Cork are the Very Camogie League Division 1A champions.
They've beaten Galway on a scoreline of 21 points to 10 points in their decider at Semple Stadium this afternoon.
It was a daytime stroll for Cork in the Very Camogie League Division 1A final, as they held the upper hand in most sectors of the field against a strangely flat Galway to win by more double scores and claim the county’s first title in a dozen years.
It was a hugely impressive effort by Ger Manley’s squad, with Ashling Thompson a central cog.
The Milford dynamo may have turned 35 last month and was one of only three players to survive from Cork’s last triumph at this level, but she remains a relentless driving force in the middle of the field, at the core of much of what is good about the Rebels.
She struck two points in the first half and three in total, but won mountains of possession and found teammates with clever distribution, helped undoubtedly by the movement of those around and in front of her.
Cork’s depth of talent was illustrated by the response to the late injury changes that would disrupt most side. But they were able to introduce former All-Ireland-winning captain and All-Star, Amy O’Connor for Laura Hayes, while Emma Murphy took the place of Katrina Mackey, who along with twin sister Pamela, joined Thompson in the defeat of Wexford in the 2013 final.
Murphy snaffled three points in another reminder of her ability, while Clodagh Finn will have been happy with her first start in a national senior decider, adding two. O’Connor contributed four, and had a hand in a few more.
Saoirse McCarthy, hit four points and was akin to a Rolls Royce at times and Sorcha McCartan also contributed heavily, with three and offering an aerial outlet all the time. Defensively they were in complete control, Laura Treacy, Libby Coppinger and Pamela Mackey exuding authority.
It was a good end to a weekend that had started disappointingly for Coppinger, Hannah Looney and Aoife Healy, the trio having played in the ladies football team that lost the Division 2 League final yesterday.
And in truth, it was never in doubt. Galway were largely unthreatening, apart from one goal chance when the alert Amy Lee raced off her line to block a ground shot from Ailish O’Reilly.
They failed to register a score from play until the fifth minute of the second half. Cathal Murray undoubtedly fired some shots in the dressing room and with the lack of a response, had clearly seen enough when making a triple substitution in the 39th minute.
The thing was that there were only five points between the teams at that juncture, despite Cork being fairly well on top. But they could not seem to raise their intensity and the second half meandered to an inevitable conclusion.
Finn and Carrie Dolan (free) swapped early points but when Murphy gave Cork an eighth-minute lead, after a brilliant run out of defence that took out five Galway players, they were never pegged back again.
Thompson and Murphy helped move the Leesiders four clear when Lee made that fantastic save from O’Reilly in the 24th minute. A goal there might have altered the flow of proceedings, but instead, points from McCarthy, O’Connor and Finn made it 0-9 to 0-4 at the break, with Dolan’s frees keeping Galway in contention.
It was the skipper that got the Tribeswomen’s first score from play and it was a brilliant effort, in reply to another McCarthy point, but with Thompson dictating, Cork just pulled further and further ahead, concluding with eight individual scorers.
Sarah Healy provided one of the few Galway highlights, with a pointed free from her own 65, and subs Niamh Niland and Sabina Rabbitte did get on the scoresheet, but it was a day to forget for the Maroons, while for all the Cork players bar the aforementioned trio of the Mackeys and Thompson, it was a first ever Division 1A League medal.
SCORERS FOR CORK: S McCarthy (1f), A O’Connor (2fs) 0-4 each; E Murphy, A Thompson, S McCartan 0-3 each; C Finn 0-2; H Looney, M Condon 0-1 each
SCORERS FOR GALWAY: C Dolan 0-6(5fs); S Rabbitte, N Niland, Sarah Healy (f) 0-1 each
CORK: A Lee, P Mackey, L Coppinger, M Murphy, M Cahalane, L Treacy, A Healy, A Thompson, H Looney, A O’Connor, S McCarthy, S McCartan, C Finn, E Murphy, O Cahalane. Subs: C Healy for Finn (45), A Fitzgerald for Looney (51), K Wall for Murphy (56), R Harty for A Healy (57), M Condon for O’Connor (60+1), O Mullins for O Cahalane (60+3)
GALWAY: Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, D Higgins, R Hanniffy, E Helebert, O Rabbitte, C Hickey, A Starr, M Dillon, Á Keane, C Dolan, N Mallon, A Donohue, A O’Reilly, C Kelly. Subs: A Hesnan for Starr (39), R Black for Helebert (39), S Rabbitte for C Kelly (39), A Kelly for O’Reilly (49), N Niland for Mallon (49), S Gardiner for Donohue (52), A Lynskey for Dillon (58)
REFEREE: Gavin Donegan (Dublin)
Offaly won the equivalent title in Division 2A after strolling past Derry in their final earlier.
