Well done to both Dublin U.14 teams who took part in the All Ireland Camogie Blitz in Abbotstown and Trinity Gaels on Saturday 08.09.18 .There were great exhibitions of Camogie in both venues. 

Dublin Camogie U.14A team at Abbotstown

REPORT by Ambrose Curry

Dublin started the day with the first match against a tough physical Tpperary team which we had battled against in previous blitzes. They are difficult to play against, with a fair spattering of skilful players to boot.

In those previous meetings between the teams, we had only beaten Tipperary once, but felt that with a full team (which is more or less what we had in this blitz) to select from we would have the upper hand. And so it turned out.

The exchanges were tough right throughout the game, as both teams knew the importance of winning the first  match and getting two points onto the board. The game ended up being mainly a shootout between the rival free-takers. Sinead Daly hit most of her frees over the bar for Dublin but the Tipp freetaker could not match that accuracy, and those converted frees ultimately turned out to be the difference between the sides.  We wouldn’t label it a comfortable win but the 4 point gap at the end was certainly justified from our perspective.

The challenge posed by Cork was different to the Tipp one. Cork have some handy players and a couple of lethal inside forwards. Their supply into the forward line normally comes through one or two main players out the field, so our challenge was to keep the ball away from those supply lines. There was more of a flow to thismatch and Cork had us under pressure for most of the game.

We never got on top of them really until coming down the home straight. It was nip and tuck all the way and with a couple of minutes left and just 2 points in it for Cork, our midfielder Niamh Crowley acted on instinct, took the law into her own hands and popped up in the Cork penalty box where she connected beautifully on the ground with a bobbing ball to burst the net and snatch the lead for Dublin. There was a little bit of to-ing and fro-ing after this but it was the last major action and that win saw Dublin safely through to the semi-final.

In the 3rd game against Limerick, it seemed like the players perhaps subconsciously took the foot off the gas, and in the second half we succumbed to their greater desire and physicality to be beaten by a few points.

The semi-final against Kilkenny was unquestionably the game of the day. It took on a life and energy of its own with fierce exchanges right from the off. It was clear that both teams were playing right on the edge of their capabilities. There was nothing in it for most of the first half, and the flow and pace in the game was fast and furious. The ball was up and down the field without a break, and the referee was letting the game flow. It was even at half time and Kilkenny pulled away with a goal midway through the second half, which knocked us back on our heels. They went 4 points clear with about 7 or 8 minutes to go, and then our girls lifted it again and went on the attack and pinned Kilkenny in their own half for the re

mainder of the game. There was some last ditch defending from Kilkenny at times, but we made the breakthrough with a goal, which brought us back to within a point and now the bit was between the teeth.

We popped over another point to level the game in injury time, and with time ebbing away Sinead Daly was fouled about 45 metres away from the Kilkenny goal. She was in pain with a bang on the knee and needed treatment for a couple of minutes. Sinead being the freetaker had a big decision to make, whether to go for the free herself or leave it to someone else. She recovered her composure, stood over the ball, went through her normal routine and popped it over the bar much to the delight of the Dublin crowd. The last few seconds felt like an age, but we held out and snatched the victory with that final score.

We played Wexford in the final, and despiteDublin looking very good with a promising start, Wexford soon began to impose their physicality on us. They are a very big, strong and athletic team and that began to show as our players had scant reserves of energy left in the tank after the major efforts of the previous games. Wexford got 2 vital goals and despite all the valiant efforts of our girls we just hadn’t got anything left to give. So ultimately we lost the final by 4 points. Overall we are very pleased with the performances, and are happy with the results of the efforts of all concerned over the past 2 years. We look forward as ever to taking up the challenge afresh next season.

Dublin Camogie U.14B team at Trinity Gaels

Report later