Month: September 2021

THE FINAL FOUR.

Grace Kelly, Sinead Aherne, Niamh Cotter and Louise Ward could have a big say.

Source: Inpho.

Two fierce rivalries will be renewed tomorrow at Croke Park with Mayo and Galway [throw-in 2pm], and Dublin and Cork [throw-in 3.45pm, both live on TG4] battling it out for two coveted All-Ireland final spots.

HQ plays host to the historic double-header, with Mick Bohan’s Sky Blues eyeing three in-a-row. Who else, other than their arch-rivals Cork stand in their way, with Connacht neighbours Mayo and Galway battling it out in the earlier throw-in.

Here’s two players from each county to keep an eye on. 

Mayo 

Grace Kelly 

In a deadly inside forward line alongside Sarah Rowe and Rachel Kearns, Kelly has been in the form of her life this year. The Moy Davitts sharpshooter epitomises the Mayo fight, and the rollercoaster ride of redemption they’ve been on.

Kelly on the ball in the 2018 Division 1 league final.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Undoubtedly full of confidence after being named LGFA Player of the Month for July, Kelly will be hoping to step up and deliver once again on the big day. Still just 24, she’s one of the leaders on this young and possibly less experienced Mayo side.

One half of the impressive Sister Act, Grace and Niamh (23) are heading to the West Coast Eagles to ply their trade in the AFLW in the coming weeks, so they will be aiming to sign off on a high.

Aileen Gilroy

2017 All-Star midfielder Gilroy’s return to the field of play last time out against Armagh was an extremely welcome sight. The St Brigid’s star is back fully-fit from a cruciate injury and whether she starts or not tomorrow, she could be a game-changer. 

Whether she starts or comes on, Gilroy could have a huge say.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

She’s not in Mayo manager Peter Leahy’s named starting 15 as of now, so he could opt to spring Gilroy from the bench instead, and her sheer presence around the middle will lift the side. An inspirational character whose game is built on pure hard work, it’d be a huge boost to have her from the get-go.

The former Ireland underage international is the type to give as much as attack as in defence, and her addition would be a massive support to the Mayo backline.

Galway

Louise Ward

One of the engines in this ever-rising Tribe side, Ward has the ability to open up defences with her darting runs and create opportunities for their threatening forwards. 

Louise Ward is a key cog in the Galway set-up.

Source: Bryan Keane/INPHO

The Kilkerrin-Clonberne star and her partner in crime, Aine McDonagh, always put in a massive shift around the middle, Ward’s hassling and harrying inspiring those around her to lift their game. And with the likes of the Leonard cousins, Tracey and Roisin, ready and waiting to do damage inside, her initiation of team moves is crucial.

A strong runner with the ball, Ward also enjoys popping up with a score or two herself, and most definitely knows where the back of the net is. 

Louise Ward le críoch iontach do @GalwayLgfa in aghaidh @Mayo_LGFA ar an Domhnach seo caite.

Louise Ward & Galway made an early impression in the @ConnachtLGFA final with this goal! #ProperFan

pic.twitter.com/EPbiKGtWEU

— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) June 25, 2019

Video: Quickest goal of the day! See Louise Ward hit the net for Galway against Westmeath after 18 seconds! @SportTG4 All Ireland SFC @LadiesFootball @GalwayLgfa pic.twitter.com/zr0tmP5zjx

— Jerome Quinn (@JeromeQuinn) July 28, 2018

Tracey Leonard 

A true captain and leader, Leonard is guaranteed to step up and pave the way when Galway need her most. She’s a stylish forward, and causes problems for defences week in, week out with her pin-point accuracy and impeccable free-taking. 

At 27, she knows all about the fierce rivalry with Mayo, and will be determined to steer her side across the line once again; this time into an All-Ireland final for the first time since 2005 after falling at the last-four hurdle far too many times.

Leonard’s scoring tallies have been pivotal for the Tribe.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

And Leonard is no stranger to battling back from past hurt on an individual level, having overcome a heartbreaking cruciate injury in 2016 to find herself at the top of her game now. 

Dublin 

Sinéad Aherne

On the topic of true captains and leaders, Sinéad Aherne is another of such. After her Leinster final showing was cut short through injury, the St Sylvester’s woman battled back to the starting 15 less than a month later — and with score 1-11 against Monaghan and 2-5 against Kerry respectively.

Aherne with the Brendan Martin trophy last year.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

The 2018 Player of the Year is in her 16th season, and there’s no sign of her slowing down after captaining the county to back-to-back All-Ireland crowns and her 13th provincial title. 

Aherne leads the scoring charge every time without fail, and just like Leonard, her free-taking is absolutely impeccable. Herself, along with other big names like Noelle Healy and Lyndsey Davey need to step up again this week.

Sinead Goldrick

There have been a few switch-ups in the Dublin team this year with Siobhan McGrath moving from defence to midfield and Lauren Magee and Olwen Carey often coming back to the wings. Leah Caffrey has been a huge loss in the backline but one solid player who has held it all together is Goldrick.

