Assumption camogs suffer All-Ireland loss

Assumption camogs suffer All-Ireland loss

20 March 2024

DEFEAT in any All-Ireland final is difficult to stomach. 

A single point defeat that comes from a 59th minute free that the Assumption, Ballynahinch, management and supporters felt was a little harsh made it all the more difficult to take in Kiltale in Co Meath last Tuesday afternoon.

But if the game had been blown up ten minutes into the second half, it would have been much more disappointing for the Ulster champions. 

For the first 40 minutes they didn’t show their true quality, the skill and determination that had got them through their own provincial title-race and then past Heywood in the semi-final at the start of February.

They got off to a bad start on the scoreboard and just couldn’t get going up front with the forwards running into tackles and forced back too easily. 

By contrast, St John the Baptist looked likely to score every time they got the sliotar in the direction of full-forward Aoibhinn O’Connor.

She scored all but a single point for Hospital, but after scoring bursts at the start of each half was well-controlled by the Assumption defence in which Erin Daly, Caoimhe Mulholland and Shannon Rice excelled.

O’Connor, however, did a lot of damage early in the game. She started with points in the fifth, sixth and seventh minutes. 

Although Daire O’Shea came back with a point from a free, O’Connor cut in from the left corner to fire high into the net in the 11th minute.

Erin Daly had by now moved back to mark the Bruff forward, but she still added two more points, in the 19th minute and then a free in the 29th, to run up their full score-line of 1-5 by the halfway stage in the final.

Assumption didn’t add to O’Shea’s point until the third minute of injury time when Alannah McKay finished the first half scoring at 1-5 to 0-2.

O’Connor added two more points on the re-start, and even a great solo point from Ballynahinch captain Ellie McCabe looked a token reply when Abigail Buckley became just the second scorer for Hospital with their eighth point.

Then the game began to turn in general play and points from Alannah McKay, Caileigh McConnell and Orla Owens saw Assumption close the gap to 1-8 to 0-6 by the 50th minute.

A minute later their best player on the day, Caileigh McConnell went on a determined run on the left wing. The sliotar was moved across the centre for Aoife Gilmore to find the net.

Another minute and O’Shea pointed a free to reduce the gap to a single point.

The Munster champions looked in bother and brought their dangerous full-forward O’Connor back to midfield to win some ball and break the Assumption momentum. 

Assumption kept pushing forward and Laura McEvoy placed McConnell for the equaliser in the 56th minute.

Significantly, O’Connor won a couple of frees for Hospital to get ball inside the Ballynahinch 45 and from one of these relieving clearances, they won a free around 50 metres out dead straight in front of the goals. O’Connor converted and there was no way back for the Ulster side with play stifled around the middle third for the remaining few minutes before Offaly whistle Ciarán Groome signalled the end.

John the Baptist: C Ryan, L Stritch, L Keenaghan, E Carroll, K Hartigan, N Carroll, G Ryan, K Leo, T Hynes capt., T Murnane, A Buckley (0-1), A Burke, E Walsh, A O’Connor (1-8, 3f), C Moriarty.

Subs: N Butler for E Walsh (45), E Moriarty for K Leo (59)

Assumption: R Burns, C Burns, E Douglas, C Mulholland, R Savage, E Daly, S Rice, D O’Shea (0-2f), E McCabe (0-1, capt), A McKay (0-2), C McConnell (0-2), A Gilmore (1-0), O Owens (0-1), L Braniff, R Scott.

Subs: L Doyle for R Scott (23), L McEvoy for L Braniff (41), L Braniff for C Burns (46).

Referee: C Groome (Offaly).