Famous five for resilient Cork

WHEN all looked lost for champions Cork in Croke Park yesterday, trailing by two points with eight minutes remaining and staring defeat in the face, the utter belief in their ability to hold on to the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies football title frustrated a Dublin team which, in truth, turned in the better performance on the day.

It was reflected in a powerful finish which yielded four points in a five-minute period, the result of a rare period of dominance when it was most needed and assisted by the contributions from substitutes Linda Barrett and Mairead Kelly.

The end result was that in the final minute’s play, Cork literally owned the ball as they ran down the clock. And, while the sound of the hooter signalled victory by a mere point (contrasting with a margin of 14 in last year’s final against Monaghan), all that mattered to manager Eamonn Ryan and his multi-talented squad of players was that they had won. That they were winners for the fifth year in a row.