Goldrick (5) backed up by McGrath in last year’s semi-final win.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

A victim to injury herself this season, evergreen ‘Goldie’ has been a huge driving force for Dublin through the years. The Foxrock-Cabinteely star is in her prime, a rock-solid defender; nothing short of a workhorse and a real harrier in the tackle.

Her speed and athleticism is another huge factor of her game, her driving runs forward can really hurt opposition as she leads the way with Dublin’s running game.

Cork 

Saoirse Noonan

Again, it’s uncertain whether the young dual star will start or be unleashed from the bench tomorrow, but either way, Noonan will take it all in her stride.

Saoirse Noonan has starred for Cork this year since returning from injury.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

• ‘She’s a serious operator’ – The remarkable impact of Cork’s young dual star over the past year

She’s a remarkable talent, and her scoring stats speak for themselves in a hugely talented Cork forward line alongside the likes of Eimear Scally, Orla Finn and long-range shooting specialist Doireann O’Sullivan. Dublin know all about the danger she poses however, completely shutting the Nemo Rangers ace out on the biggest stage in last year’s All-Ireland final. 

20-year-old Noonan will surely use her Croke Park return as a shot at redemption, however, proving that she can most definitely put it up to the best.

Niamh Cotter

After missing out last year through a college Erasmus in Canada, the Beara midfielder is back to her brilliant best and pulling the strings from midfield for Ephie Fitzgerald’s Division 1 league and Munster champions. 

Cotter on the ball in June.

Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Cotter finished up with 1-2 from play in the Leesider’s final quarter-final against Tyrone, starting at centre-half forward on that occassion. Just as easily, she could slip into defence and do a job. 

That day, she was returning from a hand injury but looks to be in good stead once again approaching Cork’s biggest challenge yet. Her towering height and excellent fielding skills should also be of huge importance tomorrow.

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CORK STALWART ANGELA Walsh was certain that the 2011 All-Ireland football final would be her last game wearing the rebel red.

Walsh in possession for Cork during the 2011 All-Ireland final with Geraldine O’Flynn behind her.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

The dual star would eventually sign off from her inter-county career with 12 All-Ireland medals across the two codes; nine in football and three in camogie.

Captain of the footballers who lifted the Brendan Martin Cup in 2008, Walsh is one of the most decorated players to ever play the game as part of a distinguished group of winners.

But circumstances in her life changed in 2011 that prompted her to put other things in her life ahead of sport.

By that stage, Walsh had enjoyed five All-Ireland triumphs with the Cork ladies. She was a member of the original class of 2004 who went onto transcend the sport under the tutelage of the incomparable Eamonn Ryan.

After achieving so much, she thought she was content with her lot.

The realisation that the end was near seemed to really set in as she walked around Croke Park during the pre-match parade for the 2011 All-Ireland final against Monaghan. 

“I remember going in thinking, ‘This is my last match,’” she tells The42 as she casts her mind back. 

“I knew that I was going in 2012.”

Walsh’s boyfriend Kevin — who is now her husband — was living in Australia at the time. Work for plumbers was scarce in Ireland at the time and he was forced to move Down Under to make a living.

Naturally, the Inch Rovers star wanted to head out for a visit and she began applying for career breaks through her job as a secondary school teacher. 

She eventually succeeded in getting the time off, and 2012 was the year she had pencilled in for the trip.

Walsh charging forward with the ball against Kerry.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Her father Donie had been diagnosed with prostate cancer the previous year, but his advice to her at the time was to go ahead with her travel plans.

“I had applied for career breaks and they never came through and [then] I got them,” Walsh explains. “I had left in 2010 to go to Kevin and he was still away in 2012. 

I went to Australia that summer but didn’t realise how sick Dad was. Even my brother went travelling. 

“He was getting on fine with the treatment, and he didn’t make it to Croke Park for the 2011 final.

He would have watched it at home but it’s mad, when you think back, he must have just hidden so much of his pain and how bad he was.”

Donie Walsh was never shy about expressing pride in his daughter’s achievements. While the Cork machine was gathering momentum, he was at every single game.

He quickly became friends with the parents of the other players and would often introduce his daughter as the best full-back in Ireland. Following the Cork ladies was an obsession for him.

Source: LadiesFootballTV/YouTube

There’s even a chapter entitled ‘For Donie’ in the book ‘Relentless,’ a fantastic account of Cork’s rise to dominance by Mary White.

He was so proud of me, he’d mortify me,” Walsh laughs. ”He used to say, ‘This is my daughter’… which are lovely memories.”

Walsh picked up the Player of the Match award in 2011 All-Ireland final, which seemed like a fitting way to end things with Cork.

She left for Australia the following June but was back home within a few weeks. Her father’s condition had deteriorated and his time was near.

Walsh was on her own as she faced the long journey home to her family, with Kevin following on shortly after. 

The flights were certainly difficult, but the pain was lessened somewhat by the caring flight attendants who comforted the young 26-year-old who was trying to process her father’s delicate state.

