Lismore are 60 Minutes from All-Ireland Spot

Last weekend was a big and memorable one for one end of the Parish of Lismore and Ballysaggart, after the Ballysaggart junior hurlers qualified for this years All-Ireland Junior Club hurling final, and it could well prove to be an equally as big and memorable one for the other end of the Parish this weekend as the Lismore Camogie team take on Liatroim Fonetenoys in the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie semi final at Kinnegad in Co Westmeath.

This will be Lismore’s third time at this stage of the championship, but their two previous attempts to advance to the next stage of the competition went against them, but there is a hope that the side in black and yellow shirts will make it third time lucky this weekend.

Lismore while little will be known of their opponents this weekend will know that they cannot be underestimated as to reach this stage of the competition you have to be a good team.

The Down side reached the All-Ireland semi finals after they beat Tyrone side Eglish in the Ulster Final back in the autumn of 2013.

Eglish had beaten the Down side in a three team Round Robin competition some weeks earlier and it looked for much of the Ulster Final as though that they would do the same second time around, but the Down side came from behind with two late goals to defeat the Tyrone side by three points.

In the final, Eglish played the better Camogie in the opening half, but at the break they only led a doggish Liatroim Fonetenoys side by a single point.

The Tyrone girls in the second half opened up a five point advantage when Julie Langan hit a goal, but the Down side refused to throw in the towel.

And refusing to throw in the towel was to pay off as a goal from full forward Grainne Kelly was to inspire a terrific comeback for the Down side and when the side hit a second goal shortly afterwards, there was only going to be one winner of the game, Liatroim Fonetenoys going on to win the game 2-5 to 1-5.

For Lismore, their run to Sunday’s game was equally as impressive.

Right throughout 2013 they looked very impressive.

The League final won in 2012 was retained in May, beating great rivals Saint Anne’s by a point in a very exciting finish.

When the championship came around later in the year, it was no surprise that they reached the knockout stages of the championship.

In the semi finals they accounted for Galltir who put it up to Lismore in the first half, but in the second half Lismore’s greater experience was to show.

In the county final it was Saint Anne’s that provided the opposition at Lemybrien.

In the first half it was Saint Anne’s who won the title twelve months earlier that had the better of the opening half.

Lismore in that game were first off the mark with an Aoife Hannon point, however four points off the stick of Karen Kelly soon had the 2012 champions three points in front.

Aoife Hannon and Caithriona McGlone responded with points for Lismore, but two points from Karen Kelly soon had Saint Anne’s putting daylight between the sides.

Lismore were refusing to throw in the towel and points from Aoife Hannon and Shona Curran soon had Lismore within touching distance of Saint Anne’s but the impressive Karen Kelly was to follow up with another point for Saint Anne’s.

Team Captain put Lismore in front late in the first half when she finished to the net, but a brace of scores from Inter county duo Karen Kelly and Zoe O’Donoghue with Aoife Hannon responding with a point had Saint Anne’s leading 0-11 to 1-6 at the break.

Lismore at the break made changes and the second half was only moments old when they began to pay off.

Laura Buckley won the ball and laid it off to Sinead Bennett who struck a second Lismore goal to give Lismore the lead, one that they did not loose.

Johanna Houlihan and Aoife Hannon stuck points for Lismore to give them a three point cushion and Aoife Hannon put over three frees to further stretch that lead.

Saint Anne’s struck back with four scores in a row, three from Karen Kelly and one from Sinead Cummins to reduce Lismore’s lead.

However, before the hour mark, Lismore were able to tag of scores through Aoife Hannon and Johanna Houlihan to help their side to a 2-15 to 0-15 victory.

For the Munster semi final, Lismore had to travel to Carrigaline to play the Cork Intermediate Champions on their home sod.

Making the journey across the county boundary, Lismore knew this game was always going to be a tough encounter, as nothing is ever won against Cork Opposition playing on home soil.

The home side got off to a good start with a converted Rachel O’Shea point with Lismore’s ace free taker Aoife Hannon put over two inside a minute to give her side a one point advantage with eleven minutes on the clock, a lead that was stretched two minutes later after some good work by Ruth Geoghegan saw the livewire forward put the ball between the uprights.

The Cork side were to come storming back hitting 1-1 which handed the initiative to the home side.

Both sides continued to trade scores for the remainder of the opening half but Lismore retired at the break trailing 1-4 to 0-6.

Aoife Hannon and Rachel O’Shea traded scores in the opening minutes of the second half before potential disaster struck to Lismore when they lost Aoife Hannon with an injury which required her to be transferred to hospital for treatment.

Lismore however raised their game after Aoife Hannon was replaced. Shona Curran who took over free taking duties dropped a long range free in front of the home side’s goal and when Caitriona McGlone reacted fastest she finished to the net.

The goal gave Lismore much confidence and they were able to add further scores from Shona Curran and Caitriona McGlone to give Lismore a much deserved 1-10 to 1-6 victory and a place in the Munster Final.

