Mission accomplished as Galway stay on course to retain All-Ireland title

Galway 1-11

Tipperary 0-8

STEPHEN GLENNON AT PÁIRC UÍ CHAOIMH

A solid performance – nothing more, nothing less – from Galway in this hard-fought All-Ireland senior camogie semi-final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday. On the champions march to a second consecutive final, where they will defend their crown against old foes Kilkenny.

It’s days like these when the result outweighs everything else and in overcoming Tipperary, a side that continues to improve game-on-game, Galway now have the opportunity to achieve something that the county has never done before: win back-to-back titles.

Standing in their way are their old nemesis Kilkenny, who will be driven to avenge their All-Ireland defeat to the Tribeswomen in last year’s September encounter.

That will be a potent motivating factor for Kilkenny as they look to buck a trend that has seen them lose six of the last seven All-Ireland finals they have appeared in since 2009 – two of those losses coming against Galway in 2013 and 2019.

Galway manager Cathal Murray will be wary and, certainly, it will not be lost on him just how impressive Kilkenny were in accounting for Cork, 2-10 to 1-11, in last Saturday’s curtain-raiser, particularly given the pressure Brian Dowling’s women came under when Cork raced into an early lead. It was an impressive recovery from the Cats.

In contrast, Galway, at times, stuttered to this victory. When they got into their flow, they looked to be a class apart but for long periods, they were forced to play this physical semi-final on their opponents’ terms.

What champions do, though, is that they find a way and this they did on Saturday. While Tipperary may argue the six-point margin didn’t reflect what they brought to the contest, in truth, Galway could have claimed this victory by much more.

Aside from Carrie Dolan’s brilliantly worked and taken goal on 15 minutes, Galway spurned goal chance after goal chance throughout the 60 minutes. Two of those were from the penalty spot, although in fairness to substitute Siobhan McGrath, who took the second penalty on 60 minutes, the instruction had come from the sideline to tap it over.

Galway’s first penalty midway through the second period was taken by Galway goalkeeper

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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