Here are the three keys players who might shape the camogie final
Outside of her four converted frees, left half-forward McCarthy had a whopping 22 possessions against Waterford.
She struck three points from play, directly assisted two more, had the secondary assist for a Sorcha McCartan first-half point, and early involvement in another McCartan point in the second half.
She was a puckout target for Amy Lee, she intercepted Waterford restarts sent short. In the second period, she began to drop deep to pick up and carry possession from behind her own '65. In the words of RTÉ co-commentator Aoife Sheehan, 'she's been everywhere'.
Of Cork's 1-21, she had a hand in 0-11. Her three wides meant both figures could have been even more impressive.
The Déise were far too loose in their detailing of the Courcey Rovers clubwoman. Galway won't be so naive in their tracking of the 25-year-old. They're also forewarned from getting this match-up wrong 12 months ago when handing the assignment to final debutant Olwen Rabbitte.
Róisín Black's return to the Galway full-back line has reduced the requirement of her Oranmaree-Maree clubmate, Rachael Hanniffy, to go back there and carry out specialised marking jobs, and so she seems the perfect fit to try and curtail Cork's form forward.
Travel sickness means Hanniffy is never found on the team bus heading to games. But with her confidence soaring after shutting down Tipp's form forward Grace O'Brien last time out, the stomach is surely there for such a sizable job.
Aoife Donohue (Galway)
Doesn't do bad finals against Cork. One of only two Galway players to score from play in the 2015 defeat to the Leesiders. Player of the match in the 2021 final. Galway's lead contender for that same gong last August.
The westerners' top contributor from play in the '24 decider with 0-4. Assisted a fifth. Her opening touches in either half came way inside the Galway half when dispossessing Amy O'Connor and Aoife Healy respectively, evidence of the instruction by management to go wherever she pleased. Cork didn't follow her and paid handsomely for that decision.
Does Ger Manley instruct Aoife Healy to go wherever her namesake travels tomorrow? The Aghada dual star certainly has the engine for such a taxing assignment.
Donohue's abrasiveness and her authority in possession is so central to Galway's forward play that Cork have to prioritise keeping the sliotar out of her hand, irrespective of where on the field she is.
Laura Treacy (Cork)
She has no equal when it comes to her reading of the game. The 30-year-old's positioning is unrivaled and invaluable. A supremely confident and competent sweeper at the heart of the Cork rearguard.
Galway won't stand on her toes tomorrow, but they have to ensure, through their decision-making and shot selection, that they bypass rather than bring her into the action. Hopeful, route one carry-on will only make her a triumph. Work the flanks and corners.
In last year's final, she collected 10 Galway deliveries/miscued passes/point attempts that went short. After Galway attacks were turned over, hers was the first pass for two of Cork's three winning points in the closing stretch.
If Galway go down the central channel, then they have to be clever and clinical with possession. Anything loose will be latched upon and relaunched by Laura.
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Irish Examiner
28 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Live: Follow the action from the All-Ireland Camogie final between Cork v Galway
1.25pm: Three key players who could decide the All-Ireland camogie final. From puckout targets to defensive sweepers, these three stars could define the outcome of the Cork v Galway camogie final. Saoirse McCarthy (Cork): Outside of her four converted frees, left half-forward McCarthy had a whopping 22 possessions against Waterford. She struck three points from play, directly assisted two more, had the secondary assist for a Sorcha McCartan first-half point, and early involvement in another McCartan point in the second half. She was a puckout target for Amy Lee, she intercepted Waterford restarts sent short. In the second period, she began to drop deep to pick up and carry possession from behind her own '65. In the words of RTÉ co-commentator Aoife Sheehan, 'she's been everywhere'. Of Cork's 1-21, she had a hand in 0-11. Her three wides meant both figures could have been even more impressive. The Déise were far too loose in their detailing of the Courcey Rovers clubwoman. Galway won't be so naive in their tracking of the 25-year-old. They're also forewarned from getting this match-up wrong 12 months ago when handing the assignment to final debutant Olwen Rabbitte. Róisín Black's return to the Galway full-back line has reduced the requirement of her Oranmaree-Maree clubmate, Rachael Hanniffy, to go back there and carry out specialised marking jobs, and so she seems the perfect fit to try and curtail Cork's form forward. Travel sickness means Hanniffy is never found on the team bus heading to games. But with her confidence soaring after shutting down Tipp's form forward Grace O'Brien last time out, the stomach is surely there for such a sizable job. Aoife Donohue (Galway): Doesn't do bad finals against Cork. One of only two Galway players to score from play in the 2015 