Core’s brace makes it a perfect ten for Raharney

Raharney 2-6, Clonkill 1-6

Raharney’s dominance of Westmeath camogie continues unabated after two goals from Hannah Core secured the Deelsiders’ tenth consecutive senior ‘A’ title at TEG Cusack Park, Mullingar on Saturday afternoon.

Once again, Clonkill were the bridesmaids but this is perhaps the closest they have come to stopping Raharney in their tracks. Clocking up ten wides over the course of the hour, the Loughegar side saw enough ball to deserve something out of this and should have made it count against the Blues, who weren’t at their most clinical.

Megan Dowdall hit 1-5 from placed balls but spent all but three minutes of the game at centre half keeping tabs on Raharney star Amelia Shaw, and one felt Clonkill would have benefited from her immense talents in attack for at least the last quarter. As it turned out, Raharney’s hugely experienced back six, with the likes of Fiona Leavy, Maria Kelly and Mary Geraghty keeping tabs, managed to stop the girls in green and gold from scoring even a single point from open play.

At the other end, Core, Shaw and Aoife Doherty made the difference, coming up with the vital scores, with young Ellen Shaw the beating heart of that attacking unit. Core netted after 13 minutes and the Deelsiders led by 1-4 to 0-3 at the break, although having watched his side play into the teeth of the wind for the first half, Pat O’Toole would have been the happier of the two managers at the short whistle.

Dowdall netted a penalty or Clonkill early in the second half, and although levelling matters and enjoying long spells of possession, they just couldn’t get their noses in front and Core punished them with a late goal.

The game opened with a whirlwind and a shower of rain, but Raharney set out their stall after four minutes when a dangerous ball from Amelia Shaw eventually led to Aoife Doherty collecting and pucking the first point of the game.

Shaw went wide for the champions and at the other end, Clonkill got a first sniff at goal when Méadbh Scally shipped to Rebecca Dunne, but the chance evaporated in a scramble.

After eight minutes, Holly Dowdall levelled matters for Clonkill with a free, but the breeze played havoc with her subsequent efforts and as the Loughegar girls missed the target, Raharney built up a six-point lead.

Two minutes later, Maria Kelly pulled off a superb block on Dowdall in midfield and was then fouled, allowing Amelia Shaw to restore Raharney’s lead with a well-taken free.

Within a minute, the Blues almost found the net when Hannah Core’s pace left two defenders in her wake. She shot off her left, tamely enough, and Clonkill netminder Becca Croash was equal to it. Erin Core then pucked wide for the Blues but on 13 minutes the first of two Raharney goals arrived. Fiona Leavy picked out Core with a wonderful long ball over the top of the Clonkill defence, and although the forward fumbled the sliotar, confusion reigned between Croash and her defenders allowing Core to sweep it home along the ground.

Three minutes later, Core almost stole in for another goal but on this occasion, Croash was in command of her area and cleared.

By the 24th minute, Stephen Quinn’s troops led 1-4 to 0-1 after points by Méadbh Monaghan (a great score from play) and Amelia Shaw (a free). Clonkill, meanwhile, missed a couple of frees but the breeze was anything but kind to them.

The Loughegar side didn’t drop the heads, and two frees from Megan Dowdall reduced the arrears to four points by the interval, while it was clear that Raharney hadn’t really made the wind advantage count after the first 30 minutes.

Conditions eased somewhat after the restart and the Deelsiders added to their tally with a free from Shaw. However, on 35 minutes, Clonkill got a deserved break when Méadbh Scally was held back en route to goal after doing well to win a high ball, and a penalty was awarded. Megan Dowdall rifled the sliotar to the net for a two-point game.

The Clonkill management team might have been tempted to move Dowdall out of her deep role at this stage but perhaps decided against it when Raharney’s marauders descended on goal and Erin Core had a shot blocked.

By the 43rd minute, Dowdall was still doing the business from placed balls and with two more frees, Clonkill were on level terms for the first time since the tenth minute.

Raharney needed a lift at this stage, and when you have a player like Aoife Doherty in your arsenal, you’re always guaranteed a couple of crucial scores from play. On the three-quarter mark, the wing forward added her second, a really superb effort from distance, and the Blues led by the minimum again (1-6 to 1-5).

A frenetic ten-minute spell followed in which both sides had chances. Caoimhe Coogan shot wide for Clonkill and, at the other end, Hannah Core gave the opposing defence the slip once again only to lose her footing. Megan Dowdall, underlining her importance in defence, mopped up the loose ball.

At the other end, Katie Daly fired just wide for Clonkill before hitting the crossbar. Meanwhile, another dangerous ball from Amelia Shaw led to Clonkill’s Becca Croash authoritatively coming off her line to claim the sliotar.

On 56 minutes, however, the key moment transpired and after a relentless period where both sides pressed for a goal, it went the way of Raharney. After Shaw pucked a free short of the posts, a forest of hurls looked to connect. With Raharney’s Ellen Shaw and Hannah Core coming closest, the latter slapped the sliotar to the Clonkill net to give her side a four-point lead at a crucial juncture.

With two minutes to go, Megan Dowdall tacked on another free for Clonkill but they badly needed a goal and, perhaps too late, the Westmeath star was reassigned to the vanguard. But experience counts deep in the trenches, and Raharney’s vast store of it got them over the line.

The Deelsiders, celebrating ten in a row, are off to Leinster and are now well on their way to breaking the record set by that great St Munna’s side of the 1980s and 1990s, which won 13 consecutive senior titles. Saturday’s final, however, is surely a sign that Clonkill are edging ever closer to breaching that blue wall.

At full time, Karen Coghlan, chairperson of Westmeath Camogie Board, and Amy Duignan of sponsors David Smyth Catering, presented the Matrix Cup to the joint captains of Raharney, Anna Weir and Katie Coleman.

Scorers - Raharney: H Core 2-0, A Shaw 0-3f, A Doherty 0-2, M Monaghan 0-1. Clonkill: M Dowdall 1-5 (1-0 pen, 0-5f), H Dowdall 0-1f.

Raharney: Anna Weir (joint capt.); Katie Coleman (joint capt.), Jade McKeogh, Mary Geraghty; Fiona Leavy, Maria Kelly, Therese Murray; Aoife O’Malley, Laura Doherty; Ellen Shaw, Amelia Shaw, Aoife Doherty; Erin Core, Hannah Core, Méadbh Monaghan. Subs used: Aisling Doyle for Murray (46), Elaine Finn for Monaghan (52).

Clonkill: Becca Croash; Ellen Flanagan, Claire Gaffney, Áine Doyle; Ciara Dolan, Megan Dowdall, Chloe Galligan; Aisling Egerton, Caoimhe Coogan; Roz Daly, Lucy Power, Holly Dowdall; Rebecca Dunne, Méadbh Scally (capt.), Katie Daly. Subs used: Alanna Coogan for Doyle (40), Kristabella Tamosiunaite for R Daly (59), Ella Murtagh for Dunne (59).

Ref: Kevin Reihill (St Munna’s).