Dublin’s Caoimhe Tierney from Lucan Sarsfields and Ruby Davis celebrate winning the match Photos byt ©INPHO

‘The feeling at the final whistle was unreal’

Echo Staff July 2, 2025 4:19 pm

DUBLIN manager, Anthony Nolan has hailed the countywide commitment in the county to the inaugural Glen Dimplex All-Ireland U23 Championship and believes that his side’s 0-15 to 1-7 over the home side at Chadwicks Wexford Park was a reward that will bear fruit in the coming seasons, reports Daragh Ó Conchúir.

Róisín Ní Chathasaigh was outstanding for the Blues, slotting five points from play and one from a 45 for good measure.

Sinéad O’Hanlon converted four frees and it was the greater economy of the Dubs’ shooting that was probably the difference, with Wexford a little more wasteful.

Ciara Butler was the exception for the Slaneysiders, grabbing a 13th minute goal and finishing with 1-3 as she took up the freetaking duties in the second half.

They pushed hard for a second major that would breathe life into their aspirations in the final quarter but Sophie Brennan would not yield a second time.

“It’s quite a short season, the U23s, so we first met the end of March. We played in the Leinster Intermediate Championship with much the same team.

‘It was a good experience,” said Nolan of the build-up to this campaign.

“We got a few challenge games and trained two or three times a week.

‘We got a lot of commitment from the group and you could see that in the workrate in the game.

‘Wexford had that too, it was a great game, but we got a lot of buy-in in terms of training and commitment, which you need at inter-county.

“U23 is a pathway grade and the players are very conscious of that.

‘It’s a great opportunity for them to show their abilities and I think a good few did that, they showed their level. It’s a new thing but I think it’s a really good grade, a good innovation by the Camogie Association.

“It was a tight game from the start and it was interesting, I thought we played better against the wind. But we finished strong in the last five or ten minutes, which was really encouraging.

“Wexford are a very good team. We only beat them by three points in the group stages.

‘They are a very well coached team, James (Dooley) is a good manager. I suppose we just took our opportunities, particularly our point scoring, to make the difference.

“Our goalie made some very good saves at the end too to prevent Wexford getting the goal that would have brought them into the game.

‘Finals are usually tight affairs, as you have two good teams and I felt a goal for Wexford would have been very significant and thank God we kept them out.

“The feeling at the final whistle was unreal. It was a great feeling.

‘I had a great management team with me, a great group of players, the county board, the Dublin supporters, the clubs… the clubs ran buses down. The families of the players. Everyone got behind it, it was great for everyone and a great lift for Dublin camogie.

“I think it’s significant, I think it’s a big moment for Dublin camogie but the players have to push on now, those players from yesterday and the next group of players that want to come into it.

‘But it’s definitely a big boost and the players have to take all the credit for that, fair play to them.”

Lucan Sarsfields Millie Hughes and Ellen Dunphy played at right half back and midfield respectively while Niamh Roche and Caoimhe Tierney also from Lucan played in the full back line.

Emma Moran from Ballyboden St Enda’s came on as a substitute.

Other players in the squad included Abbie Fitzgerald (Ballyboden St Enda’s), Aoibheann Stokes (Lucan Sarsfields), Cara Ware (Lucan Sarsfields), Ella McNair (Ballyboden St Enda’s), and Millie Larkin (Ballyboden St Enda’s).