Priority remains qualificiation for the quarter-finals of championship

THE priority for the season remains qualification to the quarter-finals of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie championship from Group 2 but manager, Bill McCormack believes that there is scope to aim higher within the Dublin camp, even though they will be planning without midfield dynamo, Gaby Couch for the business end of proceedings, reports Daragh Ó Conchúir.

The Blues are on the brink of a spot in the last six after defeating the team they stunned with an injury-time goal in the Very League Division 1B final, Wexford by 4-13 to 1-10 at Parnell Park.

With St Jude’s Claire Gannon excelling, skipper and former All-Star full-forward, Aisling Maher continuing to flourish in the new quarter-back role she has been designated with this year and goals from Elyse Jamieson, Emma Flanagan (Lucan Sarsfields), Grace O’Shea (Ballinteer) and Aisling Gannon (St Jude’s), the hosts prevailed in what was a key tie in terms of progression to the last six.

Dublin responded well to the concession of a second minute goal by Chloe Foxe and had a bit of fortune when Anais Curran crashed her 21st minute penalty shot off the crossbar, after the whistle had been blown just before Joanne Dillon had finished to the corner of the net.

No one could argue with the merit of the Metropolitans’ triumph, however and McCormack was understandably satisfied, particularly given the absence of star forward, Aisling O’Neill through injury.

“The performances have improved as the year has gone on, which is encouraging,” said McCormack.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries, Ais O’Neill and Laura Sharkey, and it was great to see Laura back on the pitch for the first time after a bad hamstring injury.

“It’s good to put a performance like that together and we knew that would be required to beat a team like Wexford.

“It’s a challenge we put to the girls.

“We said, ‘Ais (O’Neill) has done things for us in the past, got us out of holes.

“Who’s going to step up?’

“There was a good spread of scores.

“Really effective forward line.

“They were potent and any time the ball went in there we looked like we were dangerous.

“Goals aren’t something we’ve been managing to get a whole pile of, so to put four on the board was brilliant.

“We pinpointed this game and the Clare game at the start of the year as the two must-win games…

“To produce the performance against Wexford, that’s what was gonna be needed.

“They’re more than a fly in the ointment for us.

“I don’t think there’s ever been more than a puck of the ball between us over the last two or three years so to get a win of that nature was really encouraging for us.

“We said it last year and even after the League.

“Look at what Waterford did.

“Why not (us)?

“There’s girls there have won Ashbourne Cups.

“There’s girls there that have won Leinster club championships and contested All-Ireland club championship finals.

“So why not? We have the calibre of player there.

“We just needed to all knit together and at the moment, it’s a camp moving in the right direction.”

The return of Sinéad Wylde after a stint with the ladies’ footballers is another boost and her contribution upon being introduced in the second half was considerable.

“Sinéad came over from the football panel.

“It’s great to get a player of her calibre and with the strength and fitness that she has.

“The competition for places is massive.

“Gaby Couch is now gonna be going off for her J1 so there’s a jersey there to be grabbed and the likes of Sinéad will be looking to grab that jersey when it becomes available, and for other ones as well.”

Glen Dimplex Player of the Match, Claire Gannon felt that pointed to the reaction to Foxe’s early major as a sign of the players’ growth.

“In years past we would have put our head down and let it affect it, but Ais Maher, our captain, led us,” Gannon explained.

“She said to just keep going.

“We were against the wind in the first half so we knew if we kept with them and let it go in the second half and that’s what we did in the first ten minutes of the second half, we just absolutely went at them.”