Templeglantine came from eight points behind to claim the Limerick intermediate camogie title in dramatic fashion.
TEMPLEGLANTINE left Na Piarsaigh stunned after a late flurry cut an eight-point deficit in a matter of minutes.
Na Piarsaigh were ahead on the scoreboard from the first point of the game up until injury time when a Noelle Curtin goal had flipped the game on its head.
Templeglantine were the strongest finishers after just a three-day turnaround from their semi-final win over Blackrock Effin, which had been replayed due to an appeal.
Ring rust may have been an issue Na Piarsaigh, whose last competitive match came in their semi-final win over Mungret St Pauls five weeks ago.
They came into the final with a 100% win record in the intermediate Championship, having been relegated from senior last season.
Included in that record is a 2-20 to 3-7 victory over Templeglantine back in Round 2.
It was a game of two halves in Adare, with a gale-force wind making puck outs nearly impossible for either goalkeeper when up against it.
Stephanie Woulfe was forced to drop deep from midfield to receive puck outs and allow a way out for Templeglantine.
It was Woulfe’s reliable free-taking, from all angles and long distances, which allowed her side to stay within reach of Na Piarsaigh as she scored seven scores from the dead ball and one from play.
Na Piarsaigh had the backing of the breeze in the first period and made use of it, going into the break 1-07 to 0-04 ahead.
Tony Dunne’s team will be disappointed with a number of scorable wides left behind in the first half and allowing three of Templeglantine’s scores to come in the minutes leading up to the whistle.
The victors on the day scored their first point from play just two minutes from the interval after a frustrating 30 minutes of camogie.
Second half comeback
The change of ends saw a huge boost for the Templeglantine puck-out, which was seeing a lot more success.
But it took time for this improvement to show on the scoreboard as Na Piarsaigh maintained their strong advantage deep into the second half.
Rosie McCaul fired a shot into the top right corner of the Templeglantine goal with less than 10 minutes remaining, in what looked to be the knock-out blow for the West Limerick outfit.
Finding themselves eight points behind, it looked to be an uphill task for Pat McInerney’s side.
They responded almost immediately as Ciara Curtin split the posts over her right shoulder after a well-worked puck out.
This would be the start of a devastating period for Na Piarsaigh as they could only manage one score to their opponent’s two goals and five points in quick succession.
The sucker punch came in injury time as the city-based team’s lead was finally evaporated as Noelle Curtin found the bottom left corner.
Manager Pat McInerney hailed the group’s “never give up” attitude at full-time after their stunning resurgence.
All the “famous Monday night sessions” where the players “ran and ran for hours” paid off in the biggest game of their season.
Templeglantine will compete in the senior Championship next season, which was hailed as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for a club of its stature by captain Connie Sheehan.
It’s on to Munster Championship action first for Sheehan and Co. as they are back in action next weekend in another tight turnaround for the intermediate county champions.
Shauna Quinlivan was named player of the match just before captain Sheehan was presented with the trophy to a chorus of cheers from the travelling support.
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Na Piarsaigh
Robyn Conlon (VC); Sophie Duggan, Sinead McNamara, Madison O’Neill; Eileen Herbert, Sinead Barry (C), Anna Rose Benson (0-01); Caitlin Ryan (0-01), Enya Harrington; Lucy Murray (0-02), Lizzie Boylan, Rosie McCaul (1-01); Emma Doherty (1-05, 0-01f, 0-02 ’45), Katie Campbell, Emma Kennedy.
Subs: Milly O’Sullivan, Eva Long, Lucy Hartnett, Charlotte Noctor, Aideen Hogg, Ruth Murray, Ashling Morrisey, Ella Jordan, Áine Ó’Tiarnaigh
Templeglantine
Amy Stack; Kiara Cahill, Shannyn Sheehan, Julie Murphy; Shauna Quinlivan, Connie Sheehan (C), Lauren O’Connor; Stephanie Woulfe (0-07, 0-06f), Sarah Curtin; Ciara Curtin (0-01), Noelle Curtin (1-02), Stacey Flynn (1-00); Julianne O’Connell, Sarah O’Brien (0-01, Yellow), Orla O’Connor.
Subs: Rachel Flannery, Millie O’Sullivan, Ciara Roche, Michelle Curtin, Millie Dore, Leah Donovan, Ellie Quinlivan, Aleece McMahon, Grace White.
Referee: Donnacha O’Callaghan