Kilkenny 0-15
Galway 1-13
Kilkenny have lost their final group game of the All-Ireland Camogie Championship against Galway in John Locke Park in Callan on Saturday.
Kilkenny got the first score of the game when some good build-up play ended up with Denise Gaule opening her account. Piltown’s Aoife Doyle doubled the early lead soon after before two Ailish O’Reilly free got Galway off the mark after ten minutes.
Gaule scored her first free of the game with a close-range shot. O’Reilly responded with her third free before standout forward Katie Nolan restored the home side’s lead. The key moment of the game came when Catherine Finnerty was shown a red card by referee John Dermody after she was deemed to have dangerously struck Claire Phelan.
Galway down to fourteen midway through the first half with the scoreboard reading Kilkenny 0-04 to 0-03 Galway.
Kilkenny continued to dominate in the second quarter as half-back Kellyann Doyle scored an inspirational point immediately after the water break. There was a significant lull in play after Doyle’s point but another O’Reilly free ended both teams’ drought with ten minutes remaining in an eventful first half.
Full-forward Miriam Walsh ventured out the field to gather possession of the ball and score from long-distance to reenergise her side and the game in general. Aoife Doyle picked up the ball straight from the puck out and split the posts to move Kilkenny three ahead.
Ailish O’Reilly got her fifth of the game from yet another free to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the 2019 All-Ireland champions but one last free from Gaule gave Kilkenny a three-point lead at half time, Kilkenny 0-08 to 0-05 Galway.
The first point of the second half came from none other than O’Reilly who pointed another free straight in front of the posts. Galway moved ahead for the first time in the game when Siobhan McGrath found the net from close-range.
The initial shock of the goal seemingly affected Brian Dowling’s side as two quickfire points from McGrath and Niamh Kilkenny soon after moved the visitors three ahead, Kilkenny 0-08 to 1-08 Galway. Denise Gaule replied for the All-Ireland champions with their first point of the second half from a free.
Gaule and McGrath exchanged scores and the 2020 Player of the Year led the Kilkenny charge with another point to leave one between the teams heading into the final fifteen minutes, Kilkenny 1-10 to 0-12 Galway.
Sarah Spellman got her first point of the clash to move the 2021 beaten league finalists two ahead. Piltown’s Aoife Doyle got her third of the game to keep Kilkenny in the game and Gaule added a free, her seventh point of the game, as Cathal Murray’s side lead slipped to a single point.
Ailish O’Reilly scored another free late on to extend Galway’s lead to two points and another Kilkenny score was not enough as Kilkenny prepare for a quarter-final and Galway advance to the semis.
