4 in a row for Cork Ladies

Cork captured a fourth successive TG4 All-Ireland ladies football championship crown as Monaghan were vanquished at Croke Park on Sunday.

At half-time, just three points separated the sides, Cork leading by 1-8 to 0-8, but the Cork turned up the heat in the second half to ensure a historic 4 in a row.

Valerie Mulcahy, sent off in the semi-final victory over Tyrone but cleared to play in the decider, bagged 3-2 as the Rebelettes defeated Monaghan by 14 points. However the score flattered Cork as Monaghan proved they would not lie down and did not give anything away easy

Cork scorers: V Mulcahy 3-2 (2-0 pens, 0-1f), C O’Sullivan 1-0, J Murphy 0-3f, N Cleary, M O’Connor & R Buckley 0-2 each, A Murphy & A O’Shea 0-1 each.

Monaghan scorers: E Byrne 0-3, C McConnell 0-3 (1f), T McNally 0-2, I Kierans, N Kindlon (f) & C McAnespie 0-1 each.

CORK: E Harte; C Walsh, A Walsh, L Barrett; B Corkery, B Stack, G O’Flynn; J Murphy, N Kelly; N Cleary, M O’Connor, A Murphy; V Mulcahy, A O’Shea, D O’Reilly.

SUBS: R Buckley for C Walsh (29m), C O’Sullivan for O’Reilly (41m), R Buckley for A Murphy (48m), R O’Sullivan for O’Shea (54m), S O’Reilly for Cleary (55m).

MONAGHAN: L Martin; G McNally, S Courtney, C Reilly; A McAnespie, A Lennon, F Courtney; A Casey, I Kierans; C McConnell, N Kindlon, T McNally; C McAnespie, E Byrne, N Fahy.

SUBS: L Connolly for Lennon (44m), C Courtney for McConnell (48m), E McCarron for Fahy (51m), U McNally for Reilly (54m).

Ref: K Tighe (Dublin)