Louth – another heavy defeat and out of their depth must raise questions of the Camogie Association

Irish Independent

a day ago

It was at least three points better than their league meeting against Roscommon in Ballyforan in March however, it also begs the serious question why Louth are in the Premier Junior Championship in the first place. They are playing the teams they lost heavily to the league. One of those was a 7-21 to 0-1 defeat at home to Laois
There is one exception in the championship, which makes it no better, Armagh, who plied their league trade in division higher this year and inflicted upon Louth their heaviest defeat this season 7-37 to 0-0, a few weeks ago.
Louth conceded their next game, away to Laois before fielding against Roscommon on Saturday.
The problem is, and it should be a concern for the Camogie Association, the perceived 'weaker' counties, the likes of Monaghan, Mayo, Cavan, and Donegal amongst others, don't field senior county teams leaving Louth, in fairness to them, to plough a lonely furrow against much stronger counties.
It is a credit to them that they do…and those who run Camogie in Croke Park should take note and not ignore such dedication.
It is also a credit to Louth's one-man management of Donal Ryan – a Tipperary native based in Palmerstown, Co Dublin – who travels up twice, sometimes three times a week to coach the Louth side – his certainly is a lonely road.
There are no coaches, no strength and conditioning guru, no stats men or women, no kit person…there's a physio at every game and a FLO (Female Liaison Officer) – Ryan is all of the above, more or less.
You wouldn't see it in men's or ladies football or hurling for that matter at club level never mind at senior inter-county, but such is the situation in Louth.
However, the work Ryan is doing and the dedication of the players who have turned out week-after-week, to train and play since the end of January is not evidenced on the scoreboard, as yet, but it is on the field of play.
This writer was at the opening league game at Cooley Kickhams in February against Wicklow, and a few games since. The Wicklow game was a hard watch, a 1-3 to 3-17 defeat.
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The standard of camogie from Louth was pretty poor to say the least – it was Ryan's first game after only a few weeks in charge – but there was something there.
Fast forward and the difference from the Louth performance at that cold February Cooley encounter with Wicklow, to Collen and Roscommon on Saturday, was like chalk and cheese.
Same players, same outcome but a different team who are clearly learning and benefitting from Ryan's dedication in the face of what is a difficult and thankless job.
Yes, Roscommon were the sharper side who had too much strength at the back and too much power going forward for Louth however, with much improved ball skills and a greater level of tackling and stickwork, never stopped battling for every ball and at times, particularly for a 10 minute period in the first-half and for patches during the second 30 minutes, they matched and at times out-fought Roscommon.
It was in the end though their own lack of intensity and edge up front, a sharpshooter, that was missing from their game…and they ran out of steam.
In Amy Murray, playing at 10 there is a future star in Louth. Her speed with the ball and in play left her marker struggling while centre-half forward Aoife Gregory, centre half-back Jane Carter, half-back Ellen MacCarthy and goalkeeper Mairead McMahon in particular, would have been shoo-ins if playing for Roscommon.
The visitors were quickest to settle and opened the scoring after two minutes with Sarah Dooley getting the first of her nine points over the hour.
A second Dooley point on four minutes was followed by the first of three goals for Roscommon full-forward Rachel Fitzmaurice, who hit a total of 3-7 as the visitors raced into an early 1-2 to 0-0 lead after five minutes.
Another Dooley point and one from Tara Naughton from a free, the first of five she converted during the game, extended Roscommon's lead however, Louth were coming more into the game and a point from an Aoife Gregory free opened the home side's account, much to the joy of the few Louth supporters who made the effort to travel to Collon.
That joy though was short-lived as Fitzmaurice grabbed a second goal after smart inter-play between Sally Bolger, who won the puckout, Dooley and Ciara Kilcommins, set up the Athleague clubwoman to finish to the net past McMahon.
Three further points from Fitzmaurice, Dooley and Celine Gacquin put the lead out to 2-7 to 0-1 at the quarter-hour mark but it was Louth who dominated the next 10 minutes and they began to win the midfield exchanges and put pressure on the Roscommon defence.
After Gregory was wide with an effort from distance, the same player had another effort from 30 metres saved by Roscommon goalkeeper Michaela Fallon soon after. The ball was partially cleared but only as far as Gregory who tore down on goal before passing the ball off to full-forward Niamh Fennell but Fallon before clearing her lines. Again though, it was only as far as Louth centre-half back Jane Carter who fed the ball to Murray on the overlap and she made no mistake putting the ball between the posts for Louth's second point.
Roscommon's response was a point from Fitzmaurice at the other end but Louth were on top at this stage. Gregory had another shot saved and cleared by Fallon, but only as far as Murray who grabbed her second and Louth's third point.
When Gregory fired over a 50 metre free for his side's fourth point on 20 minutes to make it 2-8 to 0-4, Louth tails were certainly up however, any thoughts of a comeback were extinguished during the remaining 10 minutes of the half as Roscommon hit six unanswered points from Lilly Murray, Dooley, Fitzmaurice (3) and Oonagh Kelly to lead 3-13 to 0-4 at the break.
The loudest cheer of the day came just two minutes after the restart when a shot from Carter dipped viciously past Fallon and into the Roscommon net to make it 3-13 to 1-4 but again, any Louth celebrations were short-lived.
Dooley hit back with a point from play before a long-range Naughton free deceived the Louth defence and ended up in the back of the net.
Naughton followed that up with a pointed free before Gacquin goaled to make it 5-16 to 1-4 with only eight minutes of the second half played.
A converted free from Naughton stretched the lead further but Louth's never say die attitude was rewarded with a Carter point set up by Gregory.
Points from Dooley and Naughton (2f) put the lead out to 5-20 to 1-5 on 47 minutes and Roscommon continued to rattle off the points with Dooley (2, 1f), Hannah Murray, Fitzmaurice (3) and substitute Grace Jones keeping the scoreboard busy.
The last score of the day however went to Louth with substitute Áine Connell on the end of her side's best move when McMahon's puckout found Murray who delivered a pin-point 30 metre pass to the Mattock Rangers player who raced forward before striking the ball over the bar for a point on her home pitch to leave the final score 5-27 to 1-6.
Louth: Mairead McMahon ; Roisin Killen, Clodagh Fennell, Rebecca Kirwin; Ellen McCarthy, Jane Carter 1-1, Katie Mathews; Aoibhin Killen, Aoife Lawrence; Amy Murray 0-2, Aoife Gregory 0-2f, Caoimhe Cunningham; Aoife McCabe, Naimh Fennell, Aoife Dillon. Subs: Áine Connell 0-1 for Lawrence 39mins, Paula Lohan for Aoibhin Killen 46mins, Sarah Cahill for Carter 47mins
Roscommon: Michaela Fallon; Michelle Rogers, Mairead Lohan, Aideen O'Brien ;, Hannah Murray 0-1, Lilly Murray 0-1, Sinead Mannion; Sally Bolger, Erin McDermont; Celine Gasquin 0-3, Sarah Dooley 0-9, (1f), Tara Naughton 1-4 (all frees); Ciara Kilcommins 1-0, Rachel Fitzmaurice 3-7, Oonagh Kelly 0-1. Subs: Molly Tully for Fallon h-t, Deborah Finneran for Bolger, Grace Jones 0-1 for Gacquin and Chloe Whyte for Kilcommins all 47mins, Charlotte Blackweir for McDermott 52mins