Galway come off second best against the Rebels

Cork 1-13

Galway 0-9

IT was heartbreak for Galway’s senior camogie team last Sunday as Cork emerged triumphant in the All-Ireland final to secure their 26th crown and successfully retain the title.

In a contest where the Tribeswomen just simply didn’t get going, Cork’s experienced players dictated throughout the 60 minutes before Briege Corkery’s goal six minutes from time ensured despair for Tony Ward’s charges.

From the opening exchanges, Galway were coming out second best in intensity and were chasing the contest.  However, the maroon and white never reneged from their workrate but just couldn’t catch the necessary break to overturn the Rebels’ momentum.

After a season where Galway were league champions and went 11 games unbeaten, their inability to get to grips with this decider was puzzling and a failure to marshal tighter the consistent clearances from Cork centre back Gemma O’Connor couldn’t be ignored. But in their efforts to restore parity after falling behind in the second minute, some decision making, efforts on goal and link up play never matched the heights they’d achieved over the previous seven months.

An early miss from Siobhan Coen allowed Ashling Thompson open the scoring  for Cork but the Ballinderreen wing back went on to have a quality performance in her first All-Ireland final. Already, Paudie Murray’s charges had a game plan they executed well. Thompson and Orla Cotter occupied midfield and took the game to their opponents finding team-mates quickly.  Likewise, Julia White initiated the pressure on the resilient Galway defence while Corkery also got involved.

Cotter took Corkery’s pass in the fourth minute for the second score but Galway looked ready to settle when they opened their account two minutes later. Susan Earner played a short puck-out to Heather Cooney on the left before the St. Thomas’ player picked out Clodagh McGrath on that flank. The Sarsfields midfielder made the run before finding her sister Niamh (McGrath) who sent over a fine effort.

While McGrath would leave an impression with some excellent free taking and seven further points, Cotter was equally efficient and two Cork frees left it 0-4 to 0-1 on eight minutes.

Galway were trying to find their attack only to run into a Cork half-back line led by O’Connor that wasn’t in a generous mood. But a strange mix-up in officiating on nine minutes certainly robbed the Tribeswomen of a rallying score.

What actually prevailed was hard to judge after what looked like Molly Dunne offloading for a fine Ailish O’Reilly point.  The linesman on the Hogan Stand side was waving indicating that the Eyrecourt full forward had stepped over the line before referee Ray Kelly signalled a free in. McGrath kept her cool to split the posts only for the Kildare official to blow again and decide to throw the ball in.

Kelly, who wasn’t helped by his linesman, attempted to be fair throughout the game but was guilty of some strange calls. Even though Galway shaded the free count (12-11), two harsh challenges on Aoife Donohue went unpunished while Dunne may have been impeded chasing a potential goal eight minutes from time. And his lateness in stopping play following a collision between Corkery and Lorraine Ryan in the second half was concerning.

Full match report in this week’s Connacht Tribune