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THE THIRD DAY out of 365 it may be, but if there is a more enthralling, engaging contest than this played in the remainder of 2026, it’ll be a special one.
On a pitch divided by the shadow of the Kinane Stand, the coating of frost divided Tom Semple’s field from one goal to the other where the kiss of the winter sun didn’t get to make the contact needed with the grass.
The visual impact for those in Thurles and those watching on RTÉ was striking and the clubs played to that motif, each having their spell in the ascendancy in a contest that barely gave supporters the chance to draw a breath of the biting, winter air.
It’s Athenry who will make their way home as AIB All-Ireland senior club camogie champions after Clodagh Burke’s point and an insurance free in injury time from Jessica Gill wrapped up a sensational final quarter where they outscored St Finbarr’s by 0-7 to 0-1.
But at a time of year when flowers are hard found in the ground, this was one to give every blossom around to the Athenry backs.
The first point for the Barrs was every defender’s nightmare come true for conditions like this, and it illustrated perfectly the challenge facing the two teams on firm but frost-covered ground.
Orlaith Cahalane – who would be a boogieman for a full-back on any terrain – was given a perfect diagonal ball from Sorcha McCartan and she duly got out in front and turned past Dervla Higgins, leaving the Athenry captain and 2025 player-of-the-year nominee unable to get the traction to get her bearings. Cahalane did what she does, bisecting the uprights, and while the white flag flew, the warning flags were there for backs on both sides.
What followed for the next 25 minutes was an immaculate display of foot-perfect defending from the Athenry rearguard, building the soundest of foundations from which the westerners could establish a strong position.
At the other end, Burke was lively and sharp picking off two extra points, Kayla Madden was ravenous on the breaks and Therese Donohue rolled back the years – or to be more accurate, proved once again that for her, they never rolled forward in the first place.
But by any measure though, the heroes were at the back. Higgins brushed off her early setback to keep a tight rein on Cahalane, Lisa Casserly and Sinéad Feeney were imperious in the half-back line with Olwen Rabbitte driving out purposefully and forcefully, and Laura Freeney was flawless in goal. There were no saves to make, but one treacherous delivery after another was seized and returned without mistake by the custodian.
Still, six first half wides – two after Hawkeye intervened to say níl – contrasted with the Barrs; perfect strike rate of five from five shots, Kate Wall hitting two to keep the Munster champions in the game.
Wall’s second to make it 0-7 to 0-4 was the first of eight in a row for the Togher women either side of half-time.
It wasn’t that Athenry stopped being effective defensively, it was that their workload in that sector was doubled. They might as well have been hurling into a handball alley for the third quarter as they couldn’t relieve the pressure and make the ball stick at the Killanin End.
McCartan sent rockets sailing over the bar from 55 and 65 metres out, and one point from Cahalane felt like a hammer blow. Tarron Kilkenny made a superb and brave block, the ball came straight back. Olwen Rabbitte cleared the next one, the ball came straight back. Again it was spoiled, but this time a Barrs’ hurl got a touch, and Cahalane pointed.
Further back down the pitch, All-Ireland semi-final hero, Ciara Golden had transformed the Barrs’ fortunes at midfield after her half-time introduction, having only returned from a skiing holiday 24 hours earlier and McCartan’s point to make it 0-11 to 0-7 looked like a match-winner, a classy strike over the shoulder that sailed into the night sky after traversing the black spot from the left wing.
Just like in the drawn game, it was a case of when in trouble, dial T. Therese Donohue drove 40 metres to earn a free that Sabina Rabbitte finished, and suddenly the momentum changed. The younger forward was hammered going for a loose ball, got no free, but managed to get a lateral ball across towards Kerri O’Driscoll. Entering into the spirit of things, O’Driscoll threw her body into the battle, won the break, and scored.
The maroon tide was rising. Donohue held off three tackles to set up Sabina Rabbitte, then scored herself to level the game. Olwen Rabbitte hit the lead score after a brilliant intervention by Burke, McCartan scored from midfield, and more extra time loomed.
But in a game hallmarked by symmetry, two halves was enough. Official player of the match, Burke showed composure and class to get the last lead score and from the rushed puckout, Anna Jordan – the goalscorer in the drawn game – was fouled and Gill did the rest.
Scorers for Athenry: S Rabbitte 0-4(2fs, 1 45); C Burke 0-3; J Gill 0-2 (1f); E McGlynn, K Madden, T Donohue, K O’Driscoll, O Rabbitte 0-1 each
Scorers for St Finbarr’s: S McCartan 0-6(5fs); O Cahalane, K Wall 0-2 each; E Hurley, N Olden 0-1 each
ATHENRY: L Freeney, T Kilkenny, D Higgins, K Screene, L Casserly, O Rabbitte, S Feeney, K Madden, E McGlynn, E Keane, J Gill, T Donohue, C Burke, S Rabbitte, K O’Driscoll.
Subs: A Jordan for Keane (48), M Noone for McGlynn (52).
ST FINBARR’S: C Hurley, S Punch, A Egan, A O’Neill, G Cahalane, M Cahalane, S Daly, K McCarthy, A Shannon, N Olden, K Wall, S McCartan, E Hurley, O Cahalane, H O’Leary.
Subs: C Golden for Daly (ht), E Wigginton Barrett for E Hurley (54), L O’Donovan for Olden (59).
REFEREE: Brian Kearney (Kildare).
Written by Kevin Egan and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
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