Cork and Mayo will lock heads in winner takes all clash in All-Ireland Ladies SFC 

WINNER TAKES ALL: Cork must overcome Mayo to reach the knockout stages of the 2025 TG4 All-Ireland LGFA senior football championship. Pic: Karen Cox

Cork must overcome Mayo to reach the knockout stages of the 2025 TG4 All-Ireland LGFA senior football championship.

Lose and go home, it is as simple as that for Joe Carroll and the Cork LGFA seniors in Castlebar on Saturday afternoon.

Hastings Insurance MacHale Park hosts Mayo and Cork’s final TG4 All-Ireland SFC Group 2 clash (3pm throw-in) where the permutations are not straightforward.

The winners will advance with Kerry to the knockout stages. The vanquished will see their senior campaign ended for another year.

Yet, should a draw occur, the strange LGFA ruling of whoever kicks the most points on matchday in Castlebar will decree who goes on. Scoring difference will only come into play if Mayo and Cork are level at full-time and have both registered the same number of points during the tie.

As expected, both teams lost their respective senior championship group openers to the reigning All-Ireland champions.

Mayo put in a decent effort before going down 0-13 to 1-4 in Austin Stack Park at the beginning of June.

As for the Rebels, it was a proverbial game of two halves when Kerry visited SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh last weekend. The fast-starting hosts led 2-6 to 1-3 at the short whistle thanks, in part, to Katie Quirke and Áine Terry O’Sullivan’s green flags.

Kerry’s second half display was in stark contrast to their first as Mark Bourke’s side blitzed Cork for 4-4 and cantered to a 5-7 to 2-9 victory.

Joe Carroll’s first year in charge of the Cork seniors has delivered promotion from Division Two. An important achievement considering a new manager, backroom team and fresh-faced debutantes are involved.

Subsequent TG4 Munster championship defeats to Kerry and Waterford were disappointing and resulted in Cork failing to qualify for this year’s provincial final.

Mayo’s season has been equally turbulent with Liam McHale’s side relegated from Division One off the back of one victory and six losses. A narrow three-point win over Leitrim preceded consecutive defeats to Galway in this year’s TG4 Connacht SFC.

Ahead of Saturday’s must-win clash, McHale has made three changes to the starting line-up that lost to Kerry. Lynda Hanley, Aoife Geraghty and Clodagh Keane all start. Knockmore star, Keane, will be key to Mayo’s chances having impacted off the bench when placed on the edge of the square against both Galway and Kerry.

As for Cork, Joe Carroll’s solitary change involves Emma Cleary replacing Katie Horgan in half-forward line.

In terms of potential match winners, Katie Quirke has been one of her county’s most influential performers this year. Cork should emerge with a hard-earned victory if the Bride Rovers star, Abbie O’Mahony, Áine Terry O’Sullivan, Laura O’Mahony, Sarah Leahy, Shauna Kelly and Melissa Duggan perform to optimum levels.