defeat to the Leesiders. Player of the match in the 2021 final. Galway's lead contender for that same gong last August. The westerners' top contributor from play in the '24 decider with 0-4. Assisted a fifth. Her opening touches in either half came way inside the Galway half when dispossessing Amy O'Connor and Aoife Healy respectively, evidence of the instruction by management to go wherever she pleased. Cork didn't follow her and paid handsomely for that decision. Does Ger Manley instruct Aoife Healy to go wherever her namesake travels tomorrow? The Aghada dual star certainly has the engine for such a taxing assignment. Donohue's abrasiveness and her authority in possession is so central to Galway's forward play that Cork have to prioritise keeping the sliotar out of her hand, irrespective of where on the field she is. Laura Treacy (Cork): She has no equal when it comes to her reading of the game. The 30-year-old's positioning is unrivaled and invaluable. A supremely confident and competent sweeper at the heart of the Cork rearguard. Galway won't stand on her toes tomorrow, but they have to ensure, through their decision-making and shot selection, that they bypass rather than bring her into the action. Hopeful, route one carry-on will only make her a triumph. Work the flanks and corners. In last year's final, she collected 10 Galway deliveries/miscued passes/point attempts that went short. After Galway attacks were turned over, hers was the first pass for two of Cork's three winning points in the closing stretch. If Galway go down the central channel, then they have to be clever and clinical with possession. Anything loose will be latched upon and relaunched by Laura. Eoghan Cormican 1.18pm: All-Ireland senior camogie final player-by-player guide: Galway take on defending champions Cork on Sunday at HQ. Read full article here. 1.09pm: TEAM NEWS: Cork have named an unchanged team to take on Galway in Sunday's All-Ireland senior camogie final. Ger Manley is sticking with the same 15 that overcame Waterford by 10 points in the semi-final. This means Katrina Mackey retains her position instead of Clodagh Finn, who was unable to start against the Déise due to a knee injury. Finn has recovered to take her place on the bench. The manager has also opted to keep Orlaith Mullins in reserve after the Sarsfields' attacker scored 1-2 upon her introduction in the penultimate round three minutes from the end of regulation. Therese O'Callaghan The Galway team is unchanged for Sunday's All-Ireland camogie final. Manager Cathal Murray, as expected, has opted to stick with the same 15 that scored a 1-18 to 1-11 semi-final win over Tipperary two weeks ago. The Galway line-up contains 11 of the team that began last year's 1-16 to 0-16 final defeat. The corner-forward pair of Mairead Dillon and Caoimhe Kelly are making their senior final debuts this weekend having been unused subs 12 months ago. Eoghan Cormican CORK: A Lee; P Mackey, L Coppinger, M Cahalane (Capt); A Healy, L Treacy, L Hayes; H Looney, A Thompson; E Murphy, O Cahalane, S McCarthy; K Mackey, S McCartan, A O'Connor. Subs: C O'Leary, M Murphy, A O'Neill, N O'Leary, K Wall, R Harty, C Finn, M Condon, C Healy, O Mullins, C O'Sullivan, A Fitzgerald, M Ring, M de Búrca, C Kingston. Injured: I O'Regan, G Cahalane, L Kelly. GALWAY: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins; C Hickey, E Helebert, R Hanniffy; AM Starr, C Dolan; N Mallon, O Rabbitte, A Donohue; M Dillon, A O'Reilly, C Kelly. Subs: L Freeney, A Kelly, R Kelly, K A Porter, K Manning, S Gardiner, A Hesnan, J Daly, J Hughes, S Rabbitte, T Canning, A Lynskey, N Niland, L Kelly, N McInerney. It is All-Ireland Camogie finals day at Croke Park. First up in the Premier Junior final is Armagh taking on Laois at 1pm. In the Intermediate final Offaly will take on Kerry at 3pm. And the final game of the day will see Cork facing Galway in the senior final at 5.15pm. Join us for live updates of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie final between Cork and Galway from 4.45pm on Sunday.
RTÉ News
6 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Cork's left-wing policy proving fruitful in three-in-a-row bid
Saoirse McCarthy and Laura Hayes directly scored or assisted half of Cork's semi-final total to reach this afternoon's All-Ireland senior camogie decider. Cork's left wing is the most feared in the country with both players set to play a huge role as their team bid for a first three-in-a-row since 1972. Hayes at left half-back, and McCarthy, ahead of her at left half-forward, shared 62 involvements over the 60 minutes of Cork's 1-21 to 1-11 win over Waterford two weeks ago. They were involved in most of the good things their team did - scoring, creating, breaking lines, carrying hard into space, passing long and short, battling for possession and tackling back. Inspiring all around them from the left flank, even as Cork struggled in the first half, they alone scored or assisted 0-07 of 0-09. Over the entire contest, they accounted for 0-12 in scores and direct assists - scoring eight points between them and with four more assisted - as well as one of them having an involvement in a further four points. In total, the left-wing duo were involved in 24 scoring chances as their team reached a fifth consecutive All-Ireland final.