First cousins Mairéad Teehan and Grace Teehan showcased all her talents, scoring 2-4 each as Offaly’s goal threat proved too much for Derry, enabling the midlanders to claim the Very Camogie League Division 2 title and earning promotion to the Division 1B next year.
The margin of victory was a little harsh on a youthful Derry, who gave as good as they got but just were always a little open defensively.
Some brilliant last-ditch rearguard action kept Offaly out but then they were authors of their own demise, with Teehan the arch-scorer capitalising and giving David Sullivan’s squad a lead that enabled them to weather the early Derry third-quarter storm and end with a well earned victory.
The game started full of endeavour and all the skills of the game. From the start it ebbed and flowed, with Offaly wasting a few chances from frees before schoolgirl Éabha McElhinney split the posts for Derry from a tight enough angle coming in on the right.
Laura Coyle was busier than the Oak Leafers would have liked however, and made the first of two point-blank saves, when denying Faye Mulrooney in the third minute.
It was the ninth minute before Offaly got off the mark, an outstanding point on the run from outside the 45 by Sharon Shanahan and her midfield partner, Caoimhe O’Donovan picked out Mairéad Teehan with a deliberate diagonal for the Moneygall markswoman to put the Faithful in front.
Teehan was denied a goal by another one-on-one save from Coyle and Derry capitalised with points from Aimee Lennon and Orlaith Hull, from a 45.
The warning signs were there in the Derry defence however, and after Grace Teehan restored parity from an easy free, Cliodhna Ní Mhianáin had to make another outstanding block from Mulrooney, before Christine Cleary hit the crossbar.
It must have been galling to finally concede in the manner they did then, with the normally ultra-reliable Leah Lennon (twin of Aimee) dallying in possession coming across her goal and being then blocked by Mairéad Teehan. The forward gathered quickly and drilled beyond Coyle.
Jackie Donnelly pointed for Derry but Mairéad Teehan grabbed her second goal immediately after, in the 26th minute, when her driven shot from about 25m out eluded Coyle’s grasping fingertips and flew all the way to the net.
Points flowed thereafter from Fianait Dooley, Mulrooney and Christine Cleary and it was 2-7 to 0-4 at the change of ends.
Eamon Melaugh and his brains trust certainly earned their corn at the interval and their charges responded well with five consecutive points to give them hope.
Skipper Rachel McAllister started the run, with Aimee Lennon and Lauren McKenna, making her first appearance in almost 12 months after injury, also on the mark.
A couple of converted frees by Hull reduced the margin to five but then Grace Teehan pounced for the first of her two goals and that removed all doubt.
Her second arrived in the 54th minute, in a golden run that saw her provide a goal and three points consecutively. Mairéad launched a soaring point from 50m late on to put the cherry on top.
SCORERS FOR OFFALY: M Teehan 2-4; G Teehan 1-4(0-3fs); R Kinsella 1-0; F Mulrooney 0-2; Shanahan, C Cleary, F Dooley 0-1 each
SCORERS FOR DERRY: O Hull 0-4(3fs, 1 45); A Lennon 0-2; L McKenna, E McElhinney, R McAllister, J Donnelly 0-1 each
OFFALY: L Gallaher, A Liffey, C Fogarty, M King, O Phelan, A Byrne, E Regan, S Shanahan, C O’Donovan, G Teehan, C Cleary, R Kinsella, F Dooley, F Mulrooney, M Teehan. Subs: C Leahy for O’Donovan (41), C Maher for Mulrooney (53), H Feenane for Kinsella (56), K Kennedy for Regan (56), O Kilmartin for Dooley (58), G Kennedy for G Teehan (60+3)
DERRY: L Coyle, E Doherty, R Cassidy, L Lennon, C Ní Mhianáin, N Quinn, R Bradley, A McGill, R McAllister, E McElhinney, L McKenna, S McGill, J Donnelly, A Lennon, O Hull. Subs: A McDaid for A McGill (38), C Kerr for Hull (51), A McOscar for Quinn inj (56), C McCloskey for Bradley (60), R Keenan for S McGill (60+2)
REFEREE: Joe Mullins (Clare)
