Three moments that proved crucial for Cork
Ahead by 0-10 to 0-8, Cork finally managed to put significant daylight between themselves and their opponents when Corkery scored a goal on 54 minutes. Shauna Healy’s groundstroke was intercepted by Corkery and the full-forward was coolness personified when sending the sliotar into the bottom-left corner of Susan Earners’s goal.
Although breaching the cover when cutting out Healy’s attempted clearance, Corkery was still 30 metres from the Galway goal and had a fair task in front of her. As manager Paudie Murray said afterwards, no better woman.
Sarah Dervan had initially sent the ball in Healy’s direction and would have been better served relieving the danger by launching the ball downfield.
Having moved 0-8 to 0-3 ahead after 25 minutes, Cork would fail to score in the ensuing 19-minutes of action. Galway nailed four on the bounce during this period to cut the deficit to the minimum. Had Galway drawn level, momentum would certainly have been in their corner heading into the final quarter.
Cork though, never allowed their opponents back on level footing. On 42 minutes, after Galway had repelled three successive attacks, Niamh Kilkenny was hassled out of possession in attempting to make her way out of the Galway defence. Cotter grabbed the sliotar and split the posts to send Cork back down the road to success.
The Cork full-back delivered a measured and confident performance and though Molly Dunne was starved of possession throughout, Treacy won the majority of ball sent in their direction.
On 12 minutes, Niamh Kilkenny cut through from midfield and played a superb ball over the head of Treacy which was taken down by Dunne. Trailing by 0-4 to 0-1, a Galway goal would have kick-started their title bid. Instead, Treacy pulled Dunne to the ground, content to concede the 20-metre free. Clever move.
