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The 42
12-08-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Galway win the big moments, Cork forwards shut down, referee criticism
1. Galway keep Cork firepower at bay Cork showed tremendous character to almost snatch a draw after playing the second half of yesterday's All-Ireland final with 14 players. Carrie Dolan's late free may have been the decisive score, yet Galway's All-Ireland success was built on winning key match-ups, particularly in defence. Four of Cork's starting forwards were taken off, including their inside line of Katrina Mackey, Sorcha McCartan and Amy O'Connor, while Emma Murphy (0-2) and Orlaith Cahalane (1-0) were the only starting forwards to score from play. Three of Cork's points in open play came from their midfield pairing of Hannah Looney and Ashling Thompson. Half-back Laura Hayes added another with a monstrous effort in the second half. O'Connor did win a penalty in the opening 10 minutes but was otherwise restricted to two points and one '45, before she was replaced by Cliona Healy in the 48th minute. Cork manager Ger Manley revealed after the game that she suffered a torn hamstring last week, and wasn't 'at full tilt' in the final. Amy O'Connor played the All-Ireland final with a torn hamstring. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO Mackey also missed that penalty after a brilliant reflex save by Sarah Healy. Cork got three points from their bench in last year's final, but none from their substitutes yesterday. Orlaith Mullins hit 1-2 after she came on in the semi-final against Waterford but couldn't add to her tally after replacing McCartan in the 40th minute. Advertisement Hannah Looney's red card dismissal certainly impacted formations, as Saoirse McCarthy was forced to move to midfield in the second half. Galway centre-back Ciara Hickey conducted the sweeper role effectively for Galway throughout, and had just been called ashore before Orlaith Cahalane scored the goal that levelled the game in the final moments. But ultimately, Galway profited from their match-ups to win and put a halt to Cork's All-Ireland three-in-a-row dreams. ***** 2. First-half momentum swingers When O'Connor was hauled down by Aoife Donohue and Annmarie Starr for that penalty in the ninth minute, it was a draw game. Mackey kept her effort low and into the corner but Galway goalkeeper Sarah Healy dropped quickly to bat the ball out for a '45 which O'Connor scored. One point registered instead of the three that were on offer. Four minutes later, Galway created their first goal chance after Donohue raced through a gap and offloaded to Mairead Dillon who also opted for a low trajectory shot. The Kilconieron forward was successful with her attempt as Galway took a 1-3 to 0-4 advantage. Mairead Dillon scoring Galway's goal. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO In a game that ended in a one-point win for Galway, Caoimhe Kelly's score in the 21st minute has since become a big talking point. Kelly created the score after a turnover on Cork keeper Amy Lee who was trying to secure possession from a Laura Treacy pass. Kelly's goal-bound effort ended in a point and Cork manager Manley disputed the score after the game, pointing out Kelly pushed Lee. Arguably the biggest moment of the game occurred just before half-time. Cork midfielder Hannah Looney reacted to a push by Galway captain Carrie Dolan, resulting in a straight red card. Looney was a huge loss for Cork but they did manage to fight back from five points down and almost clinch a draw with that late Cahalane goal. ***** 3. Referee criticism The performance of referee Justin Heffernan has dominated much of the post-match conversation. Cork boss Manley was among his critics. During his briefing with the media after the game, he repeatedly came back to the disappointment he felt at some of Heffernan's decisions. The Looney red card along with the push on Lee were among his grievances. He also felt substitute Clodagh Finn was the victim of a push in the concluding moments, and questioned the injury-time foul on Dolan which she scored to settle the contest. Hannah Looney's sending off was a major talking point. Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO Tom O'Hanlon / INPHO / INPHO Victorious Galway manager Cathal Murray felt some of his players were wrongly penalised for charging but said camogie referees have improved to allow for a more free-flowing contest. 