CAMOGS ENJOY OFFALY GOOD FINISH

Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie relegation final Down 1-12 Offaly 0-6 DOWN may not have fulfilled the third of the three objectives set at the start of the season, but team manager Paul Donnelly nevertheless remains proud of their achievements after watching them dominate Offaly in this Glen Dimplex relegation final in Abbottstown on Saturday. “We set three objectives at the start of the season,” he said. “We wanted to maintain our Division 1 league status and we achieved that. “We wanted to win back the Ulster title and we did that. “Our third objective was to reach the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland. “We didn’t make it with that one, but we are happy enough today that we can get another crack at a senior quarter-final next season. “The championship draw was a difficult one for us,” admits the St Paul’s Belfast clubman. “But when we saw it, we decided that we had to knuckle down, work hard and put our best foot forward. I think we did that in every single game we played. “In every game from February onwards, there were certain phases of the game where we were pretty dominant, even against the teams who were in contention for the big prizes. “Our job in Down is to build and develop the players coming through to be the best they can be and that is what we believe we are doing. “I want to pay credit to the management team as a whole, to Teresa (Carr) and the county board for the support they have given us and also to our sponsors, the Downpatrickbased CM Precision Components. “I am very proud of the 28 girls we have had since the start of the year, but particularly proud of the job we did today in terrible conditions. We performed wonderfully and there was no chance of Offaly beating us.” He paid a special tribute to goalie Catherine McGourty who has been in a Down senior squad since 1999 when she came in as a U-16 player. “Today was Catherine’s last game for Down and we are all very emotional about that. She has been a wonderful servant outfield and then in latter years as a goalkeeper. “What an organiser of the defence, a real leader in every sense.” It was appropriate that McGourty should keep a clean sheet in her final outing, indeed the Ballycran player didn’t have a serious shot to trouble her throughout the game, with her defence on their toes and dominating the Offaly forwards. It took fully ten minutes before they managed to get the sliotar inside the Down 45 metres line, a move that resulted in a free that Clodagh Leahy stroked over. Down, by that stage, were already three points to the good as well as dropping four shots short and hitting five wides. But they were totally in charge of the game. Niamh Mallon posted her third score from play in response to the Leahy point and then, in the 15th minute, was involved in an intricate passing move with Sara Louise Graffin that sent the Clonduff forward in for the opening goal, a rasping drive from 15 metres out. The game was safe after that goal; you just knew that Offaly couldn’t match Down’s determination and physical presence in one-on-one situations. The Mourne girls just didn’t make it count on the scoreboard, although a lead of 1-7 to 0-2 at half-time was pretty emphatic, given the deteriorating conditions. Mallon (0-4) and Graffin (1-3) accounted for all the scores, and they continued that trend in the second half until Saoirse Sands flashed a shot over the bar in the 48th minute. That could well have been a goal, as could have been a shot from Ciara Fitzsimons just after half-time when she was put through by Lauren Clarke. Ciara was denied by a fine save from Siobhán Flannery who turned the shot away for a 45 that Mallon pointed. In fairness Offaly kept pace with the Ulster champions for the duration of the second half, responding to each of Down’s first four points. But there was no chance of them getting any closer than they were at the midway point. So Down have closed another season at the top level with the Ulster title won back from Antrim in May and Division 1 league and senior championship status maintained. They should be pretty happy with that. Down: SL Graffin (1-4), N Mallon (0- 7, 2 frees), S Sands (0-1). Offaly: C Leahy (0-4, 3 frees), L Glynn (0-1), F Mulrooney (0-1). Down: C McGourty, I O’Hare, A Mallon, Alannah Savage, C McGilligan, D Magee, R Smyth, D Savage, L Clarke, A McAleenan, SL Graffin, S Sands, C Fitzsimons, N Mallon capt, S McGrath. Subs: O Boyle for A McAleenan (45), B Savage for Alannah Savage (52), Aoife Savage for I O’Hare (54), C O’Connell for S McGrath (54), D Coleman for R Smyth (54). Offaly: S Flannery; L Mannion, A Liffey, S Moore; S Walsh, S Killeen, H Feenane; C Leahy, G Dolan capt; A McLoughlin, C Maher, N Killeen; L Glynn, R Brennan, F Mulrooney. Subs. A Feeney, A O’Donovan. Subs: K Guilfoyle for N Killeen (57), C O ‘Donovan for F Mulrooney (57), R Ryan for A Liffey (58). Referee: P McDonald (Cavan).