Cahir prove too strong for brave Tullaroan to secure final berth

AIB All Ireland Intermediate Club Semi Final

Cahir (Tipperary)   1-08       Tullaroan ​1-05

Munster Champions Cahir ended Tullaroan’s dream of reaching this year’s All Ireland Intermediate Club Final after the Tipperary side emerged victorious on a 1-08 to 1-05 score line in Freshford on Sunday.

It was Tullaroan playing against a very strong breeze that startedthe brighter ad opened the scoring after twenty seconds when Miriam Walsh pointed from thirty five meters. Niamh Dowling doubled Tullaroan’s advantage with a point from a free less than a minute later.  Cahir then got into the game and began to dominate the middle third of the field and opened the scoring in the seventh minute through a Roisin Howard point from twenty one meters.  Aishling Moloney then equalised the contest in the ninth minute when she tapped over a point from twenty one meters. Cahir were beginning to get a foothold in the game but didn’t capitalised on the chances they were creating and were guilty of hitting wides.  Roisin Howard who was coming more and more into the game tapped over a brace of points. She started the run in the eighteenth minute with a well taken point from thirty five meters. She followed this up with a free a minute later from twenty five meters to put her side 0-04 points to 0-02 ahead.  Niamh Dowling responded with a well taken point from twenty one meters in the twenty second minute, hers sides first score in twenty minutes. Miriam Walsh then tapped over a point in the thirty third minute to make it 0-04 points apiece at the break. Tullaroan would of being very happy going into half time on level terms especially as they were playing against a very strong breeze in the opening half.

Tullaroan raced out of the traps at the start of the new half and made the dream start as they got in for a goal in the opening minute. A long range Aine Fahey free was mishit and was cleared by the Cahir defence, the resulting clearance fell to Fahey on the half way line and her massive shot from all of 90 meters deceived the Cahir defence and found the back of the net to put her side 1-04 to 0-04 ahead.  Cahir’s heads did not drop at this concession and they set to their task very quickly getting 1-04 without reply.  Roisin Howard who was having a terrific afternoon started the comeback with a brace of points. The first came in the thirty second minute from twenty one meters. She followed this up with a free after she was fouled a minute later to cut the deficit to a point.  Then came the crucial score for the Tipperary side. Roisin Howard gained possession forty meters from goal rounded her marker and played a hand pass to Lauren Fitzpatrick who found herself free at the edge of the small square to tap the sliotar to the corner of the Tullaroan net to put her side two points ahead 1-06 to 1-04.  Roisin Howard then tapped over a point in the fortieth minute from twenty one meters to make it a three point game 1-07 to 1-04. Tullaroan almost equalised the contest in the fiftieth minute when Breda O’Neill got her hurl to a long dropping ball into the Cahir square but her effort went painfully past the post.  Roisin Howard  then tapped over a point from twenty one meters in the fifty ninth minute to make it 1-08 to 1-04 going into injury time. Great credit has to go to Tullaroan as they tried there upmost to get the vital scores that would force a replay but the Cahir defence held firm. Niamh Dowling closed out the scoring in the sixty third minute from a free but  Cahir held on to book their place in the All Ireland final against Eyrecourt of Galway in the March 6thdecider. For Tullaroan it was a disappointing end to a great season for the club that saw them claim County and Leinster titles in 2015 and they will be a serious force in the Kilkenny Senior championships for the year ahead.

Scorers-–Tullaroan- Niamh Dowling 0-03 (2f), Aine  Fahey 1-00, Miriam Walsh 0-02. Cahir – Roisin Howard 0-07 (1f), Lauren Fitzpatrick 1-00, Aishling Moloney 0-01.

Tullaroan- Ann Marie Coogan, Marlise Walsh, Ailish Langton, Jenny Maher, Claire Walshe, Aine Fahey, Rachel Dowling (vice-capt),  Ella Moore, Noelle Maher, Niamh Dowling, Miriam Walsh, Danika Sweeney, Breda O’Neill, Anna Marie Young,  Aisling Pollard (capt).

Subs- Rachel Buckley, Lorraine Maher, Leandra Pollard, Sinead Quigley, Grace Walsh, Catherine Maher, Aine Lanigan , Aideen Kenny, Emer Lanigan, Caoimhe Holland, Noreen Delaney,Maureen Dunphy, Sinead Keoghan, Rebecca Cuddihy, Clodagh Kenny .

Cahir– Orla McEniry, Kristy Arbuckle, Emma Buckley, Lorna McEniry, Eileen Flannery, Laura Dillon, Aoife Corcoran, Aisling McCarthy (capt), Aishling Moloney, Caoimhe Condon, Carl Casey, Sinead Kennedy, Lauren Fitzpatrick, Roisin Howard, Grainne Quirke.

Subs- Aoife Casey, Shauna O’Donnell, Roisin Costigan, Clara O’Donnell, Aoife O’Donnell, Eadaoin O’Gorman, Laura Casey, Emma O’Donnell, Dervla Buckley, Aissa Keating, Shauna Burke, Roisin Finnane.

Referee- Cathal Egan (Cork)