Kerry into All-Ireland final

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Down's Niamh McGrath tackled Patrice Diggin and Sara Murphy of Kerry
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Down's Niamh McGrath tackled Patrice Diggin and Sara Murphy of Kerry
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Kerry's Niamh Leen blocks a shot from Beth Fitzpatrick of Down
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Down’s Paula O'Hagan tackles Sara Murphy of Kerry
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Down’s Blánaid Savage tackled by Kerry’s Kate Lynch
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Kerry's Niamh Leen blocks a shot from Beth Fitzpatrick of Down
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Kerry’s Michelle Costello and Paula O'Hagan of Down compete
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

REPRO FREE ***PRESS RELEASE NO REPRODUCTION FEE*** EDITORIAL USE ONLY
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Semi-Final, St. Conleth's Park, Kildare 12/7/2025
Kerry vs Down
Down’s Blánaid Savage tackled by Kerry’s Kate Lynch
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Leah Scholes

John Madden is Kerry manager

Patrice Diggin, Kerry joint captain

Kerry joint captain Jackie Horgan

Offaly held off a fightback from Antrim to edge out their semi-final by 1-16 to 2-12.

Match reports:

Kerry and Offaly were both beaten at this stage of last year’s championship and were up against it when attempting to clear the penultimate hurdle this time, playing the two teams relegated from the senior championship 12 months ago, Antrim and Down.
A 36th minute goal from Mairéad Teehan helped Offaly turn a half-time lead of two points to a seven-point advantage and that was critical as the Faithful held off Antrim to prevail by 1-16 to 2-12 in the first leg of a mouth-watering double-header.
Two goals in under a minute, also in the third quarter, turned the tide in Kerry’s favour against Down, with the Patrice Diggin planting a penalty in the 40th minute on her way to scoring 1-7, before Jackie Horgan popped up with a brilliant score.
Hard though they tried, there was no way back for Down and it was the green and gold booking a date to Croke Park on a 3-12 to 0-16 scoreline.
Goals have been the key to Offaly’s success this year but they showed they had other strings to their bow when outpointing Antrim in the battle of the Very League champions.
The Ulster crew were marginal favourites, given that they had beaten three senior sides to win the Division 1B title. But Offaly had impressed in garnering the Division 2 crown and were only two points in arrears when the teams met in the group stages.
Antrim scored their first goal in the 15th minute, starting with good defensive work to thwart a dangerous looking Offaly attack. They countered quickly and Róisín McCormick won the long delivery well, then popped the sliotar to the onrushing Annie Lynn.
Lynn didn’t have to break stride before in turn feeding Caitrin Dobbin, and while her shot was saved brilliantly by Emer Reynolds, the Loughgiel sniper managed to scramble the rebound over the line.
David Sullivan’s crew responded well with Grace Teehan leading the resistance. She took over freetaking duties and quickly brought her tally to four points, finishing with a wonderful score from play just before the break to send her side in leading 0-10 to 1-5.
Antrim had the wind in the second half however, and the hope that they could get Róisín McCormick into the play even more, the Loughgiel ace scoring all of her team’s points in that opening period.
The sides shared four points early on in the second half but after Grace Teehan converted another free from a tight angle, Offaly made the definitive burst thanks to a sublime goal by her cousin Mairéad.
The Moneygall maestro, denied by a tremendous Caitriona Graham save in the first half, executed a lightning quick pick-up and took the direct route, cutting back expertly inside to lose two defenders in a blink before blasting off her left to the roof of the net.
That put six between the teams and the margin quickly became seven with all the momentum in the Faithful’s direction.
It was McCormick who provided the fuel injection Antrim needed six minutes after Teehan’s major. Kate Molloy did the donkey work on this occasion, somehow emerging from a ruck with possession. She offloaded to McCormick and she did the rest, slaloming into space before unleashing an unstoppable shot from close range.
It was nip and tuck from there to the end, Offaly wasting a few chances to extend their advantage and Antrim chipping away to reduce the deficit to the minimum with points from McCormick (free) and Dobbin.
Offaly defended well in the last two minutes of injury time however and it was the midlanders progressing to HQ.
There had been nothing between Down and Kerry in the group stages either – two points again – so no one was surprised that this also went down to the wire.
Defences had held sway on that occasion and this was no scorefest either for a long while before the game really opened up as both outfits threw off the shackles with everything on the line.
Playing with the breeze, Down started with real intent and had four points on the board in less than ten minutes.
Paula O’Hagan, back from injury, had three of those and the Mourne women led by four after 13 minutes, Beth Fitzpatrick also landing a monster.
The legendary Diggin drove Kerry forward and shot a fantastic point into the wind but a very lucky goal from Amy O’Sullivan seemed to knock Down for six, briefly at least. O’Sullivan twisted and turned to make space and let go for a point, but the sliotar dropped into the corner of the net and suddenly the teams were level at the end of the first quarter.
The scoring rate dropped thereafter and Jackie Horgan showed her trademark strength to make space and point just before the break, sending Kerry in leading by 1-5 to 0-7.
Down are a side with plenty of experience and they used the interval well to steady down. They resumed in similar fashion to how they started the first half, hitting four points to go one in front but the game was turned on its head by those two goals in under a minute.
Diggin dispatched a penalty to the corner in the 40th minute, after Ann Marie Leen was fouled in the square and before Down knew what had happened, Horgan was rampaging in from the corner, having shown good pace to go with her strength to get away, shortening her grip and making enough of an angle to finish expertly.
Down never gave up but they had given themselves too much to do and in the end it was Diggin who had the final say with a pointed free from distance to spark wild celebrations.

