TG4 ALL-IRELAND LADIES SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

TG4 ALL-IRELAND LADIES SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

 

CORK 1-9
DUBLIN 0-11

 

JACKIE CAHILL AT CROKE PARK

CORK had to dig deep against luckless Dublin before clinching a fifth successive TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football championship crown at Croke Park on Sunday.

Eamon Ryan’s all-conquering Leesiders found themselves two points behind with eight minutes remaining of a low-scoring decider but called upon their vast reserves of experience to annex yet another title.

Substitute Mairead Kelly made a big impact in the closing stages, scoring one point and creating another, as a run of four unanswered points saw Cork squeeze over the line with the bare minimum to spare.

Dublin, back in the final for the first time since 2005, can count themselves unfortunate not to have left GAA HQ with the Brendan Martin Cup as the ultimate souvenir.

They were the better team for long spells, displaying incredible levels of hunger and intensity with their superb tackling particularly evident.

The Sky Blues, inspired by Mary Nevin, got off to an ideal start with the first two points of the game but were rocked on their heels in the fifth minute.

Cork, in typical fashion, absorbed the early pressure and then struck back with a vengeance as Nollaig Cleary banged home a fine goal at the Hill 16 end, after taking a pass from top scorer Valerie Mulcahy.

Cork went hunting for more goals as they attempted to blitz the Leinster champions and Amy O’Shea struck the base of the post in the 10th minute, before Rhona Ní Bhuachalla blazed wide soon after.

Dublin, who had five forwards on target from play in the opening half, survived that onslaught and had chances of their own to claim an elusive goal.

As early as the second minute, Sinead Aherne found herself one on one with Cork goalkeeper Elaine Harte but the Rockbán shotstopper blocked Aherne’s shot with her legs.

With 17 minutes on the watch, Dublin were presented with a penalty chance after Aherne was hauled down by Ciara O’Sullivan but Aherne’s poorly-struck shot was easily saved by Harte.

O’Sullivan spent ten minutes in the sin-bin for that indiscretion but Dublin failed to make their numerical superiority count on the scoreboard.

However, they did lead by 0-6 to 1-2 at half-time and some harsh words were spoken in the Cork dressing room during the interval as they charged out of the blocks in the second period.

The first of five second half points for Mulcahy hauled Cork level and the teams would find themselves deadlocked on three further occasions before the finish.

It was real tit-for-tat fare, with Dublin looking the more likely team, but the pattern of the game was similar to the All-Ireland senior hurling final and the Dubs couldn’t land the knockout punch.

Cork were on the ropes and there for the taking but displaying the steel of champions, they refused to yield and hung in there in the face of stiff Dublin pressure.

Dublin’s strong running game, mixed with ferocious and hard-hitting tackling, caused Cork plenty of problems and Aherne finished a flowing move which involved five pairs of hands to send her side 0-10 to 1-5 clear in the final quarter.

It was time for cool and experienced heads in the Cork camp and it was Mulcahy, Juliet Murphy and Nollaig Cleary who stood tall as the Rebelettes clawed their way back.

Scores from Mulcahy and sub Kelly tied the game for the sixth time before Cleary and Mulcahy fired Cork two points clear with just minutes to go.

Aherne’s third point cut the gap back to just a single point again with two minutes remaining but Cork played keep ball with possession and ran the clock down effectively as Dublin chased red-clad shadows.

 

Scorers for Cork: V Mulcahy 0-5 (3f), N Cleary 1-1, J Murphy 0-2f, M Kelly 0-1.

 

Scorers for Dublin: S Aherne 0-3 (1f), M Nevin & A McGuinness 0-2 each, S McGrath, E Kelly, L Davey and L Peat 0-1 each.

 

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

 

Subs: L McMahon for O’Shea (39), L Barrett for Ní Bhuachalla (42), M Kelly for O’Connor (50).

 

DUBLIN: C O’Connor; A Cluxton, N Comyn, M Kavanagh; C Barrett, S Furlong, S McGrath; D Masterson, N McEvoy; M Nevin, A McGuinness, E Kelly; L Davey, S Aherne, L Peat.

 

Subs: L Kidd for Cluxton (26), N Hurley for Kelly (39), E Travers for Barrett (54), K Flood for McEvoy (56), R Byrne for Nevin (57).

 

Referee: D Corcoran (Mayo).

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