Cahir hold their nerve to claim Senior crown

Tipperary LGFA Camida Senior Championship Final

Cahir 2-10
Moyle Rovers 0-13

Two first-half goals proved decisive as Cahir survived a tremendous second-half challenge from Moyle Rovers to capture the Tipperary LGFA Camida Senior Championship title on a 2-10 to 0-13 scoreline.

Cahir looked to have put themselves firmly in command when Niamh Costigan and Shannon Morrissey found the net during a decisive spell in the opening half, but there was no shaking off a determined Moyle Rovers side.

Inspired by the excellent Kirsty Crotty-Ryan, who finished with ten points, Moyle Rovers steadily ate into the Cahir advantage and had reduced the margin to the bare minimum entering the closing stages.

It was there that Cahir showed their composure. Leah Flannery landed two hugely important late scores to finally give them some breathing room and seal a hard-earned three-point victory.

Cahir were quickly into their stride and opened the scoring through a Róisín Howard free after little more than a minute. Aoife Corcoran followed with another placed ball before Howard was on target from play to give Cahir a 0-3 to 0-0 advantage inside five minutes.

Hazel Brennan finally got Moyle Rovers moving with a well-taken point from play, but Cahir restored their three-point advantage shortly afterwards and led 0-4 to 0-1.

Moyle Rovers gradually settled into the contest, however, and Crotty-Ryan began to make her presence felt in the Cahir defence.

She converted a free in the 13th minute and then struck twice from play in quick succession. Her second point from play drew the sides level at 0-4 apiece after 16 minutes and suddenly the early Cahir momentum had been wiped out.

Cahir's response was emphatic.

Just over a minute later, Niamh Costigan broke through for the game's opening goal, giving Cahir a 1-4 to 0-4 advantage.

Crotty-Ryan answered from a free, but Costigan was again involved at the other end when she added a point from play to leave three between the teams.

The defining moment of the half arrived in the 24th minute when Cahir were awarded a penalty.

Shannon Morrissey stepped forward and made no mistake, sending the ball to the net to suddenly push Cahir 2-5 to 0-5 clear.

Leah Flannery followed almost immediately with another point and, after the sides had been level less than ten minutes earlier, Cahir had opened up a seven-point advantage.

Moyle Rovers badly needed a response and they produced one.

Rather than allowing Cahir to pull away, they enjoyed the better of the closing stages of the opening half and reduced the deficit, with Cahir taking a 2-6 to 0-8 advantage into the interval.

There was a much different feel to the contest after the restart.

Moyle Rovers were now asking serious questions of Cahir and Crotty-Ryan continued to punish any indiscretions within scoring range.

Róisín Howard struck from play for Cahir to move them 2-7 to 0-9 ahead, but two Crotty-Ryan frees brought Moyle Rovers back to within two points at 2-7 to 0-11.

Suddenly the final was very much in the melting pot.

Cahir were finding scores increasingly difficult to come by as Moyle Rovers continued to apply pressure, but Flannery provided an important response with a converted free in the 54th minute.

Again Moyle Rovers came back.

Crotty-Ryan registered her tenth point of an outstanding individual display from play to reduce the deficit to just one, 2-8 to 0-13, with the contest entering its decisive stages.

Having seen a commanding first-half lead whittled down to the minimum, Cahir now faced their biggest test of the afternoon.

They passed it.

Flannery came to the fore when her side needed her most, firing over from play in the 62nd minute to put two between the teams before following with another point from a free shortly afterwards.

That left Cahir 2-10 to 0-13 ahead and, for the first time in several minutes, gave them some valuable breathing space.

Moyle Rovers continued to search for the scores that might rescue the game, with Brennan having a late effort drift wide, but Cahir held firm through the remaining minutes.

The final whistle eventually sounded after a lengthy period of stoppage time, confirming a 2-10 to 0-13 victory and the Senior Championship title for Cahir.

There was no doubting the importance of Cahir's two goals. Costigan contributed 1-1 while Morrissey's penalty provided their second major, and those scores gave Cahir the platform on which the victory was ultimately built.

Flannery finished with four points, two from play and two frees, while Howard contributed three points as Cahir found scores from a number of sources.
For Moyle Rovers, Crotty-Ryan was outstanding and finished with 0-10, four from play and six from frees, as she almost inspired a remarkable comeback.

Moyle Rovers will undoubtedly reflect on a performance which saw them outscore Cahir by 13 points to ten, but on county final day goals so often prove decisive.

Cahir got two of them, withstood everything Moyle Rovers threw at them in the second half and, when the pressure was at its greatest, found the late scores required to bring the Senior Championship title home.

Scorers — Cahir: Niamh Costigan 1-1, Shannon Morrissey 1-0 (pen), Leah Flannery 0-4 (2f), Róisín Howard 0-3 (1f), Aoife Corcoran 0-1 (f), Cahir 0-1.

Moyle Rovers: Kirsty Crotty-Ryan 0-10 (6f), Hazel Brennan 0-1, Moyle Rovers 0-2.