Kilkenny complete Leinster hat trick at their ease against Offaly

Kilkenny 3-15

Offaly 0-6

Kilkenny completed the hat trick in the Leinster Senior Camogie Championship final when they beat Offaly in the decider on Sunday on O’Moore Park, Portlaoise

The Cats were in good form and they were easy winners yet again

Kilkenny played against the strong wind in the first half. Still they off to a flying start

With only 40 seconds gone, Denise Gaule stood over a 50m free. Her well struck shot saw the ball fly straight into the net over the head of the Offaly goalie

Two minutes later, Aoife Doyle slotted the sliotar over the bar for Kilkenny.

During the next six minutes the action ebbed & flowed and in the 8^th minute, Kilkenny’s Danielle Morrissey soloed through the Offaly defence and hit a rasper of a shot

The effort was too hot for the goalie to handle. This left the score at 2-1 to 0-0 in favour of the Cats

Aisling Brennan scored Offaly’s first point in the 13^th minute

Denise Gaule (KK) and Mairead Teehan traded pointed frees in the 14^th & 16^th minutes

In the 18^th minute, Offaly had a sideline ball. They took it quickly and Arlene Watkins pointed (2-2 to 0-3)

Kilkenny went further ahead in the 22^nd minute when Danielle Morrissey laid on a neat hand pass to the in-rushing Katie Power who rattled the net

Aoife Doyle scored a nice point after being put through by Anna Farrell two minutes later

The last score of the half came in the 31^st minute when Orlagh Kirwan pointed for Offaly to leave the half time score Kilkenny 3-3 to 0-4

On the resumption of play, Katie Power put Kilkenny further ahead when she pointed two minutes after the restart

With the wind in their backs, the winners let rip and added further points through Anne Dalton (free) and then another pointed free by Michelle Quilty

Miriam Walsh, Grace Walsh and Danielle Morrissey pushed them 3-9 to 0-4 ahead by the 40^th minute

Michelle Quilty added another point from a free in the 42^nd minute to which Offaly replied with a similar score two minutes later

Grace Walsh & Siobhan Flannery swapped points but the Faithful County failed to register any further scores in the remaining 12 minutes

At the other end Edwina Keane, Danielle Morrissey (2 frees) and Miriam Walsh all found the target to complete the scoring

Player of the Match – Katie Power

Scorers – Kilkenny – Danielle Morrissey (1-3, 2f), Denise Gaule (1-1, 1-1f), Katie Power (1-1), Miriam Walsh, Aoife Doyle, Grace Walsh (0-2 each), Michelle Quilty (0-2, 2f), Anne Dalton (0-1, 1f), Edwina Keane (0-1)

Offaly – Siobhan Flannery (0-2, 2f), Mairead Teehan (0-1, 1f), Aisling Brennan, Arlene Watkins, Orlagh Kirwan (0-1 each)

Kilkenny – Emma Kavanagh, Colette Dormer, Catherine Foley, Edwina Keane, Kellyanne Doyle, Meg Farrell (JC), Grace Walsh, Denise Gaule, Anna Farrell (JC), Aoife Doyle, Anne Dalton, Katie Power, Michelle Quilty, Miriam Walsh, Danielle Morrissey

Subs – Michaela Kenneally for Denise Gaule, Steffi Fitzgerald for Aoife Doyle, Michelle Teehan for Colette Dormer, Niamh Deely for Michelle Quilty, Grace O’Donnell for Miriam Walsh, Aoife Norris, Davina Tobin, Edel Coonan, Katie Brennan, Miriam Bambrick, Eva Hynes, Aine Phelan, Mary O’Connell

Offaly – Elie Clendennen, Sarah Walsh, Ann Marie Guinan, Christine Cleary, Grace Teehan, Aisling Brennan, Triona McDonald, Ciara Brennan, Orlagh Kirwan, Siobhan Flannery, Arlene Watkins, Becky Bryant, Michaela Morkan, Mairead Teehan, Jean Brady

Subs – Grainne Egan for Becky Bryant, Shannon Tuohy for Elie Clendennen, Elizabeth Harding for Arlene Watkins, Roisin Egan for Siobhan Flannery, Alanna Roddy for Jean Brady, Eadaoin Kilmartin, Leah Gath, Aoife Walsh, Helen Healy