'Justin is a good referee and that's the way he referees it, he'll always shake hands and say 'I'm going to let it go as much as I can' and 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.' It's a difficult position for match officials to achieve that balance between enforcing the rules and giving players the freedom to play. In previous years, there were complaints over too many frees being awarded in All-Ireland camogie finals. The 2025 final has been condemned by many for allowing too much physicality in the game. ***** Related Reads 'It's been a mad year' - Wedding and All-Ireland joy for Galway's Star of County Down 'All we heard all week was the three-in-a-row. We were there to take it off them' 'It's not sour grapes, I just thought the referee had a very poor match' 4. Camogie Association must improve promotion During the week, camogie president Brian Molloy announced that the association was targeting a crowd of 40,000 for the 2025 All-Ireland camogie finals. The attendance was 28,795, a slight improvement of last year's figure of 27,811. It's also well below the 48,089 who turned out for Dublin's demolition effort against Meath in last week's Ladies football All-Ireland final. Molloy was hoping that reversing the skorts narrative would encourage people to go to Croke Park. He called on all those who articulated their views about the players' right to choose between shorts and skorts, and asked them to demonstrate their support by coming to the All-Ireland finals. His tactic failed. Fans cannot be preached into attending a sports event. It must come from their own desire as a supporter of the team. Camogie president Brian Molloy before the junior All-Ireland final between Laois and Armagh. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Another factor which affected the turnout was the throw-in times. Galway and Cork's battle didn't get underway until 5.15pm. That leaves families with a long journey back to either the western county, or back down south. And as a result, many obviously felt it was too big an undertaking. Ladies football and camogie All-Ireland finals day are a great opportunity for a family day out but the evening throw-in time created a major barrier for families to go and enjoy the 2025 event. Of course, holding the junior, intermediate and senior All-Ireland finals in the one day creates a tricky scheduling scenario. But starting with the junior final between Armagh and Laois at 1pm was a misguided call. Reverting to the 12pm, 2pm and 4pm throw-in times could certainly help with getting those crowd numbers up.
RTÉ News
06-08-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Amy O'Connor: 'Everyone talking about' Cork's three-peat
Cork's Amy O'Connor admits there is no escaping talk of three in a row ahead of Sunday's Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie final against Galway at Croke Park. The Rebels have been able to secure back-to-back titles seven times since the early 90s, but a 'threepeat' has proved elusive for the 30-time champions. It's over 50 years since Cork won the competition three times on the spin, so there is a chance on Sunday to write this group of players into the history books. Players are often shielded from talk of such achievements, but O'Connor said the experienced Cork players are happy to factor in the magnitude of this year's final. Speaking to RTÉ Sport, O'Connor said the three-in-a-row factor is dominating conversations within the Rebel County. She revealed: "Everyone you talk to is talking about it. For ourselves, you have to acknowledge it. It's an unbelievable position to be in but it's not something we're going to focus on too much. "It's another final. Every final you get to you want to win so we're not trying to go out and specifically focus on the three in a row, we're focusing on the final and trying to win that. "I think pressure is like an external factor. We won't put too much pressure on ourselves and we've had a good year so far. We won the league and we had a good Munster Championship and then we had a good group round as well. We then beat Waterford in the semi-final. "I think pressure will be external and we'll just focus on ourselves." A clash with Galway is familiar for Cork. The Tribeswomen emerged three-point winners in the 2021 decider, before the Rebels extracted revenge by the same margin last year. It has been the Munster side with the upper hand in meetings so far this campaign and O'Connor is expecting another close call. She explained: "There's not much between us. They know us very well and we know them very well. "We always end up playing each other a couple of times throughout each year and we played them in the league final. It'll be a 50-50 battle on the day. "I think we've key players in every line. We've great experience in the back with Libby Coppinger, Meabh Cahalane and Pam and then out around the middle you with the likes of Laura Hayes, Ashling Thompson, Hannah Looney and Saoirse McCarthy. "Our inside forward line have done very well and there's huge competition for places. Everyone will be contributing on the day and we're really looking forward to it." It has been a period of sorrow for hurling within the county after the men's side sensationally wilted in their final against Tipperary last month at Croke Park, when appearing to be on the cusp of victory. O'Connor had sympathy for her counterparts and is aiming to lift the mood within Cork. "Unfortunately it just didn't work out that way for the lads," she said of the loss to Tipp. "They put in so much effort throughout the year and obviously they didn't want to go out and perform the way they did in the second half. "They'll be back and hopefully we can go on and do it and give the county a bit of a lift."