Amidst the sadness, Walsh and her five siblings were all there for Donie’s final days. Even at that stage, he was still inquiring about the Cork ladies.

Walsh completed an All-Ireland double with Cork in 2014.

Source: Cathal Noonan/INPHO

They all shared memories and traded stories before Donie finally drifted off peacefully on 3 August.

“Once you knew it was coming, that week was lovely,” Walsh remembers. “We got to bring him home and there were people calling. We were just regaling and telling stories.

And he’d come out of his sleep and try and join in. It was lovely and obviously you have to say goodbye, so it’s still not easy.

“Even when I came back [from Australia] he’d say, ‘Angela, what’s the score in the match?’ He still thought I was playing.

Walsh found refuge in football in the aftermath of her father’s death. She was happy to return to Inch Rovers to take a break from some of the heavy emotions that followed the loss of Donie.

But she didn’t anticipate that she would be invited back to the Cork team. Even when she got the call from Eamonn Ryan, she waited for reassurance from the players about her returning late in the season.

They were thrilled to see her come through the dressing room door ahead of their All-Ireland quarter-final win over Donegal. Walsh didn’t feature in that game, but she made substitute appearances in the semi-final and final as Cork collected another All-Ireland crown.

“It feels like yesterday,” says Walsh. “It was just emotional coming back after everything.

“My cousin [Anne-Marie Walsh] came off in the final so that was kind of hard. Every single trip to Croke Park was emotional but 2011 was really emotional because he couldn’t be there.

And then 2012 when he actually wasn’t there, those days were very difficult because you were trying to hold it in.

“I think without the support of the girls, I wouldn’t have gone back. Eamonn was just so good and all the girls were so good. I’m so appreciative.

“It was like a break and just run around after a ball. I definitely feel it helped. It meant so much to him going to all the games.”

Walsh with Eamonn Ryan and Deirdre O’Reilly after that incredible comeback in 2014.

Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

There’s final hits, and there’s final hits. There’s last matches and there’s last matches.

Walsh believed her race was ran in 2011 but after returning to the Cork panel in 2012, she played for an additional two years before finally calling time on her inter-county days in 2014.

Rallying from 10 points down to beat Dublin in the All-Ireland final was definitely a sweet way to say goodbye. The ultimate mic-drop exit.

“I still can’t believe that match,” beams Walsh. “It was definitely the best way to go because we’d won the camogie [All-Ireland] two weeks previously as well so it was brilliant.”

She became pregnant with her first child Keeva later that year, and although Ryan called on her again the following season, Walsh knew her time was up. Stepping off the Cork treadmill was no easy decision but she was ready to close that chapter of her life.

Walsh made a lasting impact in a Cork jersey but reaching the pinnacle of ladies football wasn’t always a burning ambition for her. In fact, volleyball was once her main sport. She even played with the national squad at underage level and regularly commuted to Dublin for training.

Ladies football eventually took precedence in her life. Plenty of success with both codes in Cork followed as well as a senior All-Ireland football title with Inch Rovers in 2010, beating the Mayo powerhouse Carnacon in the final.

Walsh has since given birth to her son Rian, while Keeva is now four and beginning to take an interest in football. Walsh hopes to be able to bring her daughter to the All-Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park later today, where Cork will take on their old rivals Dublin.

Connacht foes Mayo and Galway will collide in the other tie.

Eamonn would wanna calm down now or we won't get into Reardens!!🥴 #wolfpack #agm pic.twitter.com/1xWIS2Taxc

— Bríd Stack (@BridStackie) February 5, 2019

The Cork team has many new faces in the panel now, but members of the old crew who have moved on continue to stay in touch. 

Throughout the highs and lows of Walsh’s life, those bonds she formed in the Cork team have always stayed with her.

“We meet quite regularly once a month or every two months.”

For my 30th, my sister Ciara gave me a framed jersey with all the girls’ signatures on it. So, I have that hanging up in the house and I have my other All-Ireland jerseys in a box. I kind of gave away everything else.”

“At the time, we were fortunate enough to be winning All-Irelands. We just formed a great bond and became great friends. I think it’s only since we stopped that we realise that we’re appreciating what we achieved.”

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Dublin are looking to complete the five-in-a-row this year.

Source: Tommy Dickson/INPHO

“It’s a moot point whether Kilkenny lost because of the psychological sledgehammer of Shefflin’s exit, or because Tipp’s time had come, or because of five-in-a-row hype, or all of the above. Equally, maybe Kerry simply lost because the Gods conspired against them.

What’s abundantly clear, however, is that Dublin won’t be training in front of thousands next week; and you’ll be promptly evicted from St Clare’s if you turn up with a box of T-shirts.”

Writing in the Irish Independent, Frank Roche takes a look at previous five-in-a-row attempts as Dublin look to complete the historic achievement.

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Draymond Green (file pic).

Source: SIPA USA/PA Images

“In a string of public comments last fall that included an appearance on LeBron James’s HBO talk show, Green questioned how the white men and women who control all but one of the N.B.A’.s 30 teams are described.