The 42
7 hours ago
- The 42
The two-time senior All-Ireland-winning boss who led his club to Galway glory as player-manager
SARSFIELDS OF GALWAY were one of the best hurling clubs around when they won back-to-back All-Irelands in 1993 and 1994. But in 2015, they were without a manager and nobody was volunteering for the job. They had failed to emerge from the group stage of the 2014 senior championship, and players were losing hope. A few people were auditioned for the role of manager but none were the right fit. Cathal Murray, a defender on the team, suddenly became a candidate for the job. His name came up during discussions among some his teammates and they decided to make an approach. Another defender, Eamon Cleary, was selected as their spokesman for the negotiations. 'I think Cathal knew the situation was coming,' Cleary continues.' And I think he nearly wanted us to go to him.' Murray had been building a steady bank of coaching experience up to that point, having impressed at underage level in the club. Cleary played on an U10 team that Murray was in charge of, and some of the core players from the 2015 senior outfit had won an U16 county title with him as manager. There was some continuity in the appointment. 'He was willing to take it up. And when you think back now to be a player-manager of a senior team, I don't know how he did it. Unbelievable stuff really.' Sarsfields players celebrating their 2015 county title victory. Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO Mike Shaughnessy / INPHO / INPHO **** Advertisement The start of Murray's playing career coincided with those golden years for Sarsfields. After their '93-'94 success, they returned to the final once more during that decade, where Murray made a substitute appearance. Offaly giants Birr denied them a third All-Ireland crown in 1998. Murray was introduced in the first half of that 1-13 to 0-9 defeat, coming into a team that still contained some Galway greats including Joe Cooney and Michael 'Hopper' McGrath. When Cleary joined the senior ranks of the club in the 2000s, he became close friends with Murray as well as teammates. 'We would have played a lot together and soldiered a lot. 'He would have played with probably nearly every great hurler that went through Sarsfield's bar, the lads that played in the 1980s. 'And then the current cup of players we have now, like Kevin Cooney and Joseph Cooney, Cathal would have played with them as well. He had a massive career takeout. He was one of our top performers every day we went out. 'The length of his career says a lot about him, how good he was and how well he looked after himself.' Galway great Joe Cooney playing for Sarsfields. INPHO INPHO Improvements didn't immediately follow after Cathal took charge. It took time to rinse out the problems that were holding the team back. By Cleary's recollection, winning games in insolation wasn't their issue. Inconsistency was the plague upon their house. 'We weren't able to put a string of results together,' he adds. Murray's remedy to the matter was to explore the depths of the Sarsfields squad. He blooded in young players, took chances and adopted a group-led approach to their championship campaign. He never relied on the same 17 or 18 players for results. 'How we analysed games, S&C, the whole team he put around him… He had lads doing stats of matches and all these things that we might have been explored in the past, but we had never really done it,' Cleary continues about the professionalism under Murray's watch. 'As the year went on, the players probably started to see this. And that's probably the one thing that he did that got everyone to roll in and say, 'Geez, this is a little bit different here now this year. And we're a little more serious about what we're doing.'' Sarsfields ended the 2015 season as county champions after defeating Craughwell in a replay. Loughrea was the only team that defeated Sarsfields in the competition, clinching a 2-22 to 0-14 win in what was the last round of the group stage. Sarsfields bounced back with a quarter-final victory over Pádraig Pearses before accounting for Gort to book their place in the final. Murray started both games of the county final against Craughwell, lining out in the half-backline for the replay which ended 2-10 to 0-14 following goals from Joseph Cooney and Noel Kelly. It was Sarsfields' first county title since 1997, and their seventh in all. A backroom team which included Francis Madden and Pádraig Earls were Murray's eyes and ears on the sideline while Athenry's John Hardiman was also drafted in to help during the knockout stages. 'He has a brilliant ability of surrounding himself with really good people. He knows what it takes to win. 'He would have had different roles in Sarsfield down through the years with underage teams and with executive committees. And he would be very good at organising. When he commits to something, he commits to it. 'He has a great ability of looking as well into the future. He can see the end goal there.' Cathal Murray celebrates with the Galway team after winning the 2021 All-Ireland. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO Murry was still hurling at junior level for Sarsfields when he first became manager of the Galway camogie team in 2018. Success has followed him there too as he heads for a fifth senior All-Ireland final later today. Murray has already delivered two of Galway's four senior All-Ireland titles in 2019 and 2021, and will aim for another O'Duffy Cup today to stop Cork's three-in-a-row drive. And when the Tribeswomen were in the 2019 intermediate and senior All-Ireland finals, Murray patrolled the sidelines for both games back-to-back. Related Reads Méabh Cahalane: 'My dad would say to enjoy it, because the turn of the tide waits for no one' Áine Keane prepared for a very different All-Ireland final experience 'For a few years there, we just didn't have the numbers' - Kerry camogie on the rise That pattern of effective double-jobbing goes back to his 2015 appointment with the Sarsfields seniors. 'In 2015, no one would have touched us,' Cleary says. 'And all of a sudden, we were able to compete. 'He's a positive person. Cathal didn't come in and say we're going to win a county cup. Cathal came in and said, 'we're going to improve things, lads. We get out of the group and we go from there and we'll keep the ball rolling and we'll see where it takes us.' 'If the [Galway] camogie team is ever wondering about Cathal's belief in them, the fact that he's there, that says it.' From leading his club to county glory as player-manager, to another All-Ireland tilt with Galway. Croke Park awaits this afternoon. ****
