Gailltír snatch final victory from jaws of defeat
The Gailltir team celebrate their county final win over De La Salle in the Loanitt Waterford Senior Camogie Championship Final played at Walsh Park on Saturday last. Photos: Noel Browne.
Team Fitzgerald ruled supreme for Gailltir in an incredible ending to the Loanitt Waterford Senior Camogie Championship final as they scored 1-2 in injury-time to break the hearts of three-in-a-row seeking De La Salle in a thriller at Walsh Park on Saturday afternoon last.
The 2024 decider was less than 30 seconds old when Gailltir struck for the opening point as Annie Fitzgerald landed a fine effort off her left-side before the same player rifled over her second score after getting in front of her marker on three minutes.
After Emma Kennedy landed the champions first point from play on five minutes, Emma Fitzgerald responded in kind for Gailltir to continue a fantastic start to the final with Abby Flynn scoring a monster point for her side to narrow the gap, 0-3 to 0-2.
With eight minutes on the clock, Beth Carton sprung into life as the former player of the year took possession near the dressing room end of Walsh Park before getting past her marker to rifle an unstoppable shot past a helpless Noelle Murphy.
You couldn’t take your eyes of a cracking opening as Annie Fitzgerald went down the other end of the field to land a fantastic point before Leah Browne and Emma Fitzgerald traded points as the nine scores inside the opening ten minutes all came from play.
Mollie Comerford brought the sides level with another point from play for Gailltir on 13 minutes before the impressive opening from Annie Fitzgerald continued two minutes later as she took the ball on her right, switched to her left, before sending it over.
Laoise Forrest edged Gailltir two points to the good on 16 minutes, but that was short-lived as the scoring continued from play with De La Salle’s Maggie Gostl going on a great solo run before popping the ball over from 20 metres.
Emma Fitzgerald stretched the Gailltir lead to two points, 0-9 to 1-4, from a ’45 as De La Salle knew that they were in a real battle as the Fitzgerald duo were causing big problems to their defence.
Carton won and scored the first point from a free on 23 minutes to steady the ship for her side as referee Ray Kelly and sideline official Kieran O’Toole had to keep the tempers of the Gailltir management in check.
The sides were level four minutes later as Abby Flynn found space in the right-half forward position to lay the ball off to Courtney Healy, who raced clear to point, but Emma Fitzgerald regained Gailltir’ s lead from a ’45 as they led at the break, 0-10 to 1-6.
Beth Carton brought De La Salle level within a minute of the restart from a placed ball before the same player landed her third free of the day on 32 minutes from near the 65 metre line after a foul on Niamh Murphy to put her side 1-8 to 0-10 to the good.
Maggie Gostl scored one of the points of the day two minutes later when she took the ball in front of the stands shooting into the city goal after good work from Keeley Corbett Barry before Gailltir keeper Noelle Murphy made a top save to deny Abby Flynn a goal with Carton scoring the resulting ’45.
Mollie Comerford settled the second-half nerves of the Gailltir faithful with her sides first score of the half, but the game witnessed the score of the game to date from the brilliant Beth Carton over her shoulder at the other end in the 38th minute.
A thrilling county final continued to produce moments of magic with Carton landing a fantastic score on 43 minutes before Laoise Forrest narrowed the gap at the other end, and after Beth Carton missed two frees on the bounce, Maggie Gostl made no mistake with a 48th minute effort to stretch the lead to four.
With referee Ray Kelly beginning to have more of a say in the game when harshly penalising Carton for overcarrying in front of the stands, Gailltir won a free at the other end that Emma Fitzgerald converted before another harsh call from the Kildare officials on 52 minutes was punished by Fitzgerald.
Beth Carton saw a 45 metre effort come back off the post a minute later before a great solo effort from the county star put a goal between the teams once again with just over three minutes of normal time on the clock after she danced a jig down the left-side of Walsh Park.
With the referee indicating three additional minutes at the end of the game, it was tense stuff on the field as Gailltir tried to force a goal and that unbelievably arrived in the first of those minutes through Emma Fitzgerald after Aoife Fitzgerald’s pass.
An incredible county final still had a twist yet as substitute Aoife Fitzgerald scored a monster point for her side to edge them in front and when they won a free from the puckout, Laoise Forrest landed the final score in a sensational contest.
Emma Fitzgerald (1-6, 0-2 ’45, 0-2f), Annie Fitzgerald (0-4), Laoise Forrest (0-3), Mollie Comerford (0-2), Aoife Fitzgerald (0-1)
Beth Carton (1-7, 0-3f, 0-1 ‘45), Maggie Gostl (0-3), Emma Kennedy (0-1), Abby Flynn (0-1), Leah Browne (0-1), Courtney Healy (0-1) Noelle Murphy, Faye Murphy, Maria Brennan, Maeve Sheridan, Shauna Fitzgerald, Laoise Forrest, Aoife Hartley, Clodagh Carroll, Kate Lynch, Alannah O’Sullivan, Annie Fitzgerald, Anne Corcoran, Emma Fitzgerald, Mollie Comerford, Clara Sherlock.
Ciara O’Sullivan for Aoife Hartley (54), Aoife Fitzgerald for Alannah O’Sullivan (58), Orlath Walsh for Mollie Comerford (58)
Brianna O’Regan, Alex Healy, Taylor Healy, Aoibhe Waring, Megan O’Connor, Keeley Corbett Barry, Emma Kennedy, Alannah McNulty, Courtney Healy, Niamh Murphy, Beth Carton, Leah Browne, Abbie Mullane, Abby Flynn, Maggie Gostl.
Ray Kelly (Kildare).
