GaillChear for All-Ireland Champions

What a difference twelve months can make. On the first Sunday of March in 2019 Gailltir’s senior Camogie team were in Croke Park for the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Final where they came up against Down Champions Clonduff. On a freezing cold day where Gailltir net minder Ciara Jackman was photographed holding a hot water bottle to try and keep warm while the action was at the other end of the field, the side in sky blue and navy made the journey back to Waterford and its outskirts a disappointed side having lost 0-10 to 0-9, the most cruel of losing margins to lose a game.

On the first Sunday of March in 2020 Gailltir were back in Croke Park for the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Final, this time the opposition was Offaly side Saint Rynagh’s, the side they beat in last year’s semi final. After beating last year’s winners in the penultimate round of fixtures in this year’s championship, the Barony Ladies travelled to G.A.A. Head Quarters in a confident mood but still very much respecting the side that they were about to face.

Played in front of an attendance of 3,705 this was a game that went to the wire. It is fair to assume that many in that attendance were there to see the Senior Final between Sarsfields and Slaughtneil; the only losers in this game were those that may not have entered the ground to see both games. Traditionally on All-Ireland Final day many people stay away from the curtain raiser to the main game of the day or come in late as this game proved to be a much more enjoyable game to the one which followed with a great amount of skill from both side’s on show.

The Ladies from the Barony made a great start to this game and found themselves 0-5 to 0-1 in front with 18 minutes played while playing with the wind at their backs. By the break the Offaly side had cut Gailltir’s early lead marginally and despite conceding the first score of the second half The Saint’s by the 42 minute of this game were two points in front and looking good for a first All-Ireland win at this level.

However, Gailltir refused to give up and were able to call on their experience gained in recent years playing at different levels and they were to reap the rewards of not giving up hitting 1-1 in stoppage time at the end of the hour to win this game courtesy of the only goal of the game.

Gailltir were first on the score sheet in this game which was played at sunny but windy conditions at G.A.A. Head-quarters when playing into an empty Hill 16 end of the ground Ciara O’Sullivan shot over the head of Ellen Gilligan in the Saint Rynagh’s goal, but the Offaly side were soon on level terms with their brilliant teenage star Kate Kenny shot over at the other end three minutes later.

Ciara O’Connell picked up an early yellow card for the Midlander’s and from the resulting free Annie Fitzgerald who top scored for the Sky Blues over the course of the championship made no mistake and when her cousin Aoife Fitzgerald pointed it was starting to look good for Gailltir.

Gailltir have a nice blend of youth and experience in their set up. Much is spoke of the young up and coming players in the club and rightly so, but the importance of experience players like Trish Jackman, Margo Heffernan, Emma Roche and Áine Lyng cannot be spelt out enough, and it was Áine Lyng who captained this year’s side who shot over the next score for the Sky Blues and then followed up with another to put her side 0-5 to 0-1 in front with 18 minutes played.

The Offaly side came more into the game after this and were to make it a three point game when Siobhan Flannery put over her first of the game on 19 minutes. Aoife Fitzgerald and Anne Corcoran followed up with scores for the side in Sky Blue with four minutes of the half remaining, but the side in Royal Blue would finish the opening half strongly with points from Siobhan Flannery and centre back Linda Sullivan to send the sides to the dressing rooms with Gailltir holding a much deserved 0-7 to 0-4 lead.

The second half started as the first half did with an early score from Ciara O’Sullivan to stretch her side’s lead to four, but over the following minutes it was the Offaly side that proved to be the more economical in front of goal.

Siobhan Flannery put over a free to reduce the defecate between the sides and when Kate Kenny put over a brace of score’s and Flannery scored again the sides were level at eight points each after 40 minutes.

Siobhan Flannery was punishing Gailltir for any frees given away and on 42 minutes she pointed again to give her side the lead for the first time. Gailltir scored for the first time in 13 minutes when Annie Fitzgerald once more split the posts and it was followed up with scores from Shauna Fitzgerald and other from Annie Fitzgerald to give Gailltir a 0-11 to 0-10 lead with 52 minutes played.

A side can never say they are in a good position to win till the final whistle is sounded or at least they are out of sight of their opponents, and after Annie Fitzgerald got her third score of the game the Offaly side hit back with a quick-fire double from Gráinne Dolan and Siobhan Flannery to take the lead once more with seven minutes remaining.

Annie Fitzgerald leveled matters with four minutes remaining of the hour to be played but within sixty seconds the Offaly side had gone back in front when Siobhán Flannery got her seventh score of the afternoon and their surly were some in their camp believing that it was going to be their day and they would gain revenge for last year’s All-Ireland semi final loss to the same opposition.

But Gailltir were not going to throw in the towel without a fight. There was no way that they were going to make that journey down the M9 without Agnes O’Farrelly with them.

Deep in added time at the end of the hour when Gailltir won a free under the Cusack Stand no side would want anyone other than seven time All-Ireland Púc Fada champions Trish Jackman to stand over it. Her effort driven with precision landed in the danger zone was won by Shauna Fitzgerald surrounded by a number of Royal Blue shirts managed to pick out Una Jackman who let fly into the roof of the Saint Rynagh’s net putting her side into a two point lead.  

And before the roars of the Gailltir players had died down Gailltir won another free which Trish Jackman once more stood over and this time her effort did not fall short as it sailed over the crossbar at the Canal End of Croke Park to secure the win for Gailltir becoming only the second Waterford Club side to win at Croke Park on All-Ireland Final Day.  

Gailltír: Ciara Jackman; Leah Sheridan, Margo Heffernan, Hannah Flynn; Emma Roche, Clodagh Carroll, Trish Jackman; Katie Lynch, Shauna Fitzgerald; Ciara O’Sullivan, Áine Lyng, Annie Fitzgerald; Anne Corcoran, Aoife Fitzgerald, Emer Walsh

Subs:  Claire Dunne for Margo Heffernan (46), Úna Jackman for Emer Walsh (50).

SCORERS: Annie Fitzgerald 0-4(4fs); Una Jackman 1-0; Aoife Fitzgerald, A Lyng, Ciara O’Sullivan 0-2 each, Anne Corcoran, Shauna Fitzgerald, Trish Jackman (f) 0-1 each

St Rynagh’s: Ellen Gilligan; Róisín Daly, Elaine Sullivan, Sinéad Moran; Ciara O’Connell, Linda Sullivan, Emma Corcoran; Helen Dolan, Róisín Egan; Aoife McLoughlin, Sinéad Hanamy, Gráinne Dolan; Louise Mannion, Siobhán Flannery, Kate Kenny

Subs: Trish Nugent for Ciara O’Connell (21), Claire Dunne for Áine Lyng (62)

Scorers: Siobhán Flannery 0-7, (7f), Kate Kenny 0-4, Linda Sullivan and Gráinne Dolan 0-1 each.

Referee: Owen Elliot (Antrim).

Remainder of Gailltir Panel: Elena Gallagher, Áine O’Keeffe, Emily Mahony, Róisín Flood, Sorcha Cantwell, Clodagh Hoctor, Emma Flynn, Jodie Tuohy and Sarah Maher.

Management Team and Background team: Orla Murphy (Manager), Gail O’Sullivan, Andy Moloney, Catherine Whitty, Sally O’Grady, Denise Ferguson, Oisin Breathnach, Paul Lyng, Colin Kehoe and Edel Forrest.