An outstanding camogie rivalry again delivered. Someday the sport's association might seek to harness it

Irish Examiner

6 days ago

The midweek soundbites of Camogie President Brian Molloy didn't land. The gauntlet thrown down to all those who weighed in on the skorts protest was ignored. The masses refused to be guilted into attendance.
The president and the rest of the Camogie Association posse were naive to think the strong words of last week would ignite a response by foot. The camogie product has never been stronger and yet the year-round promotion of this product still lags a distance behind.
That the latter statement still has to be made, in the wake of a second successive final thriller, is regrettable. The focus should be elsewhere and we will shortly steer it that way.
Yesterday's crowd of 28,795, while still the second highest for a Camogie final, was nowhere near befitting the enthralling and physically ferocious fare served up. Of the four All-Ireland senior finals of the past month, yesterday was out on its own under several different headings. None of the previous three produced a contest of this nature. None of the previous three produced drama of this nature.
As we wrote last year and we write again now, the players in maroon and their contemporaries in red can do little more to entice patrons through the turnstiles. Add to that list the referees. They too can do little more.
This final was refereed from another world. Think back to the whistle-obsessed officiating of the many Cork-Kilkenny deciders in the middle of the last decade. Finals ruined by referees. Finals are now being raised by referees. The leniency shown is continually lifting the game to new heights by enabling players to express themselves both in strength and in skill. Yesterday was the latest example of such.
That is not to say Justin Heffernan scored a perfect 10 with his performance. Anything but. He missed a blatant push by Galway corner-forward Caoimhe Kelly on Cork goalkeeper Amy Lee that ended with the former firing over for a four-point lead. On the Galway side, Sabina Rabbitte was somehow called for overcarrying as Libby Coppinger hung out of her.
Both sides will have other grievances. Both sides did air their grievances.
Ger Manley labelled Heffernan's performance 'shocking', Hannah Looney's red card 'very harsh', and the winning free 'a dive' by Carrie Dolan. Whatever about the first and third of these assessments, the first-half injury-time red card was a red card. Interpretation is off the table there.
Cathal Murray, meanwhile, was infuriated with the interpretation of the charging rule for a second year in succession. On this occasion, Mairead Dillon and Dervla Higgins had second-half frees given against them when carrying possession into Laura Treacy.
'That rule has to change. It's absolutely crazy,' said Murray.
The above incidences, though, were in the minority. The physicality allowed propelled proceedings forward. The physicality allowed propelled this final onto the top shelf of camogie deciders.
Midway through the second period, Mairead Dillon presented herself in the face of Treacy. The Cork centre-back wasn't allowed out. She handpassed to Méabh Cahalane. The Cork captain got a similar unforgiving searching.
In too many previous finals, the whistle would have been blown and the hand raised for a Cork free out. The whistle, as was the case so often yesterday, never came. Cork were turned over. Carrie Dolan was fouled. Carrie Dolan converted for a four-point Galway lead.
'We welcome physicality, we want physicality. Them girls are three nights a week in the gym, I'm sure Cork are too. We want the game to be played like that,' said Murray.
'Justin is a good referee. He'll always shake hands and say, 'I'm going to let it go as much as I can'. In fairness, most of the referees are doing that. You don't want a game of frees like we had in the past, but I do think it was an unbelievable game of camogie. You don't get a chance to enjoy it because you're running up and down the line, but it looked like an unbelievable game and Cork are unbelievable champions the way they came back at us.'
Galway seethed during the two-week build up over how Cork were billed as untouchable rather than unbelievable. Ailish O'Reilly, the sole Galway player to start all four of their modern-day final victories - 2013, '19, '21, and '25 - became the latest All-Ireland winning player of recent weeks to speak of perceived disrespect.
'It felt like we were just coming up to show up and they were just going to be handed the trophy. We were so riled up,' said the forward who has scored in all four final wins.
Galway have never needed perceived disrespect to stand equal with Cork. This was a relationship they took control of in the 2019 semi-final and dominated for eight successive games before the shift in sands two summers ago.
Aggression was the central theme in the Galway gameplan. Always has been when the opposition wear red. Stop the Cork running game at the start line. Physicality at source to prevent possession snapped and short passes played. Crucified was Cork's short puckout game. Aggression stifling athleticism.
Within the opening eight minutes, Amy O'Connor and Hannah Looney spent time on the deck receiving treatment. Orlaith Cahalane lay stretched just past the quarter hour. Galway were tackling right on the edge. At times, such as Aoife Donohue's goal-preventing pull on O'Connor for the saved penalty, Galway went past the edge. Cork were sore and unsettled for it.
Next to nothing was being pulled. That was until Galway's aggression unnerved Cork to such an extent that Cork's nerve snapped.
Late in the first-half, Ashling Thompson played a ground pass to Saoirse McCarthy. The half-forward was swallowed robustly whole by Derval Higgins, O'Reilly, and Siobhan Gardiner. Possession broke to Donohue, Thompson fouled her. Carrie Dolan converted and Galway were five in front.
Two minutes later and in the same area in front of the Hogan Stand, Katrina Mackey was the latest in red to be swallowed. She handpassed to Laura Hayes. Such was the pressure applied, the half-back dropped possession out over the sideline. Niamh Mallon clinched her fist in pumped delight.
When Carrie Dolan charged into the back of Looney just before the ensuing sideline was struck, the Cork midfielder put her fist across the faceguard of Dolan and was duly sent off.
And yet, the numerical advantage almost didn't count. From a position of a woman up on the field and five up on the scoreboard, Galway almost threw the final away with their four second-half wides and shots sent short.
Cathal Murray, unlike 12 months ago, ran the bench early. One of those, Sabina Rabbitte, was a lone outpost in the full-forward line. She won delivery after delivery. Captain Carrie won the game-winning free and then showed phenomenal steel to convert.
Cork were camogie's standard-pushers of recent years. Galway were the sole stone in their shoe. There was no shaking them here. Galway rattled them physically and mentally. Galway again raised themselves to new heights in attempting and succeeding in conquering Cork. The wait for a red three-in-a-row and bridging the gap to the early 1970s runs on. The fifth and sweetest for Galway.
Camogie's outstanding and only rivalry again delivers. Someday the Camogie Association might seek to harness and capitalise upon it.