Clare side Newmarket-on-Fergus provided the opposition for Lismore in Latten-Cullen.

Weather conditions on the day of the final were far from ideal for good camogie to be played, but non-the-less both sides battled hard and in the end a draw was possibly the fairest result over all.

The Clare side were possibly the better team on the day and had they won, few would have complained.

They got off to a terrific start when Jenny Kelly beat Aisling O’Brien in the Lismore goal with only three minutes played. They extended their lead two minutes later courtesy of an Áine O’Brien free but it was cancelled out moments later by Aoife Hannon.

The signs were not looking good for Lismore when the Clare side went five points up after Ruth Kaiser and Deirdre Cassidy landed points, but Lismore showed their class by coming right back into contention.

Caitriona McGlone hit 1-1 for Lismore and Johanna Houlihan and Aoife Hannon landed points to lock the scoring a 1-3 a piece at the break.

The Clare side began the second half as they did the first. Áine O’Brien landed a brace of frees before Carol Kaiser struck for a second Newmarket-on-Fergus goal to give her side a five point lead.

Aoife Hannon and Deirdre Cassidy swapped points but Lismore refused to throw in the towel and in fact finished the game the stronger of the two sides.

Lismore hit points from Aoife Hannon and Shona Curran before Ruth Geoghegan struck an all important second Lismore goal to level matters on the score board.

When Áine O’Brien and Jenny Kelly landed points for the Clare side it looked as though they were going to win the game, but Nicola Morrissey landed a brace of points for Lismore to send the game to extra time.

Playing conditions were worsening with every passing minute meaning that it was going to be difficult for the thirty players on the field in extra time.

In the first half of extra time, Lismore went into the lead when Nicola Morrissey and Caitriona McGlone landed points, but prior to the break Áine O’Brien and Ruth Kaiser landed points to level matters once more.

It was no surprise with both sides tiring on a heavy field, that in the second half no further scores were hit so the two sides had to do it all over again.

In the replay a week later, Aisling O’Brien was the Lismore hero.

Lismore went into the replay as the underdog. The Clare side could have won the game in normal time a week earlier when a probing ball was sent in around the Lismore goal, but the Lismore defence which is outstanding since the competition began were able to cope with it and brought the ball out to safety.

A week earlier it was the Clare side that got off to a good start but this time it was Lismore that had the better start.

Johanna Houlihan put over an early point. Catriona McGlone extended the lead but two points from Áine O’Brien meant that the sides were locked together on the scoreboard after eleven minutes.

Aoife Hannon gave Lismore a two point lead when she put over a brace of frees, before the sides net minder began to show her class between the posts.

On the day if there is a word other than brilliant to describe the performance of Aisling O’Brien, please feel free to use it.

She won the Player of the Match Award in this game and nobody could have put up a better case for anyone else other than for Aisling O’Brien.

On the day she pulled off a number of suburb saves which ensured that her side never fell behind.

The first of these saves were pulled off eight minutes before the break when she denied the Clare girls a goal, putting the ball out for a ’45 which Áine O’Brien put over for a point.

Moments after pulling off the first of her great saves, Aisling O’Brien pulled off another fantastic save. This time the ball stayed in play and Lismore straight away sent the ball down field where Ruth Geoghegan won her side a free which Aoife Hannon put over the crossbar and moments later she added another which gave her side a 0-6 to 0-3 lead at the break.

The second half began with Aisling O’Brien showing that he did not loose any concentration during the break as she pulled off another top class save again putting the ball out for a ’45 which the Clare side converted.

Newmarket-on-Fergus were now begging to panic and continued to go for goals but were unable to break down the Lismore defence. Had they gone for points would the game have a different outcome?

Aoife Hannon pointed twice midway through the second half to extend Lismore’s lead to four and they were looking good to advance to this weekends clash.

The Clare side did manage to pull a point back through Aimee McInerney, but it was too little too late. Lismore held out for a 0-8 to 0-5 victory to capture a third Munster title.

Since that game, Lismore have worked very hard. A short time off was given off to the players after the win but they were back training over the Christmas period.

There is an unbelievable commitment within the panel. The panel showed this when they trained on Saint Stephen’s morning, a morning that most know very little about.

They have played a number of challenge games against Cork opposition since the Munster Final which helped get rid of any rustiness that may be in the team after the win in Latten-Cullen.

Training is going well over the past few weeks and the word coming from Lismore is that everything is going to plan.

First team players that missed games towards the end of 2013 are all back, meaning that the likes of Laura Buckley, Grainne Kenneally and Ruth Geoghegan etc. are all fighting hard for a place in the starting team.

No Waterford side have won a Club Camogie Final in the past. Lismore’s great rivals Saint Anne’s went closest. They are well equipped to win this game, but it won’t be easy.

With one side from the Parish already into an All-Ireland final, the ladies of Lismore and Ballysaggart will want to show that what the men of the area can do, the ladies can do as well.