“The word ‘owner,’” Green said, “it dates back to slavery.”

“It has been 400 years since chattel slavery began in what is now the United States. But Green suggested that the lexicon of 1619 — with African slaves and white owners, with people as currency — should be reworked when it comes to a business with the N.B.A.’s racial dynamic.”

Kurt Streeter of the New York Times writes about the issue of race in the NBA. 

Keith Treacy in action for Ireland.

Source: Donall Farmer/INPHO

“I probably was an alcoholic,” he admits. “I came in at the tail end of that era at Blackburn, that drinking culture. If you lost a game you had a drink to forget about it, if you won you had a drink to celebrate. I had a problem with it. I played while drunk, I played while hungover.”

Former Ireland international Keith Treacy opens up about his struggles with alcohol and his mental health in an interview with Aidan Fitzmaurice of the Irish Independent.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.

Source: EMPICS Sport

“Fowler, though, became the first of a new breed and he thought of himself as a “guinea pig”. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Nicky Butt were all the same age as him but Fowler established himself a minimum of 18 months before any of them.

“The numbers reflect the drama of Fowler’s rise. By the time Beckham announced himself on the world stage by scoring from the halfway line on the opening day of the 1996-97 season against Wimbledon, Fowler was already nearly three seasons into a career, having scored 85 goals in total and more than 30 times in each of the previous two campaigns.”

Writing in The Athletic, Simon Hughes writes about how Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler changed the game for young footballers.

Dublin and Kerry will collide in this year’s All-Ireland final.

Source: Lorraine O’Sullivan/INPHO

Another option is to man up.

Once Kerry feel the squeeze, they can take their time and set up identically to Dublin.

12 blue shirts push up, Kerry react by bringing 12 of their men back to pair off with them. They take the zones away from Dublin and make it a man on man battle instead. They can disrupt this further because they know in advance how Dublin want to operate. Dublin want McCarthy, Fenton, MacAuley, Howard – their big lads – manning the back of the press for anything going long so Kerry technically have a free shot at how they want to use their own big lads.

Conán Doherty of Sports Joe assesses the ways that Kerry can get the better of Dublin when they meet in the All-Ireland final.

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Galway 2-10
Mayo 2-9

IT CAME RIGHT down to the wire, but Galway came out on top by the minimum to book their spot in their first TG4 All-Ireland senior final since 2005.

Mairéad Seoighe’s double was key in the end at Croke Park but Róisín Leonard was the last-gasp hero, her late, late free-kick ensuring the Tribe came out on top by one point.

After falling at the final hurdle far too many times before, Tim Rabbitt’s side finally booked their All-Ireland final spot. Galway last lifted the Brendan Martin Cup in 2004, with Cork and Dublin claiming every title since then.

Mayo, who’ve had a remarkable journey themselves, will feel hard done by however, considering the drama that unfolded at the death to break hearts all around.

After recalling some of their big guns in Aileen Gilroy, Fiona Doherty and Dayna Finn, Peter Leahy’s side probably started liveliest at HQ but early nerves saw them register three wides in the first four minutes.

Then, Galway struck first blood through a Seoighe — who’s heading for the AFLW next season — goal, after good work from Louise Ward in the build-up.

The Green and Red had a goal chance of their own in the interim, but were kept out with a good save from Lisa Murphy, before they hit their first score with eight minutes on the clock, Sinead Cafferky the player to split the posts. 

Roisin Leonard and Sarah Conneally kept the dream Galway start going, before Rachel Kearns had the ball in the back of the net in the Hill end following a brilliant hand-off by Éilis Ronayne. 

Seoighe then bagged her second goal to make it 2-2 to 1-1 with 15 minutes on the clock. 

Grace Kelly lifted the Mayo charge from there, registering two more scores, but Galway powered on as Olivia Divilly’s darting runs created more opportunities, which the Leonards and Seoighe duly pounced on inside. 

Mayo’s Niamh Kelly is tracked by Louise Ward.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Sinead Burke led the Galway defence brilliantly, but it was Mayo who hit the last three points of the half — the Kelly sisters combining and Kearns splitting the posts in between — to leave it 2-5 to 1-6 at half time.

Conneally grabbed Galway’s first of the second half but Mayo bit back immediately, a sublime goal from Niamh Kelly levelling proceedings. The Moy Davitts star went on a gliding individual run, tearing the Galway defence asunder, before rattling the net to make it 2-6 a-piece. 

The score remained that way for 14 minutes, despite two further Mayo goal chances being kept out and Galway hitting the post twice — one a Megan Glynn goal chance and the other a Leonard free, until Sarah Rowe struck straightforward free. 

Glynn responded immediately from play at the other end. Kearns and Leonard then exchanged well-taken scores, before substitute Gaughan edged Mayo one up through a free.

Just as the clock turned 50, Galway had a goal disallowed. Divilly brilliantly played Leonard in, but the latter was adjudged to over-carry before hitting home. 

