Galway's inseparable Ward sisters collect the one missing medal

Sunday completed the set for Louise and Nicola Ward. And in a departure from every other All-Ireland they’ve won, the twin sisters lined out side-by-side in the half-back line

2 August 2026; Galway players Nicola Ward, left, and Louise Ward, celebrate with their parents Chrissie and Willie and the Brendan Martin Cup after the LGFA TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Galway and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Inseparable since the day they landed into this world together, Louise and Nicola Ward were locked in tearful embrace when Kate Geraghty raised aloft Brendan Martin further up the Hogan Stand early on Sunday evening.

Inseparable in their football journeys, it was only fitting that Louise should make her first start of an injury-interrupted 2026 to ensure full presence on the afternoon she and her twin sister collected the one medal missing from the drawer.