Galway 3-19

Clare 0-7

By Eanna O’Reilly at Kenny Park

The Galway senior camogie team had a straightforward victory over Clare at Kenny Park on Saturday afternoon, in their fourth round group fixture. A 21-point winning margin was more comprehensive than most Galway supporters would have anticipated. However, such was the quality of the Tribeswomen’s first-half performance, the contest was done and dusted by half-time.

The visitors ultimately failed to provide Galway with a significant test in this game and were significantly inferior throughout the field on the day. Nevertheless, the home side’s sharpness and guile were very impressive, even allowing for the weakness of the opposition.

Despite playing against the wind in the opening half, Galway showed their quality from an early stage. It was the visitors who registered the first score of the game after two minutes, with Caoimhe Cahill pointing from the right corner, but Galway soon responded at the other end, with three consecutive points coming from Niamh Mallon, Sabina Rabbitte, and Niamh McPeake.

Áine O’Loughlin reduced the margin with a pointed free at the other end, before the home side struck for the first goal of the game a minute later. An incisive move involving Ailish O’Reilly and Niamh Kilkenny set up Niamh Mallon, who fired an excellent shot past Rachael Daly from a tight angle.

The next six minutes saw the Tribeswomen add three more points, as Mallon sent over two superb scores, either side of one from Niamh McPeake. Clare’s Caoimhe Carmody then pointed at the other end made it 1-6 to 0-3 in the 20th minute. However, the visitors were struggling at this stage of the contest.

Galway were playing with pace and linking up impressively, with very little possession being wasted. Mallon was on fire in attack for the Tribeswomen, and she soon tallied her fourth point from play. Carrie Dolan pointed two frees during the next four minutes, before O’Reilly took a neat score, after a well-worked move involving Mallon and Kilkenny.

Clare landed two points in a row at the other end, with the lively Cahill getting her second, followed by a well-taken score from full-forward Ellen Casey. However, the home side finished the half strongly, with scores from Dolan (free), and Orlaith McGrath, to leave Cathal Murray’s charges ahead by 1-12 to 0-5 at the interval.

Pictured: Orlaith McGrath in need of some new equipment during the win over Clare in Kenny Park last weekend. Photo: INPHO/James Lawlor.