PICTURES: Heartbreak for Galway camogie side in All-Ireland final defeat to Cork
GALWAY’S season ended in heartbreak after they suffered a 2-14 to 0-19 defeat to Cork in the All-Ireland senior camogie final on Sunday in Croke Park.
Arecord crowd of 33,419 packed into Croke Park on Sunday afternoon for the All-Ireland camogie final. Cathal Murray’s side led 0-9 to 0-7 at the break and looked to be in a strong position, with Caoimhe Kelly, Niamh Niland and Carrie Dolan all impressing for last year’s All-Ireland champions.
Galway had come into the game with injury concerns and the gamble of starting Niamh Mallon did not pay off as the Sarsfields ace aggravated a shoulder inflicted initially against the same opponents in the group stages early on. She departed in the 14th minute.
The hugely influential Ciara Hickey suffered a knee injury in the second half and that certainly had an impact when she left the fray at the three-quarter mark.Cork had hit the front by then, with Saoirse McCarthy slamming to the roof of the net after an audacious hop of the sliotar off the sod to make it 1-11 to 0-11.
The excellent Niamh Niland pointed at the other end but from Amy Lee’s lengthy puckout, the fantastic Sorcha McCartan got a flick on. Orlaith Cahalane had taken the chance and with that heavenly touch she possesses, controlled first time, and once the ball was in her paw, she was always going to find that gaping far corner.
Five points was now the margin and with Hickey gone, the supply to Niland and the equally outstanding Caoimhe Kelly, had dried up.They created a couple of half-chances of goals but nothing really gilt-edged. As ever, Carrie Dolan would not accept defeat. Aoife Donohue brought the warrior mode too but Dolan was truly heroic, winning primary possession, carrying, holding back the tide.
Galway rallied and had found themselves right back in this contest in injury time.
At the death, another foul and Galway had a free just outside the arc. Cathal Murray gave goalkeeper Sarah Healy the call. It was a one in a million shot, with 28 players between her and the rigging.Unfortunately for her, she got under the shot as she went for power and it flew over. With that Gavin Donegan blew the whistle and Cork hung on for a narrow one point win.