Camogie: Athenry’s Crown at last!

Source: Connacht Tribune, Friday, March 24, 1978

Author: Ray Hayden

ATHENRY      10-5         PORTGLENONE       1-1

A WHOPPING flurry of goals formed the backdrop to a runaway All-Ireland senior camogie victory for Connacht Club champions, Athenry on Sunday. In a well orchestrated, cut-and-dried plan of annihilation, Athenry demolished a rather lack-lustre challenge from Ulster kingpins, Portglenone (Antrim) to earn them their first ever All-Ireland crown.

For eight of the twelve girls on the side, it was a case of long threatening comes at last. This was Athenry’s third consecutive All-Ireland final appearance and these eight stalwarts remembered with heavy hearts the two previous defeats.

Played before a home crowd at Kenny Park, the Galway lassies released all the skill, determination and power they had at their disposal. They sank home goal after goal with repetitious delight while Portglenone, overawed by their opponents sheer strength, succumbed irresolutely to the fate that awaited them.

Even with a comfortable 5-4 to 1-0 half time lead, behind them, Athenry continued to pile on the pressure in the second half with as much verve and, application that had helped them establish the foundations to this historic success.

Athenry’s forwards were superb and were always ready.to make handsome dividends out of ‘Glenone mistakes. At the helm was full forward Teresa Duane and together with Ann Morris they managed to clock up eight of their sides colossal 10 goals.

Marian Freeney, at left corner forward, Mary Daly and Ann Morris proved a successful combination. Around midfield, Athenry enjoyed undisputed supremacy.

Here, Olive Coady, Midge Poniard and Madge Hobbins, each with vast experience, provided the forwards with more than ample supply of the ball. Their fluency, speed, accuracy and challenging left Glenone very much in the dark.

The Athenry backs, on the day, had very little work to do. The few occasions ‘Glenone infiltrated the sacred Athenry half were always efficiently taken care of by tough, uncompromising ground hurling of a calibre not yet known in Ulster.

Greta O’Brien, Ann Duane and Ann Delaney averted one or two nerve-bending attacks, but were always,-supremely confident what with Noreen Treacy, at full back, hovering in the wings ready to deal mercilessly with any successful intrusion.

Despite a knock to the face, which momentarily stunned her, Athenry goalie, Breda Coady, who is the holder of All-Ireland Colleges’, County Championship, Connacht and Ashbourne Cup medals, exerted that air of reassurance over the rearguard which held them in good stead throughout.

But it was Athenry’s forwards who really moulded this momentous victory. They spun a web of utter confusion around a much inferior Ulster team whose only claim to fame was their ability never to throw in the towel in silent submission.

With a gale force wind to their advantage, Athenry got off to a flying start with a point from Midge Poniard, Galway’s ’75 camogie sports star. This fragile lead was consolidated two minutes later with a showpiece goal from Teresa Duane who dribbled the ball past nonplussed Ulster defenders to sink it into the back-of the net.

Midge Poniard was again on target with a free in the 10th minute and this heralded the start to an all-out onslaught on the ‘Glenone goal-line.

In the space of five minutes, Athenry eroded the defensive walls surrounding ‘Glenone’s rearguard sanctuary to hammer home three goals on the trot from Ann Morris, Teresa Duane and Mary Daly.

Still maintaining the pressure, the Galway lassies regrouped and resumed the rampage which yielded a point from Midge Poniard. Appropriately Ann Morris, who had been doing trojan work, rounded off Athenry’s first half scores with a goal.

‘Glenone’s despondency was cased somewhat before half time when Claire Mc Ilvenna bulldozed through the unsuspecting Athenry bulwark for her sides only score of the first half – an opportunist goal.

However, it made little impression on the overall scoreline and Athenry had things just as easy in the second half, notching a further 5-1.

Athenry: Teresa Duane and Ann Morris 4-09 each; Midge Poniard 0-4; Mary Daly 1-1 and Marian Freeney 1-0. For Portglenone: Claire Mc Ilvenna 1-0 and Mairead McAtamney 0-1.

Athenry: Breda Coady; Noreen Treacy; Greta O’Brien, Ann Duane, Ann Delaney, Olive Coady, Midge Poniard, Madge Hobbins, Marian Freaney, Mary Daly, Ann Morris, Teresa Duane.

Portglenone :- Susan Dillon, Ann Kelly, Enda Webb, Bernie McAleese, Vera McAleese, Siobhan

McAtamney, Mairead McAtamney,. Jackie McAtamney, Maraid Doherty, Ann Marie O’Neill, Claire McIlvenna and Bernadette O’Neill.

Referee: Sheila Murray. Dublin.