During the initial of Saturday afternoon’s two Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior semi-finals, reigning champions Cork saw smooth victory against Dublin. At UPMC Nowlan Park, Cork’s road to triumph was paved by Amy Lee’s critical save in the penalty during the opening minute. Dublin had a major opportunity to progress to their first All-Ireland senior final since 1986 when Emma Flanagan secured Claire Gannon’s elevated ball and was subsequently grounded. Nevertheless, Cork’s goalie managed to block Aisling Maher’s penalty, which was poised at an advantageous height. Although Maher later opened up scores with a free, Cork dominated the rest of the match, playing with impeccable finesse and supremacy.
Both teams utilised diverse strategies; Dublin focused on a blend of lengthy balls and midfield runs while Cork employed a systematic line pass approach, displaying remarkable precision. Maher, having withdrawn from her assumed winger position to a sweeper, enabled Cork’s Laura Treacy to intercept numerous high balls. In turn, Cork neutralised Maher effectively with their deft stickwork, facilitating ample scoring opportunities.
Cork’s midfield duo, Ashling Thompson and Aoife Healy, demonstrated their control over the game, providing the likes of Amy O’Connor, Saoirse McCarthy and Orlaith Cahalane with a winning platform. They were leading 1-10 to 0-2 by half-time, thanks to scores achieved by O’Connor from both free and play, McCarthy’s splendid distance points, and Cahalane’s first goal of the game.
Dublin, although favoured by the wind, still needed a morale boost and a base to construct their play. They found a spark in Elyse Jamieson-Murphy’s incredible chance to score just prior to the break. Yet, Lee’s second saving grace for Cork ensured that they retained their substantial lead.
Maher continued as a sweeper for Dublin through the second half, causing struggles for the team to make noteworthy progress at the front end, even with Aisling Gannon’s dedicated attempts to secure prime possession while facing numerical superiority at the full-forward position.
As the second half kicked off, Laura Hayes was the one to start the scoring for the Rebels. It became evident that Cork’s continued journey to their fourth sequential All-Ireland final was certain when Sinéad Wylde’s goal attempt for Dublin recoiled off the post.
The ever-growing certainty was fortified by a red-hot sprint and point-blank range goal from McCarthy bringing the score to 2-11 to 0-3, ten minutes into the second half. This victory definitively quelled any budding hope that may have been ignited by Grace O’Shea ending Dublin’s 32-minute scoreless period with an impressive point on the move.
Interestingly, the Cork Manager Ger Manley had the luxury to explore his bench to quite an extent. This provided him with benefits, seen in the replacements contributions of 1-4 from the field, among which were two points from Clodagh Finn and the first possession goal by Sorcha McCartan after her entry onto the field.
Dublin valiantly continued their struggle and saw some scoring success achieved by Niamh Gannon, Flanagan, and Aisling Gannon. However, Cork maintained a comfortable hold on the possession and their opportunities continued to surge.
Cahalane had the honour of concluding the scoring with a skillfully targeted shot into the lower right corner of the net. This served as a final exclamation to the dominant performance from the defending O’Duffy Cup champions.
The Cork team: A Lee; M Murphy, P Mackey, I O’Regan; H Looney (0-1), L Treacy, L Hayes (0-2, 1f); A Thompson, A Healy (0-1); C Healy (0-1), F Keating, S McCarthy (1-2); A O’Connor (0-4, 3f), K Mackey, O Cahalane (2-2, 1f).
Substitutions: S McCartan (1-0) replaced K Mackey, C O’Sullivan (0-1) swapped for C Healy (both occurred at 41 minutes); N O’Callaghan came in for O’Regan (48 minutes); O Mullins (0-1) and C Finn (0-2) were brought on for Keating and O’Connor respectively (both took place at 51 minutes).
DUBLIN Players: A Gorman; E O’Byrne, A Ryan, Z Couch; A McKearney, K Finnegan, C Gannon; S Nolan, N Gannon (0-1); S Wylde, E Jamieson-Murphy, A Maher (0-5, 4 frees); A Gannon (0-1), E Flanagan (0-1), G O’Shea (0-1).
Substitutions: A Kenny replaced Couch, A Heffernan swapped for Nolan (both at 41 minutes); G Skelton in for Jamieson-Murphy (47 minutes); N Comerford and H O’Dea came on for Wylde and Ryan respectively (occurred simultaneously at 56 minutes).
