Naomh Olaf 1-7  Naomh Mearnóg 1-5

With an average age of 17 Naomh Olaf must be one of the youngest teams in the country to win an adult championship.  In fact only five of the panel are eligible to vote!  It was also the club’s first season in adult ranks.

But despite a shaky start they recovered in style to claim a narrow victory.  The reduction to 14 players following a sending off of a Naomh Mearnóg player in the 24th minute had a major bearing as the Portmarnock side struggled to make inroads in the second half and could only manage one point in the second half from the excellent Dawn Teelin.  However they had their moments but Dublin minor Chloe Ní Cheallaigh in the Olaf goal was calmness personified and brought off several fine clearances.

Leann Walsh got Mearnóg’s off to a fine start with a well struck free inside the first minute.  In fact by the 8th minute it was looking like the "Leann Walsh show" as two more frees yielded a goal and a point – her goal in the 8th minute was driven with power from some 30m.  The sole response was an excellent point from a free from 45m by Roisin MacLoughlin. 

But bit by bit the Sandyford crew grew in stature.  Stefanie Deasy and Eilis Murphy anchored the central defensive positions with great skill and resoluteness.  Amy McGrath was doing well at midfield and up front Clara O’Sullivan was using her pace to good effect.  A driving clearance from Eilis Murphy was picked up by Roisin MacLoughlin and she got her side’s first point from play in the 11th minute.

Two more superbly hit frees by Leann Walsh put Naomh Mearnóg in a leading position but Clara O’Sullivan answered with a great score from play.  The sending off was a set back for Naomh Mearnóg but despite two more fine scores from Clara O’Sullivan and Roisin MacLoughlin, Naomh Mearnóg were still two points to the good 1-4 to 0-5 at the break.

Demonstrating some nice team work, Naomh Ola were in control of most of the possession but Mearnógs were defending well particularly Dawn Teelin and Aisling Tiernan in front of a very reliable Orlaith Fahy in goals. 

It took Olaf’s 12 minutes of the second half to register their first score – a third fine point from Clara O’Sullivan - from a neat Giordan Brewer pass.  The latter player had earlier seen a goal bound effort in the first half come back off the cross-bar.

Two minutes later, the decisive blow of the match was struck when substitute Claire O’Connor managed to clip the ball home from close range after good work by Caroline Canna.  But the Olaf’s cheers were still ringing when Dawn Teelin responded with a fine point to leave just the minimum between the teams.

Leann Walsh was now operating far from the full-forward line and in the 46th minute a massive free from 65m was superbly dealt with by Chloe Ní Cheallaigh in the Olaf goals.  In the 50th minute Clara O’Sullivan brought her tally to four points with a point from a penalty and although Naomh Mearnóg fought to the end (including a spectacular piece of skill from Caoimhe O’Callaghan who brought the ball down with her stick and without handling controlled the ball and sent a great delivery up the field), Olaf's defended stoutly.

Roisin MacLoughlin was seen to great effect at the finish and just shaded Clara O’Sullivan and Eilis Murphy as the player of the match.  A proud day for her family as her mother Mary Gibney has been a pivotal figure in the development of camogie in Naomh Olafs.

Referee:  Jenny Byrne

More photos from the game