02 October 2006 Cork 1-7 Armagh 1-6 Share this Article 0 0 0 Shares! 0 Shares! Cork 1-7 Armagh 1-6 TG4 All-Ireland Ladies SFC final IT WAS only by the narrowest margins and came after a rollercoaster hour which included a controversial sin-binning and another hotly debated wide. But Cork didn’t care as they wildly celebrated retaining their TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football title in Croke Park yesterday. Breezy American sportscasters would no doubt dream up a natty phrase – ‘the couble’ perhaps – for what seven of them (Briege Corkery, Angela Walsh, Rena Buckley and Mary O’Connor of the starters) achieved in completing the All-Ireland camogie and football double for the second year running. But there was nothing easy or happy-clappy about this one. At half-time the defending champions sat dazed and confused after an early Armagh blitz that rocked them to the core. Last year’s junior champions, who had remarkably reached their first senior final within a year, showed that was absolutely no fluke by explosively scoring 1-3 to 0-1 in the first quarter. Their 17th minute goal was a stunner, a training ground move from a short ’45 that Alma O’Donnell took to Maggs McAlinden. She quickly laid it off to Mairead Tennyson whose high shot dipped lethally at the last minute to beat Cork ‘keeper Elaine Harte who was otherwise rock solid under a first-half barrage of high balls. For the first 25 minutes the Ulster champions’ brilliant harrying tactics and support play was everything that had been expected and a perfect doppelganger of their men’s game. Alma O’Donnell and Caroline O’Hanlon were immense at midfield, as was O’Donnell’s twin Bronagh at centre-back. Daughter McAlinden, daughter of former player Brian, started at corner-forward and played a key roving role as their forwards hunted down a Cork defence who could suddenly only see orange. When Cork managed to get upfield they were wasteful, shooting short or wide (six by the break), with half-forward Nollaig Cleary only pointing a great goal chance thanks to Valerie Mulcahy, in the 28th minute. There were louder groans then when a deflected long-range shot from Mary O’Connor fell to Amanda Murphy who was only stopped goaling by a brilliant save from goalkeeper Fionnuala McAtamney. Net result? Cork went in four points down (0-3 to 1-4) with their double dream in serious tatters. They re-opened equally inconsistently, with points from captain Juliet Murphy and Caoimhe Creedon while brilliant corner-back Briege Corkery yielded only wides from two trademark bursts upfield. But then came the game’s turning point when Caoimhe Marley (daughter of Noel) was yellow-carded in the 40th minute for a late tackle on Geraldine O’Flynn. Many thought it harsh and while Cork were obviously already fighting back, it was undoubtedly a big fillip. Within three minutes wing-forward Nollaig Cleary got a chance to goal again and while her first shot came off the woodwork she had the presence to place the second chance. Suddenly the Rebelettes had only their second lead of the game and a life-line they so badly needed and from then on it was not for the faint-hearted. Defender With the brilliant Corkery as a spare defender for the next 10 minutes, they dominated possession but squandered chance after chance, shooting seven of their eight second-half sides in the third quarter. Armagh, to their credit, hung on for dear life. They hadn’t scored since their first-half goal but an inspirational point from Caroline O’Hanlon finally ended a 34-minute scoreless spell to level it with 15 minutes remaining. Points from Amanda Murphy and wing-back Geraldine O’Flynn put Cork two clear with eight minutes left before Mairead Tennyson got the margin back to a point with four minutes remaining and Armagh shot three wides in those dying minutes. But Cork’s experience and never-say-die attitude closed it out and ladies football chiefs will be mightily relieved the one-point margin was not reversed because, in an embarrassing repeat of their semi-finals controversy, Cork appeared to have a legitimate point (from Val Mulcahy) ruled incorrectly wide by an umpire just before half-time. Cliona Foley of The Irish Independent Share this Article 0 0