Refereeing was by Justin Heffernan from Wexford.
Galway achieved a victory against Tipperary in a thrilling conclusion
Semi-final of All-Ireland Senior Camogie: Galway 1-12, Tipperary 1-11
Galway was carried to victory by two vital frees from Carrie Dolan sandwiching a score levelling stroke from Aoife Donohue, in a tension-filled and dramatic second semi-final against Tipperary at UPMC Nowlan Park. This achievement means Galway will return to Croke Park for their first finale in a trio of years.
Galway’s initial three consecutive scores, and their final similar trio of consecutive scores, as well as valuable input of 1-2 without return from Niamh Mallon around half-time, were key to their success. These were of pivotal importance, as outside of these three shorter spells of domination, they had difficulty in managing a formidable and direct Tipperary side, who saw stand-out performances from Karen Kennedy in the position of central defence, Caoimhe McCarthy providing midfield support, and Eimear McGrath in the full-forward role.
Cáit Devane entered the game past halfway into the second half, instantly scoring a point. This seemed like the spark the former All Star would use to tip the balance for her team, the blue and gold. However, despite Tipp’s surge, Galway’s defence maintained enough stability to keep them within their attacking range at the end.
Tipperary endured the first 12 minutes of the game in a defensive tribulation, during which Galway led the scoring, headlined by Niamh Kilkenny’s opening point and two additional frees by Dolan. McGrath’s slip up gave Róisín Black an opportunity to defend effectively in one phase, then she hit the upright with her next shot. The inability of Rachael Hanniffy to block Grace O’Brien’s shot only heightened the concern amongst the 6000 strong Tipp supporters as their team failed to open their scoring.
The game, however, experienced a significant shift in momentum courtesy of a quality move. A misstep by Galway defence giving Kennedy a window to intercept, O’Brien providing a great assist to McGrath who was positioned near the Galway goal. The Drom & Inch player triumphantly cleared two tackles and successfully fired the ball to the net’s top corner, a great relief for the Tipp contingent.
The next eight points saw the Premier County take a lead with six of them, including remarkable long-range goals by Eimear Heffernan and Eimear Loughman. Although injury caused a temporary handicap to Mallon, her return to the field marked with her scoring two crucial points during the stoppage time of the first half.
The previous Down footballer, now a nutritionist for the Galway team competing in the All-Ireland final against Armagh, enhanced her importance to the Galway team by a darting clear of the Tipp defence to score a goal in just two minutes into the second half. Despite the level scored by Tipp’s Clodagh McIntyre, expertly executed points from Niamh McPeake and Niamh Kilkenny put Galway two points clear after 37 minutes of play.
In an intensely fought game, Tipperary regained control primarily due to Devane’s excellent performance. She scored a notable point and could have gained more if only her first pass hadn’t gone slightly wide. Following McGrath’s push to reclaim the lead for Tipp, Devane played a crucial part in the 56th-minute point that helped Tipperary edge ahead 1-11 to 1-9.
When it came down to counts, the match was more or less balanced (Galway ahead 7-6). During a sequence of four consecutive points won by Tipperary, a few missed opportunities seemed they could prove damaging. However, Galway successfully composed themselves, created the necessary opportunities and with Dolan and Donohue at the helm, managed to close with strong finishes.
Tipperary launched one final assault from a sideline, masterly handled by McGrath towards Galway’s goal area – but it was Dervla Higgins’ commendable catch amid high pressure that finally sealed Galway’s match with reigning All-Ireland champions Cork set for Sunday, August 11th.
The Galway team included players like S Healy, D Higgins, R Black, and R Hanniffy. The bench players brought in were O McGrath substituting for Mallon (for a brief period between 27-30 minutes); N Niland replaced Rabbitte in the 50th minute and A Hesnan stepped in for N Hanniffy in the 52nd.
Meanwhile, the Tipperary team comprised of N Walsh, E Loughman – who scored 0-1, J Bourke, and K Blair. Other players included C Quirke, K Kennedy, M Eviston and R Howard with E McGrath being an exemplary performer scoring 1-6.
Substitutions: T Ryan came on for Hennessy at half-time; A McGrath replaced Bourke at the 40-minute mark; C Devane (scored 0-1) took over from Heffernan in the 42nd minute; M Burke was subbed in for Howard at the 50-minute mark; C Perdue took the place of O’Brien in the 57th minute. In charge of the match was referee Liz Dempsey from Kilkenny.