Champions Galway sweep Kilkenny aside to reach third consecutive camogie final
Carrie Dolan scored 1-4 for Galway in the semi-final victory over Kilkenny. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Far too easy for Galway. An eye-opener for Kilkenny.
The clash of the reigning champions and a county returning to the semi-final stage for the first occasion since 2022 was no clash at all.
This was a lesson for Kilkenny and another ladder step seamlessly climbed by Galway.
Under the headings of physicality, intensity, nous, and tactical awareness, the difference was immense.
Kilkenny only thrice stood level with their opponents. They never stood level with them beyond the 27th minute. They never led. They managed only two scores from play in the regulation hour.
Pay little heed to Kilkenny registering four of the last five scores. The champions completely shut up shop when Carrie Dolan’s third free of the afternoon stretched their lead out to nine - 1-13 to 0-7 - on 50 minutes. In the 17 minutes remaining, they added only once more to their tally. They were more than content to withdraw and absorb.
For the third time in Galway’s history, they have succeeded in reaching three successive All-Ireland finals. The task now is to achieve a historic first of successfully going back-to-back.
Most concerning for Cathal Murray will be the injuries incurred across the hour. 2025 Player of the Year Aoife Donohue departed with a second-half leg injury. Sabina Rabbitte suffered a nasty thumb injury after her introduction. Carrie Dolan was limping for a finish.
The opening half finished with Ciara Hickey sweeping a breaking ball into Kilkenny’s inside line. Fitting, really, such was Hickey’s towering influence on the opening half.
Her reading, her game-intelligence, and her distribution was without equal. No small help was Kilkenny routinely and inexplicably sending deliveries straight into the No.6's barrow.
It stood as one example of many of Kilkenny’s inexperience at this stage of the championship. Caoimhe Dowling overcarried in the Galway half without cause or reason or a maroon shirt in close proximity. Laura Murphy sent a free, intended for nearby Aoife Prendergast, out over the sideline.
With the wind behind them, Kilkenny needed to be far smarter than they were. Their first score that wasn’t an Aoife Prendergast converted free came from Sarah Barcoe on 21 minutes. It represented their one and sole first-half score from play. They didn't score again from play until the 60th minute.
Trailing by 0-7 to 0-5 turning around, the task in front of the returning semi-finalists was sizable.
The half opened with Galway’s other pillar of influence - Carrie Dolan - collecting a Katie Anna Porter handpass and splitting the posts inside 21 seconds.
The Galway captain would assist her team’s next three scores, providing the final pass for Niamh Niland, Caoimhe Kelly, and Ailish O’Reilly.
Niamh McPeake’s 14th minute point for a 0-5 to 0-2 Galway lead was their last for 13 minutes. Kilkenny came with three-in-a-row to achieve parity. They had a further three-in-a-row of chances to hit the front for the first time. That wastefulness another sign of their inexperience and the gulf in class they’ve yet to bridge. Speaking of gulfs, physicality was another obvious point of difference between the counties.
Caoimhe Kelly broke a 13-minute barren spell and on again went Galway.
It was essentially game over within two minutes of the restart. Kelly played through Dolan for a goal chance. And although Dolan couldn’t hold onto possession, an off-the-ball tackle from Laura Greene on Dolan after the moment of danger had passed presented Galway with a gift of a penalty.
Dolan clinically converted and the gap was five. McPeake, Kelly, Niland, and Dervla Higgins kept the gap widening.
Job done for Galway. Eyes opened for Kilkenny. Returning to the semis marked progress. The next job is to ascend to the level where they are competitive and challenging on the penultimate weekend.
C Dolan (1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees); C Kelly (0-3); N McPeake, N Niland (0-2 each); D Higgins, A O’Reilly, A Kelly (0-1 each).
A Prendergast (0-8, 0-8 frees); S Barcoe, R Phelan, C Doheny (0-1 each).
S Healy; K Manning, R Black, R Hanniffy; KA Porter, C Hickey, D Higgins; A Hesnan, C Dolan; A Donohue, Á Keane, N McPeake; N Niland, A O’Reilly, C Kelly.
S Corcoran for Donohue (41); S Rabbitte for C Kelly, A Kelly for Keane, M Dillon for Niland (all 54); D Higgins for L Kelly (57).
A Norris; M Teehan, A Carroll, T Fitzgerald; C Dowling, N Deely, A Brett; L Greene, L Murphy; A Prendergast, C Keher-Murtagh, A McHardy; E Shortall, S Fitzgerald, S Barcoe.
S Fitzgerald for Nolan (37, inj); C Doheny for Shortall (40); R Phelan for McHardy (49); R Dowling for Carroll (61).
A Larkin.
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