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The Irish Sun
10-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Galway shock Cork in thrilling All-Ireland Camogie final to seal fifth O'Duffy Cup triumph
Carrie Dolan's ice-cool free in the dying seconds crowned Galway All-Ireland camogie champions, edging out defending champions Cork in a pulsating final at Croke Park CARRIE ON Galway shock Cork in thrilling All-Ireland Camogie final to seal fifth O'Duffy Cup triumph WHEN All-Ireland glory threatened to slip from their grasp, Galway's captain came forth to Carrie them home. In the dying seconds of normal time at the end of an exhilarating and feisty final, 14-woman Cork completed a stunning comeback thanks to an Orlaith Cahalane goal. Advertisement 4 Galway captain Carrie Dolan lifts the O'Duffy Cup after she starred for her side in the thrilling clash 4 Cork players left heartbroken after the defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland final 4 Galway players celebrate after the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final at Croke Park 4 28,795 were in attendance at GAA HQ to see the final Despite their numerical disadvantage, the momentum was now with the defending champions after they wiped out a five-point deficit to draw level. Nevertheless, their hopes of a third title on the spin were dashed by Carrie Dolan. Having been fouled by Kate Wall on the left touchline, the Clarinbridge woman was presented with a chance to nudge Galway back in front with her seventh point of the contest. Fifty-five metres from goal, she held her nerve to land what proved to be the winning score that saw the Tribe avenge their loss to the Rebels in last year's decider. Advertisement For just the fifth time in their history, Galway have scaled camogie's summit. And three of those triumphs have come during the reign of Cathal Murray, whose side defied their status as 11-4 outsiders to add to the gaffer's O'Duffy Cup victories of 2019 and 2021. Murray said: 'That was the moment, Carrie's free. And I'm delighted for her. She's our leader for a reason, she's captain for a reason. She's a leader. It's for moments like that we value her so much. 'Last year we performed but we weren't good enough to win it, so there's an awful lot of hurt. Advertisement "Winning it the way we won it, it's the sweetest one. It's just an unbelievable way to win it. A puck of a ball and with five minutes left, the game is levelled up. 'You just have to batten down hatches, win the balls and Carrie's free was just incredible. I'm absolutely thrilled for her.' 'Aged like milk on a windowsill in July' - Watch BBC's GAA pundits ALL predict Donegal to beat Kerry Led by the outstanding Saoirse McCarthy, Cork never relented throughout a second half that saw them tasked with reeling in a Galway side who could afford to deploy Ciara Hickey as a sweeper. But when the Leesiders sift through the wreckage of their failure to bring the county its first three-in-a-row since 1973, they will find that the most significant damage was inflicted prior to the interval. Advertisement As well as having Hannah Looney dismissed just before the half-time break, Cork squandered a penalty opportunity during a disastrous first half. Although the teams were level on 0-2 apiece early on, Galway had the edge when it came to the levels of aggression and intensity which underpinned their superb display. Cork had a golden chance to raise the game's first green flag in the tenth minute when Amy O'Connor was fouled by Aoife Donohue. However, Katrina Mackey's penalty was foiled by a Sarah Healy save. Advertisement Cork had to settle for a point from the resultant '45 via O'Connor, who – according to manager Ger Manley in his post-match briefing – had carried a hamstring injury into the game. While Cork's first-half output was characterised by basic handling errors and sloppy turnovers, Galway had no shortage of heroic performers at both ends of the pitch. Chief among them was Donohue, whose brilliant run set up Mairead Dillon to beat Amy Lee with a clinical finish that left the women in maroon 1-3 to 0-4 ahead after 14 minutes. They looked set to bag a second goal through Caoimhe Kelly later in the half, only for the Sarsfields ace to take her point instead. Advertisement However, Cork were furious as goalkeeper Lee was clearly fouled as Kelly gathered the sliotar. In first-half stoppage time, Cork were punished for coughing up possession cheaply again as the magnificent Ailish O'Reilly scored the second of her three points that left Galway leading by 1-9 to 0-7. Things then went from bad to worse for Cork as Looney was given her marching orders for lashing out at Dolan. Notwithstanding that it was a reaction to a shove in the back from the Galway skipper, the correct call was made by ref Justin Heffernan. Advertisement Given the extra body in the Galway defence, Cork had to be much cleverer in their use of the ball in the second half. Twice they reduced the gap to three points, only for Galway to respond and push it back out to five. A goal was the lifeline Cork needed. And when a pair of long-range McCarthy frees left just a puck of a ball between the teams again down the stretch, it finally came. Following a long delivery from McCarthy, Cahalane was able to peel away from Shauna Healy before finishing emphatically. Still, it was the maroon portion of the 28,795 attendance who were celebrating at the final whistle thanks to Dolan's late winner. Advertisement Murray added: 'When they levelled it with the goal, it was a massive point in the game, that puck-out. And that resilience to win it. But we've shown that resilience all year. 