Cait Devane hit goals in either half as the Clonoulty Rossmore sharpshooter finished top scorer on the day
Tipperary 2-19
Dublin 1-06
Tipperary sharpshooter Cáit Devane shot her side to a comfortable win this evening over Dublin in the Glen Dimplex Senior All Ireland Camogie Championship.
The Clonoulty Rossmore player hit the back of the net in both halves to finish top scorer in the game with a scoring total of 2-06.
It was a bad day at the office for Dublin and the game was all but over by half-time with Tipperary leading 1-12 to 0-02 and the Dubs struggling to contain the slick passing and off the shoulder running of the home side.
Besides the result it was also a bad day on the injury front for Dublin. The second half was delayed by half and hour waiting on an ambulance for Zoe Couch who suffered a serious head injury.
Issy Davis who returned to the squad in recent weeks after suffering a serious knee injury last season was introduced early in the second half, but just nine minutes later Davis had to replaced with what looked like another serious injury to the same knee with the player inconsolable leaving the pitch.
Tipperary hit the ground running from the throw-in and led by four points after just three minutes, a Casey Hennessy point was followed by the opening goal of the game from Cait Devane who made no mistake in front of the posts with a clinical finish.
An Aisling Maher converted free in the fourth minute secured the first score of the game for Dublin. But Tipperary fired unanswered 0-10 to grab full control of the game, with four successful dead ball strikes from Eimear McGrath, three excellent points from Grace O’Brien and a point apiece from Roisín Howard, Casey Hennessy and Cait Devane.
Dublin’s Grace O’Shea scored a fine point from left for the Sky Blues second point of the half but an Eimear Heffernan point just before the break left the score 1-12 to 0-02 at half-time.
The long delay to the start of the second half led to a more subdued second thirty plus minutes. One positive though that Dublin can take from the second half is that they were more competitive.
Tipperary won the throw-in after the break and powered straight down the centre of the Dublin defence and they were denied a certain goal thanks to a last ditch block with diverted the ball for a 45’ which Eimear McGrath converted.
Dublin hit a little bit of a scoring purple patch with three points in a row, two from Aisling Maher, one from a free and the other a fine point from play and Ashling O’Neill split the post from the right to reduce the deficit.
Tipp hit back with two points in as many minutes from a Cait Devane free and a one from play from Grace O’Brien to halt the Dublin fight back.
Devane knocked over another free with two minutes left in the game, but a minute later Aisling Maher probably Dublin’s best player today blasted the ball to the net to put a more respectable look to the scoreboard and then added a point from play.
But it was the Cait Devane show till the final whistle with the centre forward hitting 1-03 in the final minutes to secure a sixteen point win for Tipperary.
Scorers – Tipperary – Cáit Devane 2-06 (4f), Eimear McGrath 0-05 (3f, 2 45’), Grace O’Brien 0-03, Casey Hennessy 0-02, Eimear Heffernan 0-02, Roisin Howard 0-01 – Dublin – Aisling Maher 1-04 (2f), Grace O’Shea 0-01, Ashling O’Neill 0-01.
Tipperary: Caoimhe Bourke, Julieanne Bourke, Clodagh Quirke, Eimear Loughman, Karin Blair, Karen Kennedy, Aoife McGrath, Teresa Ryan, Casey Hennessy, Roisín Howard, Caoimhe Maher, Eimear McGrath, Grace O’Brien, Cait Devane, Eimear Heffernan.
Tipperary Subs: Clodagh McIntyre for Eimear Heffernan (43), Mairead Eviston for Clodagh Quirke (52), Caoimhe McCarthy for Eimear McGrath (52), Niamh Treacy for Caoimhe Maher (54), Mary Ryan for Aoife McGrath.
Dublin: Éabha Mooney, Abby Ryan, Orla Gray, Zoe Couch, Claire Gannon, Eve O’Brien, Hannah O’Dea, Muireann Kelliher, Gaby Couch, Leah Butler, Elyse Jamieson Murphy, Ashling Gannon, Grace O’Shea, Ashling O’Neill, Aisling Maher.
Dublin Subs: Aoife Heffernan for Elyse Jamieson Murphy (28), Christine Shanahan (HT), Jody Couch for Orla Gray (HT), Issy Davis for Hannah O’Dea (38), Jennifer Moore for Issy Davis (47).
