How Cork recovered from ‘complete shock to the system’

Kingspan Breffni Park, September 2, 2017. The Cork dressing room is a picture of devastation. There’s total silence, nobody quite sure what to say or do. A Cork ladies football team hasn’t found itself in this position in seven years.

Ephie Fitzgerald togged 30 players for last year’s 3-11 to 0-18 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Mayo, but outside of full-back Bríd Stack, captain Ciara O’Sullivan, and subs Annie Walsh, Aisling Barrett, and Róisín O’Sullivan, none of the panel had ever experienced defeat in a knockout senior championship fixture. All they knew were September outings to Croker and homecomings on South Mall.