With number 30 on the line, Cork refused to budge

In the clutch period after Galway piled six points on top of them to level the game for a 10th time in the 51st minute, they stood taller.

Mon, 12 Aug, 2024 - 07:06

John Fogarty

All-Ireland senior camogie final: Cork 1-16 Galway 0-16

By no means as comfortable as it might have been expected, and not without its share of controversy, but Cork were good for this, their 30th All-Ireland senior camogie title.

Strike that, they were too good. In the clutch period after Galway piled six points on top of them to level the game for a 10th time in the 51st minute, they stood taller. For the remaining 15-odd minutes, they were the only scorers.

Much will be made of the legitimacy of Katrina Mackey’s 36th minute goal and rightly so as on the scoreboard it ultimately proved the difference. It should not have stood and let down an otherwise rollicking final that had largely been played and officiated with a healthy sense of abandonment that camogie has so badly lacked.

Nevertheless, it couldn’t sully this Cork success. It was their reserves in Sorcha McCartan, Clodagh Finn and Méabh Cahalane who transformed them in the closing stages. McCartan and Finn provided the scores and Cahalane helped shore up the back-line. McCartan had come on for Mackey who injured himself in claiming her goal. After Galway’s purple patch, she stopped the bleeding with a score in the 54th minute. Another point came soon afterwards from Finn and Cork were breathing a little easier.

Galway sent two shots wide, had another attempt hooked and Annmarie Starr was denied what appeared a legitimate free before McCartan posted her second point and Cork weren't budging.

“We did no running last week, we felt they had enough done,” revealed Ger Manley as he explained Cork’s freshness in the closing stages. “You could see it there today. Laura Treacy is phenomenal, you saw her at the end there. Pamela Mackey, Meabh (Cahalane).

“It really is that defensive core that you need to win these big games. We need the scores up front, no doubt, but it is the work-rate behind, and the work the girls put in since I've been here.”

In scoring her goal, Katrina Mackey didn’t appear to make contact with the ball as it passed over the goal-line. Availing of an Amy O’Connor pass, Mackey had thrown up the ball to tap it to the net but was tackled in the process and was forced off injured shortly afterwards.

The great Cork following in the 27,811 crowd rejoiced as it appeared their team were turning the screw on a valiant Galway team. The goal was part of Cork’s 1-4 blitz inside the first 11 minutes of the second half. Orlaith Cahalane and Ashling Thompson had sent over points before the green flag and Saoirse McCarthy and Amy O’Connor (free) followed it with two more.

Six points ahead, Cork had reason to be pleased with themselves but as they retreated they encouraged Galway. The next six points were theirs, three of them from Carrie Dolan’s stick (two from frees), a brace from the excellent Aoife Donohue and Ciara Hickey sending over another. Crucially, Galway didn’t go ahead and the Cork sideline replenished their side with reserves.

Cathal Murray wasn’t going to go the route of pointing fingers of blame at the officials. “We just didn’t get over the line, and it’s gutting. That dressing room is a really hard place to be, Croke Park is for winners. It’s a lovely place to be when you win but it’s a tough place to be when you lose. I’m super proud of the girls, as I always am. Some unbelievable performance but unfortunately we just didn’t get over the line.”

The teams were level eight times in the first half before Donohoe clipped over a fine score before the break to give Galway the advantage, 0-10 to 0-9. And Galway were full value for their lead, their intent obvious from the outset as they were keen to stop Thompson in their tracks.

Donohoe was one of those getting in Cork faces as Galway looked to crowd out Cork in the middle with an extra player and put the physical presence of midfielder Niamh Hanniffy at the edge of the Cork square.

Cork had two points on the board inside the first two minutes but they were cancelled out by a couple of quick Dolan frees. Cork’s speed was always on Galway minds and Mackey was sharp for a 13th minute score but back Galway came with the next two points to go ahead, Donohue sending over her first from play followed by Dolan sending over one of her five converted frees in the opening half.

The scores followed a tit-for-tat pattern up to Donohue’s leading score before the interval, Cork never going ahead even if scores appeared to come easier for Manley’s side.

At the same time, it wasn’t until the start of the second half that Galway struck their first wide. And they were scoring under pressure. Winning a contested aerial ball, Niamh Mallon posted a fine point in the 21st minute.

Izzy O’Regan and Laura Treacy were forced into picking up bookings in upending corner-forwards Dolan and Ailish O’Reilly, which Dolan penalised with a point each time.

Still, Cork were moving well and their half-forwards’ pace was opening up the opposition on occasions. McCarthy, who Galway had tagged with Olwen Rabbitte, and Fiona Keating bisected the posts and O’Connor had converted a free she won prior to Galway restoring their lead before the turnaround.

On the resumption, Cork looked like champions but it wasn’t until they were pushed that they established they were. No disputed goal will change that reality.

Scorers for Cork: K. Mackey (1-2); S. McCarthy (0-3, 1 free); A. O’Connor (0-3, frees); O. Cahalane, S. McCartan (0-2 each); C. Healy, F. Keating, A. Thompson, C. Finn (0-1 each).

Scorers for Galway: C. Dolan (0-8, 7 frees); A. Donohue (0-4); A. O’Reilly (0-2); N. Mallon, C. Hickey (0-1 each).

CORK: A. Lee; M. Murphy, P. Mackey; L. Treacy; H. Looney, I. O’Regan, L. Hayes (v-c); A. Thompson, A. Healy; C. Healy, F. Keating, S. McCarthy; A. O’Connor, O. Cahalane, K. Mackey.

Subs for Cork: S. McCartan for K. Mackey (inj 39); C. O’Sullivan for C. Healy (48); M. Cahalane for H. Looney (51); C. Finn for F. Keating (53); E. Murphy for O. Cahalane (60+3).

GALWAY: S. Healy; R. Black (c), D. Higgins, R. Hanniffy; O. Rabbitte, A. Keane, C. Hickey; A. Starr, N. Kilkenny; N. Mallon, N. McPeake, A. Donohue; C. Dolan, N. Hanniffy, A. O’Reilly.

Subs for Galway: O. McGrath for A. O’Reilly (49); N. Niland for N. Hanniffy (60+2); A. Hesnan for O. Rabbitte (60+5).

Referee: L. Dempsey (Kilkenny).