Aisling O’Brien inspires Lismore to Munster Final Glory

Lismore are sixty minutes away from becoming only the second Waterford Club to reach an All-Ireland Camogie Club final after they beat Clare Champions Newmarket-on-Fergus in the Recent Munster Intermediate Final replay at Latten-Cullen in Co Tipperary.

Saint Anne’s were to this point Waterford’s only side to contest an All-Ireland Final. That came in 2009 when they took on Down Champions Leavey at Ashbourne.

On that occasion, the Laurels when to the northern side on a 1-13 to 0-7, but only at the second attempt to find a winner as the two sides drew 1-11 to 1-11 after extra time a week earlier.

Lismore went into last weekends game as the underdog. In the drawn game a week earlier at the same venue, the Clare side were somewhat unlucky not to have snatched victory before the game went to extra time as free dropped short of the target in the dying moments of the game and Lismore were able to clear the danger.

Both sides for the game made one change to the side which played a week earlier. Sharon McMahon came into the Newmarket-on-Fergus for the injured Joanne Walsh while Sarah Fenton came in at wing back for Sinead Walsh in the Lismore team.

Lismore knew from the off that to beat the Clare side was not going to be an easy task.

Newmarket-on-Fergus in their previous six games had clocked up sixteen goals and sixty-nine points on the scoreboard. Jenny Kelly hit 4-11 of this total, Áine O’Brien hit 1-21 and Carol Kaiser hit 3-5, meaning a close eye would have to be kept on the three-o. At the other end of the field in the same six matches Newmarket-on-Fergus conceded 7-48 meaning Lismore were always in with a shout.

Lismore would also be aware that if they put in a disciplined performance in their own half of the field their chances of winning would be increased as the majority of Áine O’Brien’s scores came from placed balls.

In the drawn game, it was Newmarket-on-Fergus that got off to the better start, but this time around it was Lismore that had a flying start as Johanna Houlihan put over an early point.

Caithriona McGlone extended Lismore’s lead with another point on eight minutes, but two Áine O’Brien free’s had the side level after eleven minutes.

Lismore however wasted no time in responding and a brace of Aoife Hannon free’s resulted in the umpire reaching for a white flag on both occasions which gave Lismore a two point cushion.

On the day, the performance of no player could be faulted, as each gave it their all from the first whistle till the last, but there was one stand out performance.

Anybody that knows me will know that that I like to see good players come through from a young age and to follow their progress through the years.

For 15 years, I worked at a local national school and for much of this time was also involved with Bord na nÓg. In both capacities I attended many school league games and tournaments and would have spotted some excellent prospects.

The names of Thomas Ryan, Jamie Nagle, Maurice Shanahan, Brian O’Halloran were know to me a lot longer that they would be to hurling supporters in general within the county and it always gave me great please to see them play. However, for me one name always stood out.

That player was Aisling O’Brien, who for a number of years played in goal for Aglish in the School hurling leagues.

In games of this standard to me, it was always someone very brave or someone that can easily be talked into something easily that ended up between the posts, as at times children can be very hurtful with what they say to each other, and if the ball was to pass a goal-keeper some extremely hurtful things could be said to them. The reason – when a goal goes in it was always the goalkeepers fault and the outfield players played no part in it going in, something we all know is not correct.

Playing in goals you also ran the risk of picking up an injury. These games were often played with a very light sliotar and a very good young player was able to strike these balls with some speed meaning that if it hit you, it was going to hurt.

In the games I would have seen Aisling play, she was always very difficult to beat, even by the best of players, who of course would often claim afterwards that they were ‘taking it easy because she was a girl’.

Of course these were only excuses. She was good, difficult to beat, something that can still be said of her over a decade later.

On Saturday last she was judged to be to be the player of the game and was a worthy winner of the accolade, pulling off a string of excellent saves to keep her side from never falling behind.

The first of these saves was on twenty-two minutes when she did well to put the ball out for a forty-five which Áine O’Brien converted to leave one between the sides.

Lismore however were to finish the half the stronger of the two sides. Moments after Áine O’Brien pointed for Newmarket-on-Fergus, Aisling O’Brien made another good save and from this Lismore attacked up field and won a free when Ruth Geoghegan was fouled and from the free Aoife Hannon made no mistake, and just before the break the same player put over a forty-five to give Lismore a 0-6 to 0-3 at the turn around.

The second half began with Aisling O’Brien making another excellent save but from the resulting forty-five Áine O’Brien converted.

Newmarket-on-Fergus tried hard to eat into the Lismore lead, but they forgot the old saying ‘go for your points and the goals will come’. Going for goals proved pointless for the Clare side as no matter what they tried they could not beat the outstanding Aisling O’Brien.

Two Aoife Hannon points either side of the three-quarter stage mark in the game helped extend Lismore’s lead to four points with time ticking down.

Aimee McInerney did manage to pull a point back for Newmarket-on-Fergus near the end, but was to prove to be a mere consolation score as Lismore ran out winners on a 0-8 to 0-5 score-line.

Lismore can now enjoy a few weeks off the heavy training. Some work to keep the side ticking over could well be done till the New Year before the hard work starts all over again.

In the All-Ireland semi final they will play Ulster Champions Liatoim Fontenoys fro Down who recently beat Eglish from Tyrone in the Ulster Final. The game will take place on the first weekend of February, the same weekend Four Roads fro Roscommon will play __ in the second semi final, with the All-Ireland final pencilled in to take place the first weekend of March.

Lismore: Aisling O Brien; Sarah Coughlan, Shauna Prendergast, Sandra Prendergast; Aoife Houlihan, Shauna Kiernan, Sarah Fenton; Marie Russell, Shona Curran; Laura Buckley, Nicola Morrissey, Aoife Hannon; Johanna Houlihan, Caithriona McGlone, Ruth Geoghegan. Sub: Sinead Walsh for Ruth Geoghegan (57 mins)

Scorers: Aoife Hannon 0-6 (5 frees, 1 ‘45), Johanna Houlihan, Caithriona McGlone 0-1 each

Newmarket on Fergus: Erica Minouge; Jane O Leary, Laura McMahon, Aoife Griffin; Aimee McInerney, Roisin McMahon, Carol O Leary; Ruth Kaiser, Aine O Brien; Deirdre Cassidy, Niki Kaiser, Sharon McMahon; Annmarie Hayes, Jenny Kelly, Carol Kaiser. Sub: Rachel Mulcaire for Sharon McMahon (45 mins).

Scorers: Aine O Brien 0-04 (3 frees. 1’45), Aimee McInerney 0-01.
Referee: Mike O Kelly (Cork)