Canavan pleased with Carlow performance as they secure place in knockout stages
Caoimhe Ni Bhuirceal under pressure from Carlow's Kate Doyle and Niamh Canavan
It was not a day for the faint-hearted. The heavy rain which fell intermittently before the game and at times over the course of the contest made it a battle of endurance as Carlow took on Kildare at Manguard Park in Round 2 of the All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship.
Both sides got stuck in but Carlow's tenacity, courage, huge degree of skill and resolve saw them bAll-Ireland intermediate Camogie Championship aspirations alive on Saturday.
Captain, Niamh Canavan, knew exactly what this meant.
“We needed to win out here today. All going well, we are guaranteed a quarter-final spot which is great. Tough conditions but I actually think we played really well,” she said.
Carlow are assured of a quarter-final and their game against Down at the weekend will decide second place where victory would theoretically earn an easier draw in the knockout stages.
Carlow shipped a 2-18 to 0-3 defeat in the opening round against Kerry so Canavan was pleased that they could bounce back against Kildare.
“We were disappointed and embarrassed after the Kerry match. That is no secret. We really let ourselves down. Just delighted to get the win and the performance is just as important as the win.” Kildare were also smarting from a heavy first round reverse. Like the visitors, they came to Hawkfield in determined mood. Carlow were ready for what they had to do.
“We knew they would come at us and we had to stand our ground. I don’t think we were going to let them get on top. We managed it well. Every time they got a score we got one back or we had a few dispossessions in the back-line and worked the ball out well.
The two Carlow goals came at crucial times. Midway through the first half and just after the interval when Kildare had looked capable of getting back into the game.
“It was really tough conditions. We are delighted with the result but the performance is the most pleasing thing. We know we had to grind it out and not let the performance drop, to keep it going and I think we did that to be fair,” stated Canavan.