From there, the nerves kicked in as the clock ran down, both sides kicking some uncharacteristic wides with the scoreline 2-9 a-piece.

That was until Leonard stepped up with just over one minute on the clock, her free from the ground from inside the 45 sailing over the bar to give Galway what looked like the win. 

The game didn’t finish up without drama, however, Kearns dancing towards the goal and appearing to double-hop before going to ground just outside the square. But referee Seamus Mulvihill awarded the Tribe a free out to boos around the ground. 

Scorers for Galway: Mairead Seoighe (2-1), Sarah Conneally (0-2), Roisin Leonard (0-4, 1f), Tracey Leonard (0-1, 1f), Megan Glynn (0-1), Leanne Coen (0-1)

Scorers for Mayo: Rachel Kearns (1-2) Sinead Cafferky (0-1), Grace Kelly (0-3, 2f), Niamh Kelly (1-1), Sarah Rowe (0-1, 1f), Natasha Gaughan (0-1, 1f) 

Galway

1. Lisa Murphy (Kilkerrin Clonberne)

2. Sinéad Burke (Ballyboden St Enda’s)
3. Nicola Ward Kilkerrin (Clonberne)
4. Sarah Lynch (Naomh Anna Leitir Móir)

5. Orla Murphy (Claregalway)
6. Barbara Hannon (Dunmore McHales)
22. Shauna Molloy (St Fursey’s)

8. Louise Ward (Kilkerrin Clonberne)
9. Áine McDonagh (Moycullen)

10. Olivia Divilly (Kilkerrin Clonberne)
13. Tracey Leonard (Corofin)
12. Mairéad Seoighe (Clonbur)

14. Sarah Conneally (Dunmore McHales)
11. Megan Glynn (Claregalway)
15. Roisín Leonard (Corofin)

Subs

19. Leanne Coen for Aine McDonagh (38)
17. Lucy Hannon for Sarah Conneally (44)
18. Mairead Coyne for Barbara Hannon (52)

Mayo

1. Aishling Tarpey (Foxrock Cabinteely, Dublin)

4. Éilís Ronayne (Davitts)
6. Ciara McManamon (Burrishoole)

3. Danielle Caldwell (Castlebar Mitchels)

5. Kathryn Sullivan (Castlebar Mitchels)
22. Dayna Finn (Kiltimagh)
7. Ciara Whyte (Kilmoremoy)

8. Clodagh McManamon (Burrishoole)
29. Aileen Gilroy (Adamstown)

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10. Sinéad Cafferky (Kilmovee Shamrocks)
12. Niamh Kelly (Moy Davitts)
13. Sarah Rowe (Kilmoremoy)

18. Fiona Doherty (Moy Davitts)
14. Rachel Kearns (Cl McHale Rovers)
15. Grace Kelly (Moy Davitts)

Subs

20. Lisa Cafferky for Fiona Doherty (37)
9. Emma Needham for Kathryn Sullivan (40)
24. Natasha Gaughan for Sarah Rowe (47)
21. Allanah Duffy for Clodagh McManamon (52)
17. Noirin Moran for Ciara Whyte (54)

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill.

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– Emma Duffy reports from Croke Park

CORK LADIES MANAGER Ephie Fitzgerald has stepped down after four years in charge.

The Nemo Rangers man announced the news after the Rebels’ six-point All-Ireland semi-final loss to Dublin at Croke Park this afternoon.

Fitzgerald succeeded Eamonn Ryan at the helm in January 2016, and steered Cork to their 11th All-Ireland title in 12 years in his first season in charge.

That September 2016 victory over Dublin resulted in an All-Ireland six in-a-row, but they have not reached the Holy Grail since.

In 2017, Mayo dumped the Rebels out of the championship at the semi-final stage and they fell short in last year’s showpiece as Mick Bohan’s Sky Blues triumphed on a scoreline of 3-11 to 1-12.

During Fitzgerald’s reign, he also delivered back-to-back Lidl Ladies National League Division 1 crowns in 2016 and 2017, and another this May.

He steered the Leesiders to Munster crowns in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

“I’ve four years done and I think it is time for a new voice,” he said after today’s loss.

I said I would give it one more year. There is a young squad there and I suppose I have a lot going on. I have a family at home that I probably haven’t given as much time to this past few years as I should have been doing.

“So, there are a lot of factors really. Work and all. But the result today was nothing to do with my decision to step down. That was made a while back.” 

Reflecting on his time in the job, he continued: “I’m delighted really. People were telling me it was a poisoned chalice when I came in with all their success but we won an All-Ireland, three leagues and three Munster championships so we haven’t done too bad.

“Obviously the gold standard is the All-Ireland. I accept all that but when you have young girls coming through… Eimear Kiely took her first journey in Croke Park today. Niamh Cotter the same. It’s a big deal coming up here no matter what people would think.

I would like to take the time here to thank my management group: James Masters and Kevin Tattan and… if I name them all now I’ll be leaving out a few but they have been absolutely fantastic and put in so much time of effort and free of charge.