Galway 1-11
Cork 1-8
Galway are the first ever All-Ireland U23 camogie champions following this three-point victory over Cork on Saturday.
Kayla Madden’s first half goal gave the Tribeswomen a lead they never surrendered but it was their second half dominance that told as Cathal Murray’s charges scored six points to their opponents’ one to close in on the winners’ enclosure.
However, Cork, unbeaten in their previous five games, didn’t go down without a fight. Isobel Sheehan’s goal, in between two Amy Sheppard frees, brought a seven-point deficit back to three. But time ran out for the Munster champions.
Galway got off the mark after just three minutes when Laura Kelly converted a free. But a long drive from ‘keeper Caoimhe Buckley led to Niamh McNabola equalising in their next attack.
The sides were level four times during the opening 22 minutes. McNabola, thanks to Millie Condon, got the Munster champions ahead in the fourth minute. However, Cora Kenny picked out Niamh McInerney to make it 0-2 apiece immediately.
An Avril Cashman run before finding Rose Murphy led to Claudia Keane putting Cork back in front. But Kelly sent over her second score to restore parity in the 13th minute.
However, Cork got the best opportunity to make a breakthrough beforehand when Condon sent Sheppard raiding in on the left. Galway’s corner-back Ava Crowe stayed tight to the Cloughduv attacker just as she was about to pull the trigger. The second effort bounced off the side net.
The Tribeswomen took the lead on 17 minutes when Kelly converted a free. Cork made it 0-4 each five minutes later thanks to Sheppard’s placed ball.
Cork hadn’t conceded a goal in their previous five championship outings but that changed on 24 minutes following a well executed Galway attack. Half-backs Katie Manning, Katie Anna Porter and Joanne Daly linked up before the latter picked out Madden.
The Athenry forward had space on the right and finished past Buckley for the goal. Kelly added a free to put four between them before a Sheppard placed ball left Cork just 1-5 to 0-5 behind at half-time.
On the hottest day of the year with barely a puff of wind, Cork came out quickly for the start of the second period before Galway arrived. Both teams had two early chances go a begging while Cork captain Daire O’Brien got a yellow card for charging.
The first score took seven minutes to arrive when Madden found Galway’s Jennifer Hughes out on the right. Within seconds, Katie Gilchrist helped Kelly get her first from play and Galway were 1-7 to 0-5 clear.
It could have been more when Gilchrist’s attempted pass to Aoibhe Joyce was cut out by Buckley. And as scores dried up, Claire Kingston pushed forward and set up Ava Fitzgerald for a crucial point leaving the Leesiders just 1-7 to 0-6 down on the three quarter mark.
However, Daniel Morrissey’s charges needed to follow up with more white flags but hit a 13 minute drought. The next four points went Galway’s way through two Kelly frees, McInerney and substitute Catherine Hanley.
The introduction of changes by Galway was telling as they were directly involved in three scores with Joyce, Ava Bloomer, Orla Mullins and Hanley playing their part. However, Cork made sure that this wouldn’t be settled until the final whistle.
Sheppard converted a free before a Cork attack sent Sheehan coming in from the right and she rattled the net to leave it 1-11 to 1-7. Erinn Curtin also got close for another before being fouled. Sheppard lodged a low shot just over the bar but time was already against them.
Referee Barry Nea brought proceedings to a finish and Galway were crowned the first ever All-Ireland under-23 champions. Their defence, as a unit, was excellent restricting the Leesiders while McInerney’s energy in attack made her a deserving player of the match.
No doubt these sets of players will have plenty more battles in years to come. But for 2025, that’s two from two in All-Ireland Finals for Galway against Cork (along with the U16s). Both still have a chance at senior, along with Tipperary and Waterford, when their semi-finals take place.
SCORERS FOR GALWAY: L Kelly 0-7 (6f), K Madden 1-0, N McInerney 0-2, C Hanley 0-1.
SCORERS FOR CORK: A Sheppard 0-4 (4f), I Sheehan 1-0, N McNabola 0-2, A Fitzgerald 0-1, C Keane 0-1.
GALWAY: L Freeney; R Kelly, S Lyons, A Crowe; K Manning, KA Porter, J Daly; A Carr, J Hughes; A Barry, K Madden, L Kelly; N McInerney, C Kenny, K Gilchrist. 7Subs: A Joyce for Kenny (36), A Bloomer for Gilchrist (45), O Mullins for Madden (48), C Hanley for Barry (55), C Allen for Kelly (58).
CORK: C Buckley; S Hurley, C Kingston, M De Burca; A Cashman, D O’Brien, M Ring; M Condon, A Fitzgerald; E Duignan, R Murphy, I Sheehan; A Sheppard, C Keane, N McNabola. Subs: A McCarthy for McNabola (45), E Wigginton Barrett for Ring (52), N O’Regan for O’Brien (56), E Curtin for Cashman (56).
REFEREE: Barry Nea (Westmeath)