26th title the sweetest for regrouping Cork

Cork will never tire of winning All-Irelands, that’s for sure. This must be the sweetest of all because this is a Rebel team that lost so many quality players from last season. But here they never flinched. Not once. They led from pillar to post. They dominated, coming away with their 26th title, equalling Dublin’s record at the top of the roll of honour.

A week ago, all the talk was of the Kilkenny hurlers and how they coped minus the likes of JJ Delaney, Jackie Tyrrell, and Henry Shefflin. A lot of people feared this Cork camogie side would come up short, forced to regroup with so many All-Ireland-winners gone from the setup; five of the starting 15 to be precise. But the players who came in made it clear from the outset they were able deputies.

The impact of Gemma O’Connor cannot be underestimated — such a lion-hearted centre-back. Granted, Galway played into her hands, allowing her oceans of space in which she revelled. But she is an incredible player that never fails to deliver.