“We don’t take expenses because the girls don’t get them. That’s the type of attitude in there and I would hope whoever takes over would take on that challenge and bring the team forward again and hopefully back up those steps in a year or two again.”

When asked if he feels there’s an All-Ireland title in this Cork side, he added:

“It is a building process. There are young players there but in terms of conditioning and that you can see how strong the Dublin girls were there today. That’s a level you want to get at after a number of years.

“If you look at the likes of Lyndsey Davey and Sinead Aherne and these girls they have been at it a long time. They have an awful lot of work done and that shows out there. They can put in a strong performance for the 60 minutes whereas we probably flagged a bit towards the finish.

That said, it is a learning curve for our girls. There isn’t a whole lot between the teams. I do believe that, but probably another year or two may of finding one or two more players and hopefully some of the older girls will stay on because it is a huge commitment.

“To be fair to the Dublin girls, they have given it massive commitment. They lost a few finals before they won one and that is testament to their commitment to their county.

“There is a future there for Cork,” he concluded. “An All-Ireland: who knows? But Cork will be competitive going forward. We have only seven of that panel that started in 2016 left so there is certainly talent there.

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“We won the league and our Munster Championship and to be competitive in an All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin augurs well for the future.”

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– Emma Duffy reports from Croke Park

PRIDE WAS THE overriding feeling of Dublin manager Mick Bohan in the wake of his back-to-back All-Ireland champions’ semi-final win over Cork at Croke Park today.

With the three in-a-row dream well and truly alive, the Sky Blues didn’t come out of the six-point victory unscathed, however, with star forward Nicole Owens’ afternoon ending just four minutes in. 

There were rumours beforehand that the St Sylvester’s star had sustained a cruciate injury, but she was a late change to the staring team, wearing the number 29 jersey along with some heavy strapping on her right knee.

The curtain came down on her contribution from early doors however, as her knee appeared to buckle on the run as she tracked Cork’s Orla Finn.

And afterwards Bohan explained he situation at hand.

“She sustained a knee injury in the warm-up in the Monaghan game [in their group stage clash on 27 July],” he said, later clarifying that it was “a ligament injury”.

Owens after suffering the early injury.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

“The work she has done to try and repair it to get back for today was just colossal. I think she’s done something like 30 one-on-one sessions. For her, it’s obviously a huge blow because to do that and to get the setback in the first five minutes of the game…

The only thing I can say about that is it just reveals the character that’s in our group, that we have people that are willing to do whatever it takes to try to be successful.

“Sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn’t, but that doesn’t mean we’re not proud of them.”

With Galway next up in the All-Ireland final on Sunday, 15 September, Bohan refused to rule her out of the showdown just yet.

I wouldn’t have any clue,” he responded when asked if she was a major doubt. “I’m not a medic. We’ll have to get her MRI’d again and see what the situation is. It’s going to be a tough road for her, but they’re made of tough stuff.

“I don’t know what happened, so we’ll obviously have to get that assessed by our medical team and go at it again.”

He stressed his immense pride in the group over and over following the victory over their arch-rivals, in which captain Sinéad Aherne and substitute Caoimhe O’Connor bagged the all-important goals in front of 10,886 at HQ.

“Ultimately, three weeks ago we weren’t in a good place,” the Clontarf club man added. 

Dublin manager Mick Bohan.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

“We weren’t playing good football. We certainly didn’t hit the tempo that was requires for this end of the championship. We weren’t good up to three weeks ago, we were sporadically playing decent football.

“We were hugely impressed by the way these guys went about it, particularly over the last fortnight. Just the maturity in the group in knowing that they had to get up a couple of notches, and the way that they approached training and the leadership they showed to make the thing work.

“Look, we’re incredibly proud of that performance there today. I feel that’s as hard as we’ve ever had to work. We were absolutely chuffed. I’m so proud of our group today, the way they went about their work”

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– Emma Duffy reports from Croke Park

AS HE STEPPED down from the Cork job after their All-Ireland SFC exit at the hands of Dublin, Ephie Fitzgerald made his feelings known about the officiating in today’s All-Ireland semi-final.

Cavan’s Maggie Farrelly was on the whistle in the clash which Dublin won by six points, and it was one which saw cards aplenty.

Cork had Ciara O’Sullivan and Eimear Meaney sent to the sin-bin in the second half, while three in-a-row chasing Dublin lost Niamh Collins for a 10-minute spell.

“I’m certainly not happy with the officiating,” Fitzgerald said. “Now, I can say this because I will be stepping down after this. I’ve four years done and I think it is time for a new voice.

“But Ciara O’Sullivan was sent off there. That’s the third time Maggie [Farrelly] has sent her off in three matches and she doesn’t know herself what she went for. Stuff like that.

The tackle needs to be defined, I think. That’s not taking from Dublin’s victory on the day. They did deserve it but I just do think that the tackle needs to be defined or the LGFA going forward are wasting their time.

“We don’t know what a tick is, we don’t know when they are being ticked, we don’t know if every foul is a tick or whatever. I don’t know.”

