No show like a Dolan show

There"s a fine line between success and failure. Sometimes it can be a moment of genius or a minor mishap, but at Ashbourne on Saturday evening the main difference between Blackhall Gaels and Kilmessan was the outstanding Jane Dolan who inspired the Batterstown girls to a first Meath senior camogie title. Dolan was nothing short of phenomenal as she contributed all of Blackhall Gaels" winning total and also produced some outstanding hurling to the alleviate pressure from several tricky situations. Her selection as 'player-of-the-match" was automatic such was her influence on the game and the fact that she produced such a devastating performance while being marked by Allstar nominee and Meath senior team captain Aileen Donnelly underlines the exceptional ability of the 20-year-old. The crucial score was the winning goal that arrived with four minutes remaining. There was an element of good fortune about the strike because Dolan was aiming for a point to restore parity, but somehow her effort fell at the butt of the post and sneaked in past a baffled Noreen Sheridan in the Kilmessan goal. Kilmessan did respond with a point, but Blackhall Gaels were buoyed by overturning a five-point deficit and they held on to score the victory and mark a memorable day in the history of the club. It was their first year in senior camogie and they were the only side to beat Kilmessan all term. Qualification for the camogie final was done on a league basis and Blackhall Gaels scored victories over all four of the other senior sides in the group stage, but they were given little chance against Kilmessan especially after having to play their final group game against a tough Trim side just five days earlier. With no pressure of weight of expectation Blackhall Gaels played with a freedom of expression and defended like their lives depended on it. Kilmessan are an exceptional side and looked like the better team for long periods, but Blackhall Gaels were never out of the races. The full-back line of Helen Murphy, Emma Fahy-Whelan and Amy Crosbie were near flawless and with Jane Burke and Caroline Griffin causing problems at midfield and Holly Geraghty and Kristina Troy working tirelessly to assist Dolan in attack Blackhall stifled the considerable Kilmessan threat. Kilmessan will feel that they didn"t play to their full potential, but they simply weren"t let. Blackhall closed them down at every opportunity and while Kilmessan did manage to score more times they rarely looked like causing too many problems for the consistently excellent goalkeeper Emily Mangan. The only time that Kilmessan did look like pulling away was early in the final quarter when a goal from the impressive Stephanie Horan and a brilliant point from Donnelly gave them a 2-8 to 1-6 cushion. However a couple of defensive lapses let Blackhall back into the game and Kilmessan were punished. Blackhall were always in content ion and even though Kilmessan started sharper when Frances Lynch drove over a great point after five minutes, Dolan responded with a free. Two frees from Donnelly, one from over 60 metres, stretched Kilmessan"s advantage, but again Blackhall stayed in touch when Dolan gathered a massive Mangan puck out, raced 20 metres untouched before unleashing a rasping shot past Sheridan to move into a 1-1 to 0-3 lead. Dolan emulated Donnelly when she pointed a free from over 60 metres to stretched Blackhall"s lead, but a Jenny Cusack point, was followed by another Dolan score before Cusack reacted to a breaking ball to touch to the net and push Kilmessan into a 1-4 to 1-3 lead. Dolan restored Blackhall"s lead from a '45" and a brilliant point from play before a Horan free ensured the sides were tied at 1-5 each at the break. The close nature of the contest continued after the resumption when firstly a brace of Donnelly points from placed balls edged Kilmessan clear, but Dolan again ensured the exchanges stayed close when she pointed a '45" after her earlier effort had hit the crossbar. It looked as if the game would finally swing Kilmessan"s way when Horan netted in a scramble and then Donnelly pointed from play. However, Dolan was outstanding and she pulled the game out of the fire with two late goals to stun Kilmessan and secure Blackhall"s first senior camogie title. SCORERS Blackhall Gaels - J Dolan 3-7, 2-3 frees, 0-2 '45s". Kilmessan - A Donnelly 0-6, four frees, one '45"; J Cusack 1-1; S Horan 1-1, 0-1 free; F Lynch 0-1. TEAMS Blackhall Gaels - E Mangan; H Murphy, E Fahy-Whelan, A Crosbie; H Geraghty, K Murphy, C Burke; J Burke, C Griffin; K Troy, J Dolan, S Hughes; L Lucas, J Jordan, E Nolan. Sub - G Ennis for Nolan. Kilmessan - N Sheridan; E Doyle, A Lynch, N Lynch; S Ross, A Donnelly, K Ward; M E Sheridan, F Lynch; S Horan, L Tyrell, S Curtis; O Doyle, M Doyle, J Cusack. Subs - C O"Leary for Doyle, D Fitzgerald for Curtis. REFEREE Christy Rispin (Trim).