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GAA Roundup:Tipp too strong for Cork in camogie final

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

An honest review wouldn’t put what transpired down as a classic of the genre, but it was a passable enough afternoon’s distraction, with Tipperary serenely picking up their fifth title in six years, setting themselves apart in the process as one the greatest sides ever to have played the game.
Tipp, preeminent in the game since Michael Cleary took them in hand and inculcated them in the ways of excellence a few years back, were always the better side Sunday at Croke Park, even if it seemed for a while early on like Cork might offer up a game. Emer Dillon picked Ciara Gaynor’s pocket for two early points and with 10 minutes on the clock, they were enough to ensure a lead of a point. But when she stroked over a third six minutes later, it was to be as good as Cork’s afternoon got.
Straight away, Tipp landed a high ball in under Aoife Murray’s crossbar and, despite having earlier saved a penalty, Murray looked unsure of herself. In sniped Dierdre Hughes to capitalize and up went the green flag. Claire Grogan then came into her own and began stroking over frees from all angles. She would end the day with nine points, seven of the from frees.
Tipp led by five at the break and had proceedings wrapped up within 15 minutes of the restart. Eimear McDonnell was causing havoc in the Cork square and as the ball squirted out sideways from one of her tussles with Rosarie Holland, midfielder Joanne Ryan arrived at pace to rifle home. That was that.

UNDER-21
HURLING FINAL
KILKENNY 3-21,
TIPPERARY 1-6
In a dark, dark week for Kilkenny hurling, their under-21s provided the only sunbeam, sweeping their Tipperary counterparts aside with the minimum of fuss at Nowlan Park. They were 1-2 to 0-0 up before some the crowd were in; 2-9 to 0-1 after 20 minutes; 2-12 to 1-1 at half-time. Even adjusting those scores accordingly to allow for a hefty enough breeze does Tipp no favors.
They were simply overrun here. With the exception of midfielder Patrick Cleere, everybody from No. 7 to 15 on the Kilkenny side (as well as two of the subs) got on the scoresheet. Richie Power finished with 0-7, Cha Fitzpatrick and Conor Phelan with 1-1 apiece. Throughout the week, all three names had figured highly in the “where do we go from here?” stakes as the Kilkenny post-mortem over the loss of the senior final gathered pace. None did their reputations any harm here.
For Tipp, a bad end to a bad year, with only the camogie title to console them.

MINOR HURLING
FINAL REPLAY
GALWAY 0-16,
KILKENNY 1-12
An incredible series of matches between these two sides went right down to the wire yet again last Sunday at O’Connor Park in Tullamore with this time Galway finally coming down on the safe side of the knife edge. In front of a crowd of well over 10,000 (the throw-in had to be delayed by 15 minutes and people were still streaming in at halftime) the two sides put on yet another afternoon of magnificent hurling.
Galway won thanks to the skills of Kerrill Wade and Joe Canning, who scored 11 points between them, including some exquisite placed-ball shooting. Kilkenny were unlucky to lose out and really only did because in the end somebody had to. Eoin Guinan’s goal, however — an overhead pull from a sideline cut floated in by Richie Hogan — was probably the sweetest scored at any level all year. The future is safe in these kids’ hands.

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