It was a case of third time lucky for Offaly's camogie side when they were crowned Gala All-Ireland junior champions for the first time recently. For Faithful captain Marion Crean, it was the realisation of a long-held dream Offaly banished the ghosts of last year's heartbreaking defeat to Clare when they powered to their first Gala All-Ireland junior camogie title win at Waterford's expense in Croke Park on September 13 last. The Faithful County's 3-14 to 2-8 victory also atoned for their heavy defeat to Tipperary in their first All-Ireland final appearance eight years ago. Joachim Kelly's charges were the better side throughout with a brace of goals in the 49th minute from corner forwards Siobhan Flannery and Arlene Watkins confirming their historic success. "It was a long time coming, but we got there in the end," Offaly captain Marion Crean explains. "This makes up for all the disappointments we've had over the years. We were heartbroken after losing last year's final to Clare by a last-minute goal but, if anything, it made us more determined and stronger. "Even though we went into the final as underdogs, I was convinced we were going to win. Last year, the occasion probably got to us, but that certainly wasn't the case this year. We never lost our focus from the first whistle until the last." With Elaine Dermody scoring 1-5 in the first half, Offaly had build up a 1-11 to 0-4 half-time lead against a Waterford team that was appearing in their first junior final. And while Waterford resumed by outscoring their opponents by 1-2 to 0-1 in a 10-minute spell, the midlanders refused to panic and were home and hosed when Flannery and Watkins struck for quick-fire goals. "We got off to the best possible start, and never eased up after that," the Shinrone star recalls. "Waterford beat us by 13 points in the first game of the round-robin series in Kinnitty in June, but we had put in a huge amount of work on the training field in the meantime and we were determined not to let them get away from us. And the best way to do that was to take the game to them." Under the management of Offaly hurling legend Joachim Kelly and his selectors Mark Corrigan, Ger Fogarty and Catherine Byrne, the Faithful County struggled to find their form in the early part of the season, with Marion claiming that the team was still "haunted" by last year's All-Ireland final loss. "The ghosts of last September haunted us the whole way through and all we wanted to do was get back on the playing field in January, avenge that defeat and get back on the road to winning. But if I am honest, the whole way during the league we were haunted by what happened in Croke Park," the primary schoolteacher says. "It was summed up in a letter that was sent to me by a nun I don't even know from Cork. She sent a letter after the All-Ireland, complimenting us about the camogie we played but one line that kept ringing around in my head was that sport is cruel. You can train all you want and give it your all but on the day, one twist of luck can change everything and that is what happened us. "We had a bad league campaign. Not that we thought it was easy and we could turn up and start winning games in the league. We went into the league thinking we will get through the league and get to the final. It was not that easy. The 20th of June was the date that was in our heads. We knew we were playing Waterford that day. It was a turning point." Offaly's 0-7 to 3-11 reversal at the hands of the Deise was the reality check they needed. They needed to win their next two games in the round-robin series to stay in the All-Ireland race, and this they achieved courtesy of impressive performances away from home against Dublin and Down. "We beat Dublin by 11 points in Portmarnock without playing particularly well, and then beat Down by 5-20 to 0-6 in Newry. We played brilliant stuff that day and it was probably the first time all year that we clicked as a unit. It also highlighted the huge improvement in the team as Down had beaten us only a few months earlier in the league." Offaly subsequently defeated Meath by four points in a physical encounter at Nowlan Park to secure their place in the All-Ireland final for the second year in succession. In the five weeks leading up the decider, they warmed up with challenge matches against Cork and Galway, who recently contested the All-Ireland intermediate final. Despite their earlier defeat to Waterford, the omens were good for Offaly. They defeated Waterford at the semi-final last year and also got the better of the Deise girls in the 2008 All-Ireland minor 'B' final. Although they played against a stiff breeze in the first half, Offaly began brightly by racing into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead inside the opening 12 minutes. Indeed, they were unlucky not have had a goal in the fifth minute when Elaine Dermody's penalty was saved. The Leinster side eventually made the breakthrough in the 20th minute when Dermody hand-passed the ball to the back of the net to ensure a 1-5 to 0-2 lead. The long-serving Dermody bagged four more points before half-time, with scores also from Siobhan Flannery and Tina Hannon, to leave the Faithful County perched on a 1-11 to 0-4 interval lead. Andy Moloney's Waterford charges began the second half in business-like fashion with All-Ireland Poc Fada champion Patricia Jackman's 35th minute goal bringing them back into the game. However, Offaly staged a strong final quarter with goals in the space of a minute from Flannery and Watkins paving the way for a comfortable victory. Aine Lyng scored a late goal for Waterford, but this was mere consolation as Offaly held out for their first All-Ireland success. "Being underdogs suited us down to the ground. It was a real team performance," says Marion, who was presented with the New Ireland Cup by Camogie Association chairperson Joan O'Flynn. As one of five survivors from the 2001 team - Elaine Dermody, Audrey Kennedy, Michelle Davis and Sheila Sullivan also played in that year's final against Tipp - Marion is fully appreciative of this success. "It took us eight years to win the All-Ireland, and we're delighted. The preparation and training has changed so much since then. It's much more professional now. Back then, we went up to Croke Park and weren't prepared for what Tipp threw at us. They hammered us out the gate, but we've come a long way since then," she says. Offaly will compete in the All-Ireland intermediate championship next year and Marion is already looking forward to pitting herself against the higher quality of opposition. "We could have opted to go straight up to senior, but you have to be realistic, especially when you saw how that backfired on Clare this year. There is a huge gap between junior and senior, and as much as we have improved, we are not ready for senior camogie just yet. "You have to take things one step at a time. Joachim is staying with us and he has a two-year plan to get us out of intermediate. We feel we are well capable of competing with the Limericks, Clares and Dublins of this world. Next year will be all about building confidence and developing players. "Our team is very young, with an average of just 22. You see someone like Michaela Morkham, who is already an All-Star at just 19. There is huge talent coming through and hopefully this will only be start of things to come," she concludes. The Offaly team that captured the Gala All-Ireland junior camogie title was: A Kennedy; K Brady, L Keena, F Stephens; L Sullivan, M Crean, S Sullivan; K Nugent, M Morkan; A Kelly (0-1), T Hannon (0-2), M Davis (0-3); S Flannery (1-1), E Darmody (1-6, 4f), A Watkins (1-1). Subs: J Brady for Flannery (55); A Corrigan for A Kelly (59); E Dunne for Davis (62). Tweet

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