Captain Sinéad Aherne and substitute Caoimhe O’Connor hit the key goals for Dublin, while the Rebels had just three names in the scoresheet in Orla Finn, Doireann O’Sullivan and Eimear Scally. 

Of their 0-11 tally, 0-3 came from open play.

Fitzgerald stressed afterwards that he didn’t think his side were nervous, but says they definitely didn’t finish the game strong enough.

“We were in the game,” the Nemo Rangers clubman continued. “It was still a draw ten minutes into the second half so the two sendings-off probably interrupted the flow of our game maybe a little bit, I don’t know.

We certainly didn’t perform in the last 20 minuets when Dublin took over and they were very, very strong physically when they ran at us.

“We didn’t cope with that very well but having said that, Áine O’Sullivan had a chance that whistled past the post. Dublin went down then and got a goal. Small margins again. That would have put us two points up but we don’t have any complaints.

Eimear Meaney was one of the Cork players sent to the sin-bin.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

“Dublin are a fine team. They are physically very strong. I thought the game was a bit closer than the scoreline suggested but I am very happy with my girls. I couldn’t have asked for any more of them. They gave everything and that’s it.”

When asked if that O’Sullivan missed goal chance was a crucial moment, he added:

“Well, it was one of the key moments. Who is to say that Dublin wouldn’t have come back and scored. I’m not sure about that.

Doireann [O’Sullivan] had a chance early on and we had a two-on-one when she [Farrelly] blew for a free in the first-half when through on goal. But there you go. That’s life.

He admitted that the 10 minutes Mourneabbey defender Meaney spent in the sin-bin was massive in the end. Cork found hard to settle and cope with Dublin’s extra player coming at them. That was ultimately the difference.

And on the final, Fitzgerald acknowledges that Dublin are double All-Ireland champions and will be strong favourites. Galway have a lot of “pace and power,” however.

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“Who knows? It will be an interesting final but you would have to say that Dublin will be strong favourites to win it,” he concluded.

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A FIRST OUTING in Croke Park for so many, and a first All-Ireland final spot booked since 2005.

It wasn’t a bad day for Galway at HQ yesterday as they came out on top by the bare minimum against Connacht rivals Mayo in their historic All-Ireland semi-final. 

Galway’s Sinead Burke and her one-and-a-half-year-old niece, Marley, and Barbara Hannon with her one-year-old son, Miko Finnegan, celebrate the final whistle.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Róisín Leonard’s late free ensured the thrilling game finished 2-10 to 2-9 despite the late drama that followed, with Megan Glynn putting in a Player of the Match performance and Mairead Seoighe’s 2-1 key for the Tribe in the first half.

And manager Tim Rabbitt, who took the reins from Stephen Glennon ahead of this campaign after working as a selector, was understandably delighted afterwards.

The Oranmore/Maree man, who guided Galway to a Division 1 league final and the Connacht title in his first year in charge, insisted, however, that this is a “combination of three years’ work”.

“Fantastic,” he smiled after his side’s one-point victory, which made it three wins and a draw from four titanic battles with Mayo this year. “Really proud of them. [We] did a lot of good things in that first half, but let them back into the game. It was touch and go the whole time.

“There was nothing between the two teams. It just fell our way at the end. But the girls kept battling. Things went against us at different times. We hit the post and crossbar, different stuff like that.

“If we won that by a point we would be happy and that’s the way it worked out. We knew from the other times we played them that there would be nothing in it.

I am very proud of them. This is a combination of about three years’ work. People in the background like Mike Comer, Noel [Kelly] and Stephen Glennon, the previous manager, they have done massive work to get this team to an All-Ireland final.

“This is our year to get to an All-Ireland final but it is after about three years’ work.”

“I can’t be happier for the group themselves,” he added, reflecting on the past hurt and many times they’ve fallen at the final hurdle through the years.

“We have taken a few hammer blows over the years. Last year’s semi-final hurt us hard. We learnt a lot of lessons from it. I am just delighted today. There is loads of things to work on but that is for another day.”

Galway manager Tim Rabbitt.

Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO

Next up is of course three in-a-row chasing Dublin, who booked their showpiece date after a six-point win over arch-rivals Cork afterwards.

They’ll lock horns in the decider at Croke Park on Sunday, 15 September, for the first time since 2004, when Galway last lifted the Brendan Martin trophy. In fact, that’s the last time a county other than Dublin or Cork have tasted All-Ireland success.

“It is going to be a super occasion,” Rabbitt added. “Playing in Croke Park today, it was the first time we played in Croke Park. That will stand to us on All-Ireland final day.

“There were a lot of nerves out there today as much as we tried to not let them come into play. We have had that now and that is out of the way. We can move on to put a better performance together.

We have got our reward to get to another final. We’ll think about the preparations for it later. Today was about getting our reward.

With the county’s senior camogie side booking their All-Ireland final showdown place against Kilkenny last weekend after bringing the curtain down on Cork’s three in-a-row bid, the intermediates also reaching their showpiece and underage going strong in both codes, Rabbitt is pleased with the buzz in the Western county. 

