Kilkenny champs see off Raharney challenge

James Stephens 1-13 Raharney 1-4

By Robert Cribbin

Raharney bowed out of the AIB Leinster Intermediate Club Camogie Championship at the first hurdle in Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon when they were beaten by James Stephens.

Raharney won the All-Ireland junior title earlier in the year and followed it up with an eighth successive Westmeath senior crown two weeks ago but they were on the backfoot for long periods on Saturday as a very strong James Stephens team held too much firepower.

Caoimhe Moran’s 24th minute goal for the Village gave the hosts a huge advantage after they spent the opening period playing against a stiff enough breeze.

The goal helped offset a decent Raharney start that saw the visitors lead 0-3 to 0-1 and from the moment Moran found the net, it was all one way traffic.

All-Ireland heroine Sophie O’Dwyer was lethal on the frees in the second half and while Raharney did rally late on, the Kilkenny Intermediate winners had already done the damage as they cruised to victory.

As mentioned, Raharney started brightly and Maria Kelly knocked over the opening point of the game in the second minute.

The Village replied with a Ciara Delaney effort from play but by the halfway mark of the half, Raharney led by two points.

Conditions played a huge part in the game with heavy rain and a stiff wind throughout and with the wind at their back, Raharney led thanks to two long range converted frees from Amelia Shaw.

Remarkably though Raharney wouldn’t score again over the course of the opening half as James Stephens took control in the second quarter.

Although Kilkenny star and team captain Niamh Deely missed a good chance for goal in the 20th minute for James Stephens, they weren’t out of luck for long when Caoimhe Moran found the net two minutes later.

The James Stephens corner forward was at the end of a move that saw a Hannah Scott free claimed by Niamh Brennan who found Ciara Delaney and she offloaded for Moran to score past Anna Weir in the Raharney goal.

Sophie O’Dwyer followed up with a point as the Kilkenny city side moved into a 1-2 to 0-3 lead and while good defending from Raharney prevented James Stephens from adding any more goals before half-time, pointed efforts from Ciara Delaney and Rachel Leahy ensured the Village of a four point advantage at the break.

Raharney looked like they had a mountain to climb in the second period as given the conditions, a four point margin looked an insurmountable one.

Raharney’s challenge then became all the more difficult whn their opponents scored five points inside the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

James Stephens full forward Rachel Leahy got the ball rolling with her second point of the afternoon in the 32nd minute before Sophie O’Dwyer converted successive frees.

CaoimhMoran and Niamh Deely then added further to the winning side’s tally and the game was practically over as a contest as James Stephens led 1-9 to 0-3.

Rahrney found it very difficult to even get out of their own half during that spell and the James Stephens onslaught continued at pace when O’Dwyer knocked over another free.

The step up from Leinster Junior to Intermediate level was proving a bridge too far for the Westmeath side but they did have some joy before the end of the game.

Substitutes Ciara Keogh and Maeve Monaghan combined to get Raharney’s first goal when Monaghan kicked the sliotar past Lucy McGrath in the James Stephens goal.

That was Raharney’s first score in over 30 minutes of action as James Stephens notched off 1-9 without reply in that time.

The goal reduced the gap to seven points and when Amelai Shaw saw a 21 yard free blocked over the crossbar, there was still some hope of a late revival as they got within two scores of their talented opponents.

James Stephens wing back Emma Manogue won an All-Ireland minor title with Kilkenny in 2021 and the talented youngster had a superb game overall that was rewarded by two late points from distance.

Sophie O’Dwyer also knocked over another score late on as James Stephens cruised into the Leinster Intermediate semi-finals where another clash awaits in three weeks as St Brigids of Laois make the trip to Noreside.

For Raharney, it’s the end of a long year but they can be content with another senior title in Westmeath.

Scorers

James Stephens: Sophie O’Dwyer (0-5, three frees), Caoimhe Moran (1-2), Emma Manogue, Rachel Leahy (0-2 each), Niamh Deely, Ciara Delaney (0-1 each)

Raharney: Maeve Monaghan (1-0), Amelia Shaw (0-3, three frees), Maria Kelly (0-1)

James Stephens

Lucy McGrath; Chloe Power, Emma Gaffney, Hannah Larkin; Emma Manogue, Aoife Cantwell, Hannah Scott; Michelle Teehan, Anna Doheny; Sophie O’Dwyer, Niamh Deely, Niamh Brennan; Ciara Delaney, Rachel Leahy, Caoimhe Moran.

Subs: Anna Bergin for Brennan 45 mins, Emily Smith for Moran 58 mins, Jenny Larkin for Delaney 60 mins.

Raharney

Anna Weir; Katie Coleman, Jade McKeogh, Mary Geraghty; Aisling Keogh, Fiona Leavy, Aisling Doyle; Laura Doherty, Ellen Shaw; Aoife Boyle, Amelia Shaw, Maria Kelly; Aoife Doherty, Therese Murray, Elaine Finn.

Subs: Maeve Monaghan for Finn 49 mins, Ciara Keogh for A.Doherty 50 mins.

Referee- Justin Heffernan (Wexford)