The final game of the All-Ireland Premier Intermediate Camogie Championship was a nail-biting affair that witnessed Cork defeating Kilkenny with a score of 1-11 to 1-10. Fiona Nelligan from Charleville, representing Cork, embodied the mantra, “value every minute, make each minute valuable.” She scored the game-defining point, securing the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate title for Cork, their fifth win in history and the first since 2018.
Claire Doheny decisively capitalized on a loose ball, with a supportive push from full forward Caroline Kennedy, hitting what looked like a crucial point to put Kilkenny ahead at 1-10 to 1-8 with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
However, Cork, guided by Donie Daly, dominated the latter part of the game at both ends of the pitch. Even though the championship’s highest scorer, Lauren Homan, did not control the game as she has in other matches this season, she showed tenacity as she scored from a free-kick on the 20m line, thus kickoff their comeback.
Cork’s defenders’ collective determination shined, stopping Niamh Crowley and Tara McCarthy, thus denying the Kilkenny team a score. This tireless effort was rewarded when Cliona O’Callaghan effortlessly scored the equalising point.
Towards the end, with the wind in their favour and four minutes of extra time to play, Kilkenny ruefully anticipated the final whistle from referee Brian Kearney, hoping for a chance to regroup for a replay the following weekend in Thurles.
A precarious catch from Cliona Murphy, followed by a brave block from Mairéad Kennedy, seemed pivotal in granting that second opportunity. Yet, Nelligan’s tenth-minute seize of a mishandled clearance saw her shooting the decisive point of the match.
The opening quarter mirrored the intense drama of the closing stages as Cork narrowly outscored Kilkenny 0-5 to 0-4 in the initial 17 minutes of the game.
In the initial stages of the game, Kilkenny, in spite of having the majority of the ball control, attempted many poorly-judged shots, failing to hit the mark three times, until Doheny accrued points to offset Cliona Dooley’s first score. Rachel Dowling and Doheny contributed the following two as Kilkenny persisted in dominating the puckout skirmishes. Nevertheless, following a lull in point-scoring opportunities at their end, Homan found her rhythm while a couple of precise shots from Niamh O’Regan gave Cork a slight edge before half-time, leading 0-7 to 0-6.
The third quarter’s narrative involved two scores that could have been avoided. First, O’Callaghan achieved a well aimed goal to the right hand corner at the Davin End but it lacked the necessary force to dodge Cliona Murphy. Kilkenny’s Ciara Hurley will undoubtedly lament her inability to handle Danielle Morrissey’s high shot, which deflected from her hurley just beneath the crossbar and bounced up into the top of the net. This propelled Kilkenny into a 1-9 to 1-7 lead after they had already counteracted O’Callaghan’s goal with two frees by Morrissey.
By this point of the game, the full-back line of both teams had an extra player due to the mounting tension and the diminished scoring chances. A total of 19 attempts in the second half, including wides, scores, saves, and short shots should have worked in favour of Kilkenny. Yet the final chapter of this exciting match was poised to be scripted differently with an unfazed freetaker, an impassioned defensive team, and a decisive substitution soon seizing control.
In the match, representing Cork were Hurley, Barrett, O’Leary, Flanagan, Doyle, McAllen, Ring, Buttimer, Cashman, Sheehan, Homan who scored 0-6 with five free kicks, McCarthy, O’Callaghan who scored 1-1, Dooley who scored 0-1, and O’Regan who scored 0-2. Substitutions were made at the 39-minute mark with Allen replacing Buttimer, at 45 minutes, Duignan came in for Sheehan, at 52 minutes, Nelligan (0-1) was swapped for O’Regan, at 56 minutes, Curtin substituted Dooley and at 60 minutes, Cashman was replaced by Walsh.
On the opposing team, Kilkenny were represented by Murphy, Leahy, Whelan, Cass, Kennedy, Treacy, Scott who scored 0-1, Morrissey who scored 1-4 with three free kicks, Ronan, Comerford who scored 0-1, Dowling, who scored 0-1, Cantwell, Kelly, Kennedy, and Doheny who scored 0-3. Substitutions were utilised with McCluskey coming in for Cantwell at the 43-minute mark, Crowley swapped for Kelly at the 50-minute mark and Langton substituted for Dowling at the 55-minute mark. The referee for this exciting match was Brian Kearney from Kildare.