RTÉ News
27-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Sideline spell has Cork's Amy O'Connor eager for action
The off-season was particularly hard for Cork forward Amy O'Connor, but with a league medal in the back pocket and an All-Ireland semi-final spot secured, things are looking good for the St Vincent's player. She departed last year's victorious All-Ireland decider with a Lisfranc injury (a midfoot injury affecting bones and ligaments) and slogged through the off-season with her rehabilitation. Seven and a half months later she returned for the concluding stages of the league campaign, picking off four points in the win over Tipperary. The skorts issue denied the Rebels the chance to add provincial silverware with the postponement of the final against Waterford. Cork have steamrolled their way through Group 1 – three wins from three and a points difference of +65 – and they have a month to sit back and watch others scramble for a place in the last four. "We had a very good league and started off well in the championship before the postponement of the Munster final," she told RTÉ Sport at the summer season launch. "Things are going well. There is so much competitiveness in our group. You never know on any given week who is going to play." Cork still have to conclude their group campaign with a fixture this weekend against winless Wexford. Despite having nine points to spare against Clare last time out, ensuring they bypass the quarter-final stage, they hit 13 wides and never looked like they were out of second gear. Having enjoyed a three-week break prior to the victory over Clare, Cork face into a month lay-off after this weekend. The fine line between staying in tune and getting the right amount of time to recharge is high-wire act, with O'Shea insisting they have to use it as a positive. "I don't ever remember having a three and four-week break before," she said, "but I don't think that is an excuse either. We need to be at the races as any team can beat anyone. We're probably a bit disappointed with the Clare performance, but at the end of the day, we still won by nine points. O'Connor sat the game out owing to an ear infection, and watched on as the Banner tried to upset the odds. "It was a little flat," she said of their performance. "Clare came at us with a plan. Their plan was to sit back and defend a lot, which they did. "They have some really good players up front as well, Róisín Begley was excellent, Jennifer Daly too. They posed a different challenge, and we need to figure out how to overcome those challenges." O'Connor doesn't expect too much experimentation against the Slaneysiders, and is itching to get back on the pitch. "I did a lot of work over winter. I have been lucky in that I have been on the senior panel 12 years and that was my first bad injury. It was a disaster, but probably happened at the best time."
Irish Examiner
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Watch: Cyclists gear up for Field of Dreams charity ride
Paul Sheridan and Amy O'Connor are encouraging cyclists of all levels to saddle up for the 5th annual Field of Dreams charity cycle on Sunday, June 8th, in aid of Down Syndrome Cork.
The Herald Scotland
24-04-2025
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Action urged to close life expectancy gap between men and women
Men are also more likely to die by suicide compared to women, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) added. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said men across England are dying early from preventable causes every day (PA) The department said that action must be taken to 'prevent and tackle' the biggest issues facing men as it called for insights on what needs to be included in England's men's health strategy. 'Every day, men across England are dying early from preventable causes,' said Health Secretary Wes Streeting. 'Men are hit harder by a range of conditions, while tragically suicide is the leading cause of death for men under 50. 'Our Plan for Change means we will tackle these issues head on through a men's health strategy, and today's call for evidence is the crucial next step in understanding what works, what doesn't, and how we can design services men will actually use. 'I urge people to come forward to share their views.' Officials are seeking opinions from the public, health and care workers, academics and employers on what can be done to improve men's health. The call for evidence will be open for views for 12 weeks on the Department of Health and Social Care website. Amy O'Connor, from the men's health charity Movember, said: 'Too many men are dying too young, the men's health strategy is a once in a generation opportunity to invest in positive change for men and their loved ones. Julie Bentley, chief executive of Samaritans, said: 'Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 so it's critical that suicide prevention is front and centre of this strategy. With men making up 75% of all suicides, this strategy is a real opportunity to prevent thousands of deaths. Mark Brooks, trustee of the Men and Boys Coalition, added: 'Men's health is in crisis and we are pleased the Government has listened to the long-standing call, that we and others have made, for a strategic, not piecemeal, approach. 'The call for evidence is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for men, organisations and those who care about men's health to make their voices heard.' Earlier this year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer rejected the suggestion that a 'minister for men' was needed after a number of calls for the position to be made in Government to address issues including behaviour, education and mental ill health.
