Provincial road ends early as O'Loughlin Gaels crash out of Leinster
Raharney (Westmeath) 0-6 O'Loughlin Gaels 0-4
A week after winning their first intermediate county camogie title, O’Loughlin Gaels were back on the road as the travelled to Westmeath to take on Raharney in the Leinster intermediate quarter-final in Joristown Park on Sunday morning.
Forced to line out without their influential midfielder Laura Greene, who missed the game through injury, the city side hit the ground running when Laura Murphy opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a point from play. However, Raharney served notice of their intentions when nippy full-forward Hannah Core equalised a minute later.
The Westmeath side were keen to make their home advantage count and attacked their rivals with force. Aoife O’Malley went close to a goal when she unleashed a rasper of a shot on 11 minutes, but Gaels ’keeper Kate Furlong got down and deflected it out for a 45, which Aoife Doherty converted.
Aoife O’Malley added another two points for Raharney to leave it 0-4 to 0-1 after 15 minutes, but this was to be Raharney’s last score of the first half. O’Loughlin Gaels started to settle into the match after this, with Aoife Shealy hitting their second point.
Both teams piled on the pressure, over the next 14 minutes trying to add to their tallies, but to no avail, until Laura Murphy split the posts from a 45m free to leave the interval score 0-4 to 0-3 in favour of the home side.
During the interval the heavens opened, a factor which made conditions difficult for both teams in the second half.
When play resumed, Raharney were quick off the mark and fired over the points from Aoife Doherty (free) and Hannah Core which happened to be their only points of the half.
The home side put added pressure on the visitors, when the latter conceded a penalty which was brilliantly saved by Kate Furlong and cleared down field.
The aforementioned difficult weather conditions hampered both sides trying to get on the score board over the next 20 minutes.
Then in the 54th minute, the referee penalised the Raharney ’keeper for time wasting on a puckout. He awarded a free to O’Loughlin Gaels which Laura Murphy duly converted, but this happened to be the last score of the match as both teams were unable to add to their respective tallies.
So O’Loughlin Gaels bowed out of the Leinster championship, but they can be proud of their year, being crowned county intermediate champions for the first time and progressing to the senior ranks for the 2025 season.
Teams and scorers
Raharney – Aoife Doherty (0-2, frees); Hannah Core, Aoife O’Malley (0-2 each).
O’Loughlin Gaels – Laura Murphy (0-3, 0-2 frees), Aoife Shealy (0-1).
O’Loughlin Gaels – Kate Furlong; Ailbhe Galwey, Neasa Galwey, Jen Holohan; Hannah Quinn, Danielle Quigley, Abigael Egan; Jen O’Keeffe, Laura Murphy; Emma Poyntz, Aisling Butler, Ena Lawlor; Kate Lawless, Ruth Crowley, Aoife Shealy.
Subs: Eva Collins for Kate Lawless, Siofra O’Leary for Aisling Butler, Iveta Vasiliauskaite for Hannah Quinn, Aoife Dillon for Jen O’Keeffe.
Raharney – Anna Weir; Katie Coleman, Jade McKeogh, Mary Geraghty; Maria Kelly, Fiona Leavy, Therese Murray; Aoife O’Malley, Laura Doherty; Ellen Shaw, Elaine Finn, Aoife Doherty; Meadbh Monaghan, Hannah Core, Erin Core.
Subs: Aisling Doyle for Ellen Shaw, Emma Hynes for Meadbh Monaghan.