Experienced Galway edge Cork in camogie All-Ireland final

Galway 1-15 Cork 1-12

Interim relief was the order granted by the Disputes Resolution Authority that allowed Cork’s Orla Cronin to play in the All-Ireland camogie final and, for what you might term an interim period at Croke Park, she looked like being the match-winner.

Cronin, dismissed in the semi-final against Kilkenny and hit with a three-match ban, was dramatically cleared to play early on Sunday morning and delivered a terrific performance, shooting six points to place her team on the brink of victory.

Her 47th minute point tied the game up at 0-11 apiece before Katrina Mackey slammed home a goal that left Cork three clear.

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From there, it was all about Galway’s greatness, however, as the 2019 champions outscored the 2018 winners by 1-4 to 0-1 in the closing period to secure their fourth title.

Siobhan McGrath's 1-3 haul and 56th minute goal were decisive in scoring terms though for sheer effort and inspiration, midfielder Aoife Donoghue claimed the Player of the Match award.

Beside her, Niamh Kilkenny was at her industrious best and laid on the final passes for Galway’s last two points of the game.

Those were two crucial interventions and particularly the first one as Cork only trailed by a point, 1-13 to 1-12, and were on the attack when Kilkenny forced a turnover, engineering a point for Orlaith McGrath.

That left Galway with a two-point cushion and Kilkenny then picked out Siobhan McGrath for the insurance score four minutes into stoppage time.

Not that Galway manager Cathal Murray necessarily agreed with the ‘greatness’ comment.

“They’re certainly the most successful Galway team we’ve had, there’s no debate there,” said Murray, who argued that there’s an even higher bar to surpass to be considered great.

“To win two All-Irelands in three years is really, really special. But for me, any of the great teams have done it back to back, that’s my own opinion. You look at Wexford and the three-in-a-row, you look at Cork in ‘14 and ‘15 and ‘17 and ‘18, they did it back to back. I think that’s the challenge now for this team.”

It was a difficult situation for Cronin and quite what’s coming down the line now for her nobody can be sure. A statement by the DRA made it clear that they ‘made no finding on the substantive appeal’ regarding her ban and had merely granted interim relief to play in the final.

Cork manager Paudie Murray said Cronin, who delivered strongly from frees and in open play, was ‘outstanding’ but hit out at the disciplinary processes.

“I don’t particularly want to say too much because I don’t want to take away from a Galway victory, it might be skewed in a certain way that I have sour grapes,” he said.

“I have great time for Galway and for Cathal Murray, I think it is important to get that across but the (disciplinary process) is . . . fairness is the word that is being used, but it’s not. I just don’t think you have enough qualified people in these meetings to handle it correctly.”

Galway flew out of the traps initially, roaring into a 0-5 to 0-1 lead, but a tight, tense tussle that went to the wire always seemed likely.

Both sides reached the final with exactly 28 points to spare after four games and it was no surprise that Cork recovered to draw level late in the first-half, 0-8 apiece.

Referee Liz Dempsey contributed to the contest by allowing a free-flowing game to develop. There was plenty of heavy hits in midfield in particular where Galway's Donohue and Kilkenny came up against Hannah Looney and Ashling Thompson.

Looney and Thompson scored three of Cork’s first four points as they recovered to cancel out that bright Galway start.

But Donohue put in a huge shift too for Galway, covering a huge amount of turf and striking a terrific stoppage time point to leave the 2020 runners up 0-9 to 0-8 ahead at half-time.

The teams split four points evenly in the third quarter and a simmering encounter then suddenly burst into life with 1-1 from Cork.

Cork’s Mackey was fed by substitute and captain Linda Collins with a clever hand-pass on the right of goals at the Hill 16 end and thundered a shot to the net.

It left Cork 1-11 to 0-11 ahead and they remained in that position with nine minutes remaining. Surprisingly, they only scored once again as Galway, in their third consecutive final, brought all their experience to bear.

Galway: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, S Dervan, D Higgins; C Cormican, E Helebert, S Gardiner; A Donohue (0-1), N Kilkenny (0-2); C Dolan (0-6 frees), S Spellman, C Finnerty; O McGrath (0-1), S McGrath (1-3), A O'Reilly (0-2, one free).

Subs: N Hanniffy for Finnerty (h-t), R Hennelly for Dolan (51 mins), AM Starr for Cormican (60 mins), N Coen for Spellman (61 mins).

Cork: A Lee; M Cahalane, L Coppinger, P Mackey; L Hayes, L Treacy, S McCarthy; H Looney (0-2), A Thompson (0-1); C O'Sullivan, F Keating, C Sigerson (0-1); K Mackey (1-1), O Cronin (0-6, four frees), A O'Connor (0-1).

Subs: L Collins for O’Sullivan (36 mins), C Healy for Keating (59 mins).

Referee: L Dempsey (Kilkenny).