork champions didn't waiver and always had their opponents at arm's length to see out the win and a place in the All-Ireland series.

Scorers: Drom & Inch: Eimear McGrath (0-4, 0-3f, 0-1 45), Miriam Campion 1-1, Siobhan McGrath 1-0, Aoife McGrath 0-1, Kate Ferncombe.

Sarsfields: Lucy Allen 2-0, Kate Fennessy (0-5, 0-2f, 0-1 45), Orlaith Mullins 0-3, Hollie Herlihy 0-2, Clare Mullins 0-1.

Drom & Inch: Kristina Kenneally; Maria Connolly, Christina Brennan, Eimear Cahill; Niamh Long, Mairead Eviston, Anne Eviston; Caroline Shanahan, Aoife McGrath; Siobhan McGrath, Mary Burke, Niamh Treacy; Katie O'Dwyer, Eimear McGrath, Miriam Campion.

Subs used: Joanne Ryan for Shanahan (HT); Michelle Woodlock for S McGrath (40); Deirdre Dunne for O'Dwyer (44); Maureen Ryan for Cahill (50); Noirin Butler for Burke (54, blood sub).

Sarsfields: Molly Lynch; Laura Dunlea, Ellen Murphy, Olivia McAllen; Niamh O'Callaghan, Cliona Lynch, Lucy Kelly; Ava Fitzgerald, Evie Twomey; Orlaith Mullins, Lucy Allen, Hollie Herlihy; Clare Mullins, Kate Fennessy, Katlyn Sheehan.

Subs used: Rachael Roche for O'Callaghan (59).

Referee: Aaron Hogg (Clare)