'You're battle-hardened coming into an All-Ireland final and you know if it comes down to moments like that, you have the players to step up. 'They're an unbelievable bunch.' Cork 1-13 - 1-14 Galway GALWAY: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, R Black, R Hanniffy; S Gardiner, C Hickey, D Higgins; AM Starr, O Rabbitte; N Mallon 0-1, A O'Reilly 0-3, A Donohue 0-2; C Kelly 0-1, C Dolan 0-7, 7f, M Dillon 1-0. Subs: S Rabbitte for Kelly 41 mins, J Hughes for O Rabbitte 53, E Helebert for Hickey 60, A Hesnan for Dillon 61. Advertisement CORK: A Lee; L Coppinger, P Mackey, M Cahalane; A Healy, L Treacy, L Hayes 0-1; H Looney 0-1, A Thompson 0-2; E Murphy 0-2, A O'Connor 0-3, 2f, 1 '45, S McCarthy 0-4, 4f; K Mackey, S McCartan, O Cahalane 1-0. Subs: C Finn for K Mackey 37 mins, O Mullins for McCartan 41, C Healy for O'Connor 48, M Murphy for A Healy 57, K Wall for E Murphy 59. REFEREE: J Heffernan (Wexford). SCORERS FOR GALWAY: C Dolan 0-7(fs); A O'Reilly 0-3; M Dillon 1-0; A Donohue 0-2; N Mallon, C Kelly 0-1 SCORERS FOR CORK: S McCarthy 0-4(fs); A Thompson, A O'Connor (2fs, 1 45) 0-3 each; O Cahalane 1-0; E Murphy 0-2; L Hayes 0-1 Advertisement REFEREE: Justin Heffernan (Wexford)
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
'It's a victory for the sport': Dublin captain welcomes rule change after skorts row
Dublin senior camogie captain Aisling Maher has welcomed the decision to allow players to wear shorts instead of skorts. The rules were changed at a special Congress at Croke Park held by the Camogie Association on Thursday, with 98% of the 133 delegates voting in favour of the change. Earlier this month, Kilkenny and Dublin saw their Leinster senior camogie semi-final come close to being called off when players from both sides originally lined out in shorts instead of the regulatory skorts. The game only went ahead after the players went, as ordered by the referee, back to the dressing rooms at St Peregrine's GAA club, Blanchardstown and put on skorts before standing for the national anthem ahead of the 3.30pm throw-in. Following this, the Munster final was postponed 16 hours before its scheduled throw-in time after Cork and Waterford players said they would be wearing shorts rather than skorts. Ms Maher, who is also co-chair of the Gaelic Players Association, was asked on RTÉ's Morning Ireland what she thought of the decision, which 98% of delegates voted for. She said: 'It's a victory for the sport in general. It's a victory for players who are presently playing. 'I also think it's a victory for young players coming up, who will now be able to make a choice about what they wear while they play.' She said protests that she and other players had been involved with 'definitely accelerated the speed of change' on the issue. Despite the issue being brought up in the past and not acted on, she said she did not believe the rules would have been changed 'without some form of extreme action', adding that 'unfortunately, the protests probably were warranted'. Aisling Maher. Picture: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo Asked if the row had damaged the game, she said that it had certainly caused 'a huge amount of frustration with players'. But she said what was important was that the issue had been dealt with ahead of the forthcoming All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship, which Cork won last year. Had it not been, she said it would have led to the championship being disrupted. She said: 'Had we not got to this point where the introduction of the shorts prior to championship was achieved, I think a huge amount of damage would be done through the championship, either not being played or played under protest, or potentially with games being cancelled again. 'I think it's a significant positive development that this change has been introduced before that championship begins. 'I hope that going forward we can learn from it, and not put ourselves in similar positions again for actual long-term damage. 'I hope that this is something we can recover from. You have to see the positives in this.' She added: 'The beginning of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship has probably never got as much attention and publicity, and hopefully some of that attention will stay with camogie in a more positive light.' Skorts were first worn in September 2003 but have since been seen by a majority of players as archaic. The Camogie Association last year had rejected a request by players, who see skorts as uncomfortable, that they be allowed to wear shorts. Camogie Association president Brian Molloy described Thursday's decision as a 'very important moment for the Camogie Association', saying he welcomed it. 'The association listens to its members. We've always listened to our members. We're a representative democracy.' Read More Fergus Finlay: Skorts row might seem silly but it highlights a bigger issue
