Ger Manley on being written off: This is our third All-Ireland in four years, we're not a bad team...

Cork camogie manager Ger Manley described Cork's 2-14 to 0-19 Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final victory over Galway as "the sweetest" success of all after his side completed a remarkable turnaround to reclaim the O'Duffy Cup at Croke Park.

Second-half goals from Saoirse McCarthy and Orlaith Cahalane proved decisive as Cork edged a tense and gripping final, securing a third All-Ireland title in four seasons despite a difficult start to the year that had many questioning whether they could reach this stage.

Manley reflected on a journey that began with disappointment and uncertainty but ended with Cork once again on top of the camogie world.

"What a win. A magnificent win by Cork today," he said.

"The goals were massive scores. We always say points win matches, but goals win championship matches and we were hunting for goals. We were probably a small bit disappointed with the first half. We had a lot of play but maybe didn't make it count enough.

"We stepped up in the second half and that made the difference."

Manley felt Cork's defensive work laid the foundation for victory, singling out the contribution of his defenders while praising the impact of Laura Hayes and Millie Condon around midfield.

"Thompson nullified Ciara (Hickey) and that made a huge difference. Laura Hayes and Millie Condon really drove the game for us and once our inside forwards started getting good ball, we looked dangerous.

"Saoirse McCarthy has been unbelievable all year. Amy O'Connor and Orlaith Cahalane are probably among the best forwards in the country. Orlaith, we call her Messi because she has so much time on the ball. She's just so good.

From the goalkeeper all the way out, everybody contributed. We defended really well at the end when Galway were coming hard at us."

The turning point arrived when Saoirse McCarthy latched onto an Amy Lee long puck out delivery and buried a clinical finish to the net, sending the Cork support into raptures.

"What a goal," Manley said. "It was brilliant movement. You need players making those unselfish runs and Saoirse did exactly that, it was a great finish.

"Then we got the second goal straight afterwards through Orlaith and that cushion was vital. We probably sat back a little bit after that, and Galway came at us again but in an All-Ireland final there is pressure on everyone. The important thing is it worked today."

While the goals provided the defining moments, Manley believed the victory had been built over months of hard work following a difficult spring campaign.

"When we go back to the start of the year, people might not have thought this was possible," he admitted.

" Amy O'Connor said to everybody during the league that there was going to be pain before things got better. We still had players coming back and new players trying to settle into the group.”

Sweetest

At half-time, with little between the sides, there was no dramatic team-talk required.

"We just asked the players had we played to the level we could play at and the answer was no. The players knew themselves.

Donal O'Grady and the rest of the management team were excellent. We pushed up, put Galway under pressure and the girls responded brilliantly."

Having faced criticism earlier in the season, Manley also reminded doubters of what this Cork group has consistently achieved.

"This is our third All-Ireland in four years. We're not a bad team.

"People probably wrote us off a bit during the year but we knew what we had in the dressing room. We had a brilliant couple of weeks preparing for Croke Park and the players were so focused coming into today.

"This is the sweetest one," he said. "Where we came from this year, everything that happened, the players who were away, the injuries, everything we had to deal with. It just makes this one extra special.”

The Cork team are due home on Monday, where they will parade through the city on an open-top bus before heading to the Grand Parade between 6 and 6.30pm where supporters will get the chance to welcome them home.