“There is a lot of work being done in Galway Ladies football,” he concluded. “There is a lot of really good people involved in it. We have got to make sure that it is a regular kind of thing now [getting to the final], that it is not once every 15 years or so. There has to be a bit of continuity to it.

“Camogie are doing brilliant. I was delighted for them the last day in Limerick. They put in a super performance. We reference themselves the whole time.

“Everything that is good about Galway sport they did that day; passion, heart, fight. We wanted to make sure whatever about our quality of football, that we were going to bring that to the table.

“I think we did.”

That, they did. And on they go. Onwards and upwards.

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THE CURTAIN CAME down on Mayo’s 2019 in heartbreaking circumstances at Croke Park yesterday, the Green and Red just missing out on a coveted All-Ireland final spot.

Their Connacht rivals Galway were one-point winners at the death, but the game didn’t finish up without some late drama in the dying seconds. 

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Róisín Leonard was the last-gasp hero, her late, late free-kick from the ground putting the Tribe 2-10 to 2-9 up with 85 seconds on the clock.

In typical Mayo fashion, Peter Leahy’s charges responded immediately, showing true fight as full-forward Rachel Kearns danced towards goal before going to ground just outside the square.

While Mayo fans thought referee Seamus Mulvihill was awarding a free in for a foul, the Kerry man awarded a free out to Galway for Kearns’ double-hop.

An irate Leahy didn’t hold back afterwards, claiming that Mulvihill’s decision was influenced by an official in the Croke Park control room.

“When you are done outside the rules of the game it is not a great thing,” the Westmeath native said. “When you pull the two hops, we are told by the fourth official that it was from upstairs by television which is against the rules.

“The referee didn’t see it, the umpires didn’t see it. The television pulled it up. She was fouled four times before she got to hop it twice and he pulls it back for two hops. Which is not in the rule book to be done by trial by television. That is a little bit annoying.”

The LGFA has since dismissed that claim, however.

“The referee consulted with his umpire and nobody else,” a spokesperson from the association told The42 this morning. “The team of officials made the correct call.”

Leahy continued to air his grievances afterwards that Kearns was fouled before the double-hop, but stressed his immense pride in his group:

“The fact that she is fouled down before that was a little bit annoying that he didn’t go back,” he said. “He just put advantage on it, it was a definite free from start to finish.

A little bit annoying in that circumstance but I have huge pride in these girls. Huge honour they showed today, commitment. Our own destiny was ruled by our amount of wides we had today. Our shot selection was poor. We had too many wides.

“We also kicked balls straight into the goalkeeper’s hands when we were one-on-one when it was a much easier situation to put it across the box. We weren’t clinical. We owned the ball.

“Without sounding facetious in any way we had more of the ball and there was large sections of the game where I thought we dominated it. But not to come out with the result is disappointing.”

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KEY PLAYERS FROM the victorious Dublin and Galway sides picked up the player-of-the-match awards from the historic Ladies All-Ireland semi-finals which were staged in Croke Park for the first time on Sunday.

There were 10,886 spectators at GAA headquarters to watch the double-header drama unfold, with the Tribeswomen narrowly edging out the first semi-final.

A late Roisín Leonard free proved to be the difference between the sides, although there was some controversy just before the final whistle.

Mayo’s Rachel Kearns was hauled down while she was bearing down on goal, which led to many assuming that Mayo would be awarded a free in. However, referee Seamus Mulvihill gave the free to Galway for a double-hop.

Beidh @GalwayLgfa i gCluiche Ceannais na hÉireann don chéad uair ó 2005!
Comhgháirdeachas le Megan Glynn Laoch na hImeartha@LadiesFootball @ConnachtLGFA @lidl_ireland @GAA_BEO #ProperFan #20×20 pic.twitter.com/Fa5oeBypPS

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) August 25, 2019

Galway centre-forward Megan Glynn put in a monstrous shift for Tim Rabbitt’s side and also kicked a point from play to help her side book a place in the All-Ireland final for the first time since 2005.

Defending All-Ireland champions Dublin prevailed in the second semi-final after inflicting a six-point defeat on old rivals Cork to keep their three-in-a-row dream alive.

Captain Sinéad Aherne finished with an impressive tally of 1-3 while Siobhán McGrath put in a towering performance in midfield.

Both McGrath and Glynn picked up the player-of-the-match awards after their respective wins as Dublin and Galway look towards the All-Ireland final on 15 September.

Comgháirdeachas le Siobhán McGrath Laoch na hImeartha@dublinladiesg 2-11@CorkLGFA 0-11@LadiesFootball @MunsterLGFA @LeinsterLGFA @lidl_ireland #ProperFan #20×20 #SeriousSupport pic.twitter.com/kb0uNrxZjW

— Spórt TG4 (@SportTG4) August 25, 2019

It will be a repeat of the 2004 final where the Connacht side came out on top to pick up their first senior All-Ireland title.

Do you agree with the selections? Let us know.

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