Champions Galway are back in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final, a Carrie Dolan penalty goal in the opening minute of the second half ensuring comfortable progression against a hard-working but less experienced Kilkenny.

Galway 1-14
Kilkenny 0-11

By Daragh Ó Conchúir at FBD Semple Stadium

Kilkenny did the first part well, not upset by the brilliant Galway captain, Carrie Dolan splitting the posts after just 21 seconds and keeping in the game.

As expected, given her excellent marking jobs all season and most recently on Waterford’s Beth Carton, Ava Brett had the task of picking up another player of the year, Aoife Donohue.

With Niamh Mallon unavailable after suffering a recurrence of a persistent shoulder injury, the Cats would have been really hopeful of their chances if they could neutralise the diminutive Mullagh dynamo.

This they managed, but Caoimhe Kelly, Niamh Niland and Niamh McPeake were constant threats, and did more than enough to pick up any slack, which would have delighted Galway manager, Cathal Murray.

It was two points apiece after 10 minutes but though Kilkenny were playing with the wind, they were unable to circumvent player of the match, Ciara Hickey and as Kelly, Ailish O’Reilly and McPeake ratcheted up points from play before the end of the first quarter, there were some worrying signs for Jimmy Meagher’s crew.

The response was encouraging, as Kilkenny’s full-back line began to impose themselves, with Tiffanie Fitzgerald prominent, and Brett doing her job on Donohue, who moved deeper as proceedings evolved.

Lauras Murphy and Greene worked their way into the fray too around the middle, meaning Galway were not making such easy inroads with their runners.

They needed Aoife Prendergast’s radar to be in from placed balls to move the scoreboard, however, and the Dicksboro sharpshooter was pretty spot on, adding to her opening brace with two from just inside the Galway half.

When Sarah Barcoe provided Kilkenny’s first score from play in the 21st minute, the sides were level on 0-5 each.

It was Galway that finished better though, Kelly slotting her second point and Dolan her side’s first from a free to make it 0-7 to 0-5 at the change of ends.

Disaster struck for the Noresiders with the concession of that penalty within a minute of the restart, when Greene shouldered Dolan off the ball, after the midfielder had just failed to gather a lovely Kelly stick-pass when through on goal.

Kilkenny had the ball cleared though, so it was needless and Dolan punished the transgression with a low, powerful drive beyond Aoife Norris.

Prendergast responded with another free from distance and though Donohue left the fray with a knee injury, her replacement Shannon Corcoran provided the assist for a beautiful Kelly point immediately after, and Niland grabbed her second with a wristy finish.

Galway were going through the gears now, having shaken off the rust of a four-week break and their greater physicality and know-how was on full display.

Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh did make one careering run through the middle and though Sarah Healy blocked her kick, a free was awarded that Prendergast sent fizzing about an inch over the crossbar.

But they just could not make any real impact on the meanest defence in the game – one that might be augmented by multiple All-Star Shauna Healy, who has returned to training recently and was part of the extended squad for this game.

Róisín Black, Hickey and Dervla Higgins were outstanding, the latter even going forward to score a fantastic point.

She went off after suffering a knee injury though and if there was one concern for Murray, it was those injuries, as Sabina Rabbitte also left in a lot of pain, within minutes of being introduced off the bench.

Galway had to play the last 10 minutes or so – including seven minutes of injury time – with just 14 payers and a heavily limping Dolan ended up just taking up a position at full-forward.

Kilkenny reduced the margin to six by the final whistle, but Galway had more than enough done.

SCORERS FOR GALWAY: C Dolan 1-4(0-3fs); C Kelly 0-3; N Niland, N McPeake 0-2 each; D Higgins, A O’Reilly, A Kelly 0-1 each

SCORERS FOR KILKENNY: A Prendergast 0-8(fs); S Barcoe, R Phelan, C Doheny 0-1 each

GALWAY: S Healy, R Hanniffy, R Black, K Manning, D Higgins, C Hickey, K A Porter, A Hesnan, C Dolan, N McPeake, A Donohue, A O’Reilly, A Keane, N Niland, C Kelly. Subs: S Corcoran for Donohue inj (41), A Kelly for Keane (54), S Rabbitte for Kelly (54), M Dillon for Niland (54), L Kelly for Higgins (57)

KILKENNY: A Norris, M Teehan, T Fitzgerald, N Deely, A Carroll, A Brett, C Dowling, L Greene, L Murphy, A McHardy, A Prendergast, E Shortall, S Fitzgerald, C Keher-Murtagh, S Barcoe. Subs: K Nolan for S Fitzgerald inj (37), C Dohery for Shortall (40), R Phelan for McHardy (49), R Dowling for Carroll (60)

REFEREE: Andy Larkin (Cork)

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