Grennan College secured their place in the All-Ireland senior C colleges camogie final in Thomastown last Saturday with a hard earned victory over the Mercy of Waterford. The Thomastown girls had to dig deep and show the character that saw them battle through Leinster. The girls were unbeaten all season, and with the showpiece left to come, hopes are high that they can go all the way. Played in blustery conditions in front of a large vociferous support, it was always going to be a tough game.
Mercy opened the scoring early on with a long range point, aided by a considerable breeze, but to their credit a dogged Grennan defence stood tall and limited their opponents After absorbing immense pressure from their opponents, Grennan took the lead when Aine Lannon raised the green flag with a composed finish. The goal galvanised the hosts and Kelly Hamilton pointed from a penalty with Grennan happy to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Hamilton's choice to take the point was further justified when Grennan goalkeeper Grace Clarke pulled off a superb penalty save down the other end with half-time fast approaching. The sides went in at the break with Grennan leading 1-1 to 0-1.
Mercy came out after the break a team possessed, scoring a quick point. Despite the Trojan efforts of the Grennan girls, Mercy enjoyed sustained periods of domination, which culminated in a well placed goal from the outstanding Tricia Jackman. Midway through the second half, Grennan stemmed the tide. Kelly Hamilton levelled the game with a free, before Aine Lannon scored an inspirational point from the corner. Kiera Barcoe put Grennan two points clear with five minutes to go after a determined piece of play. Mercy couldn't muster a score as the Grennan defence stood firm.
Manager Tom Ryan was pleased with his sides display saying "these are a remarkable bunch of young ladies. They've trained hard all year and are a credit to themselves, their families and our school". He added "I'd like to pay tribute to Thomastown GAA Club for the use of their brilliantly maintained playing surface". On a day where it was hard to pick out individuals from a fantastic team display, Aine Lannon, Sinead Stapleton, Annette Reddy, Jane Cullen, Shauna Carroll and Megan Farrell stood out.
Scorers: Aine Lannon 1-1, Kelly Hamilton 0-2, Kiara Barcoe 0-1. Grennan will face St Colm's Draperstown from Co Derry in the All-Ireland final in early March with a venue yet to be decided.
