Powerful finish puts Cork in first final

Cork 0-13 Mayo 1-9

Cork captain Juliette Murphy, who kicked the winning point 29 seconds before the hooter, thought the match was lost before Mayo had two players sidelined in the closing minutes. Coach Eamonn Ryan conceded that his team had “used up a lot of luck.”

The referee’s decision to send off substitute Ciara McDermott two minutes after she came on and wing-forward Marcella Heffernan with two-and-a-half minutes remaining undoubtedly gave Cork the opportunity to take control at the most critical stage of the game. Mayo selector Noel Kearney’s description of their defeat as “cruel” aptly summed up the mood of management and tearful players at the game’s conclusion. He wasn’t happy about the circumstances of the defeat.