Dublin Seniors 2-19
Senior Dub Stars 1-12
The second Dub Stars game to be decided on Tuesday was the Senior one and it was a thriller from start to finish. It was the first match in charge for new Dublin Senior Camogie manager David Herity and he will have been very happy with the skill and fitness levels on show yesterday.
The game started at a frenetic pace as the players from both sides played as if they were competing for the All Ireland title.
Dublin corner forward Siobhan Kehoe hit an excellent point a minute and a half into the game to start the scoring but the sides were level two minutes later with a fine point from Ellen McGovern for the Dub Stars.
The Dublin Seniors went back in front seconds later from an Ali Maguire point and in the seventh minute they extended that lead to four points when Eimear O’Leary, who won the player of the match award, found the back of the net to score the opening goal of the game.
Back came the Dub Stars and reduced it to a one score game with a point from midfielder Alex Griffin. A 45 from Ali Maguire pushed Dublin’s lead back out to four with game at this stage a real battle particularly around the middle third of the pitch.
The Dub Stars then hit a purple patch and hit three points on the bounce, two from open play scored by Louise O’Hara and Aine Fanning and sandwiched inbetween a well taken free from Emma Flanagan.
The back and fourth nature of the contest continued, with ten minutes left in the half Dublin’s Ali Maguire scored from a free, back came the Dub Stars with an excellent point from Ellen McGovern. The resultant puck-out was quickly taken keeping in line with the phenomenal pace the game was being played at, Dublin’s Leah Butler picked up a loose ball and broke forward and slotted the ball straight over the black spot.
Less than a minute later and Dub Stars midfielder Roisin MacLoughlin hit a beauty to leave the bare minimum between the sides again. But two quickfire points in as many minutes from Ali Twomey and Siobhan Kehoe gave David Herity’s Dublin side a little breathing space.
The last two scores of the half were left to both sides dead ball specialists, with Emma Flanagan scoring for the Dub Stars and Dublin’s Ali Maguire in the closing seconds hitting over a 45 to make sure her side went into the break with a three point lead with the score 1-08 to 0-08.
After such a competitive, high paced and physical encounter in the first half, the players would have been forgiven if that intensity dropped a little in the second period, but it didn’t, which was a testament to the players fitness levels.
Dublin’s lead was cut to two points five minutes into the second half courtesy of a cracking score from Aine Fanning. Two minutes later and Arleen Cushen broke forward to get on the end of a sweeping Dublin move and hit a great point.
A minute later and it was game on as the Dub Stars drew level, midfielder Alex Griffin who had an excellent game powered through a couple of tackles and unleashed an unstoppable shot to the back of the net.
If that was the spark to push the Dub Stars on it was quickly extinguished by the Dublin Seniors who hit four unanswered points, all from open play in an eight minute spell scored by Sarah O’Donovan, Ali Twomey, Doireann O’Mahony and Ali Maguire.
It was starting to look ominous for the Dub Stars but the lively Sinead Nolan pulled a point back for them to once again leave just a score between the teams.
At this stage though the Dublin Seniors were flying and really imposing their will on the game. Again they blitzed the Dub Stars with three points in a row in as many minutes, two from open play from Eimear O’Leary and Doireann O’Mahony and the other another pinpoint accurate free from Ali Maguire.
And it was the Dublin Seniors who finished the game stronger and out scored the Dub Stars by 1-03 to 0-02 in the final nine minutes. The Dub Stars points came from Emma Flanagan and Ellen McGovern, with the Dublin Senior points scored by Eimear O’Leary and Leah Butler from open play and the other yet another Ali Maguire free.
Just to show how relentless the Dublin Seniors were, particularly in the closing stages, just before the final and with the game all but won Dublin’s Aisling Maher chased after a long through ball and her determination was rewarded when she got her hurl to ball just before the on rushing Dub Stars keeper Faye McCarthy and Aisling hit the ball through the keepers legs and into the back of the net to cap off a deserved victory.
Dublin Senior Scorers:
11. Ali Maguire 0-07 (5f)
14. Eimear O’Leary 1-02
15. Ashling Maher 1-00
13. Siobhan Kehoe 0-02
5. Leah Butler 0-02
10. Ali Twomey 0-02
8. Doireann O’Mahony 0-02
4. Arleen Cushen 0-01
9. Sarah O’Donovan 0-01
Senior Dub Stars Scorers:
8. Alex Griffin 1-01
11. Ellen McGovern 0-03
15. Emma Flanagan 0-03 (2f)
10. Aine Fanning 0-02
9. Roisin MacLoughlin 0-01
13. Sinead Nolan 0-01
14. Louise O’Hara 0-01
Dublin Senior Camogie Panel:
1. Grainne Quinn
2. Aine Woods
3. Eve O’Brien
12. Megan Lewis
4. Arleen Cushen
6. Laura Twomey
7. Eva Marie Elliott
8. Doireann O’Mahony
5. Leah Butler
10. Ali Twomey
11. Ali Maguire
9. Sarah O’Donovan
13. Siobhan Kehoe
14. Eimear O’Leary
15. Aisling Maher
Senior Dub Stars Panel:
1. Faye McCarthy
7. Emma Young
3. Ali Breen
4. Aoife Dowdell
5. Miriam Twomey
14. Louise O’Hara
20. Ashling Carolan
8. Alex Griffin
9. Roisin MacLoughlin
10. Aine Fanning
11. Ellen MCGovern
12. Aoife Halpin
13. Sinead Nolan
16. Niamh Kirby
15. Emma Flanagan
