Cork ladies footballers can top group with win over Galway at MTU
Laura O’Mahony sets up an attack for Cork against Aoife Gorman, Mary Cotter and Grainne Lalor, Laois, during their clash last weekend. Laura was one of several impressive performances for Cork. Picture: Alf Harvey
Cork got into their second group game in the TG4 All-Ireland series knowing a win would see them top the group.
They are at home to Galway tomorrow, throw-in at 1pm at MTU, which will be a bit step up from last week's win over Laois.
It would have been a shock result had the Rebels lost, but full credit to Cork they set about their task, and from the start they controlled the game.
In the end they ended up winning by 6-13 to 1-5, in a display they have been threatening to show for some time.
Every since the league ended both the players and management have put in massive effort to try and turn their season around and it has shown.
Last Sunday Cork got on top from the start, proving successful in finding gaps in the Laois defence, and scored 1-4 in the opening 10 minutes.
The goal came from a penalty, superbly finished by Daire Kiely, after a foul on senior debutant Ava McCauliffe.
But it was her overall display that all would have been happy with and Ava showed that with continued hard work she will have a lot to offer Cork in the years ahead.
But this win was far more than just the efforts of McCauliffe, it was a quality team effort, who knew in advance that taking the points would be enough to see them into the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Katie Quirke was another to show her value to the side and her impressive displays all season was added to as she hit 1-3, with Kiely just behind her on 1-2.
Hannah Looney, who was involved with the Cork camogie side on Saturday, also hit the back of the net, with Rachel Leahy getting the Rebels' other goal.
"We were looking for certain things out of our team," said Cork manager Shane Ronayne afterward.
"We're very happy with today, we have a lot of work to do still with only six days turnaround to the Galway game and we know they will be a different proposition."
And in that, he is very much right as Galway will provide far more of a challenge than Laois. Like Cork, the Tribeswomen were relegated from Division 1 of the league and will be hoping for a good run in the All-Ireland championship to make up for that.
Since they relegated Galway have regrouped and went on the win the Connacht senior championship, defeating Mayo in the final by 1-11 to 0-9.
Andrea Trill's goal proved to be a vital score in that win and it will have been a huge confidence boost for them ahead of tomorrow's clash with Cork.
Others, like Olivia Divilly and Roisin Leonard, will also need to be kept at bay if Cork are to make it two from two.
Galway were the only side Cork beat in the league, which was their first outing played at Bishopstown in hurricane-like conditions, which saw the wind gusting up to 80km an hour at times.
It was a day that was virtually impossible to play any sort of quality football and Cork ran our relatively easy winners on that Secondhand. It was also the day that Quirke showed her class as she got all of Cork's scores in their 1-6 to 0-5 win.
They will have seen Cork's win over Laois and will have their homework done. It would be a shock if Galway lost to Laois next weekend, so they will know that their clash with the Rebels is the game that counts.
It should be a quality tie and the win last week might just help Cork get over the line. They can go into it with confidence high and also have the bonus of a few players back from injury.
Shauna Kelly, Shauna Cronin, and Eimear Kiely all featured last weekend and are sure to do so again tomorrow. Add in Abbie O'Mahony, Maire O'Callaghan, Laura O'Mahony, Melissa Duggan, Emma Cleary, and Amy McDonagh and Cork have quality all over the pitch to win and top the group.
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