Cork v Galway All-Ireland camogie final: Tribe motivated but Rebels better equipped than last time

In the early years of the All-Ireland Camogie Championship, three-in-a-rows seemed to flow to Cork.

Of the first 10 iterations, the Rebels completed hat-tricks between 1934 and ‘36, and 1939 and '41. Few would’ve ever thought that it would be 29 years before the O’Duffy Cup visited again.

When it returned south in 1970, it would reside by the banks of the Lee for four consecutive years. That final year, 1973, was Cork’s 10th All-Ireland. Each of those had been won in trebles or quadruples.

The county has mopped up 20 All-Irelands in the decades since then, but they have never repeated that three-in-a-row feat.

Back-to-back has been accomplished eight times. On each occasion, that third title has remained elusive.

So while this Cork team have already proven their greatness, a win on Sunday would secure another magnitude of legendary status.

Sustaining excellence is the hardest task of all, so for Cork to do so on the heels of a transition period is a major achievement.

ESTABLISHED

They have done so around an established and committed spine. 

Katrina Mackey is preparing for her 12th All-Ireland this Sunday. In all 11 finals she has played, the Douglas star has worked the scoreboard.

Another clutch of stalwarts will feature in their 10th final, including Mackey’s twin sister, Pamela. 

The dependable defender is one of only two players to be on the field for every minute this year, alongside captain Méabh Cahalane. Laura Treacy and Ashling Thompson will also be marking their 10th final involvement.

It will be a ninth start for Hannah Looney, who is already into double-digits when you factor in her football appearances. 

Amy O’Connor was there in the parade alongside Looney for all of those hurling finals. But for a couple of absences, Cahalane and Libby Coppinger are right up there with them.

They are the links which bind the five-in-a-row finalists of 2014-18 to the five-in-a-row finalists of 2021-25.

Despite some significant departures over previous years, this team has still accumulated 38 All-Stars between them.

Inspired by such exploits, a cohort of novices have graduated from successful minor sides to join them for the latest trophy hunt. 

The competition for places is intense, and many of their fiercest battles are fought in training.

An extra defender is a permanent feature of their A v B matches, just to make the test as rigorous as possible on their forwards. 

It’s natural, too, when most teams set up against them in that fashion.

Despite some upheaval, Galway have emerged as the side best equipped to trade equally with Cork.

The Tribeswomen beat them by a goal in 2021, and fell short by the same margin last August.

In the 2024 semi-final, Galway pickpocketed Tipperary to reach the decider. Their progression across the past 12 months was evident as they left the Premier for dust this time around.

Defensively, they held Tipp to 1-3, and even the goal shouldn’t have slipped through the cracks. After regrouping at half-time, they thoroughly outmanoeuvred and outlasted their opponents across the field.

In the second semi-final, Waterford may have gone to drastic lengths with their deployment of sweepers, but Cork will be thankful for the rust-busting performance it forced from them. 

Their depth was a key factor in last year’s final, where Cork leaned upon a wide spread of nine different scorers. 

It remains the case his term, evidenced by Orlaith Mullins coming off the bench to tag on 1-2 against the Déise.

Cork have been ultra-consistent in their performance levels. No team has reached the 20-point barrier against them since the dead-rubber group-stage defeat to Tipp in 2022.

Even leaving aside their healthy goal return, the Rebels have hit 20 points in white flags alone in every game this year. 

They have won their five games by a combined 100 points. It’s hard for challengers to bridge that chasm.

Galway haven’t demonstrated the same firepower, but they have restricted opponents with their suffocating defence. 

On a team which has experienced so much turnover, most of their experience is stockpiled in that backline.

But for the goalkeeping error against Tipp, it would’ve been four consecutive clean sheets and almost five hours without conceding a goal heading into the All-Ireland final. Cork won’t have it as easy this Sunday. They know that much.

The Tribe have improved and won’t lack for motivation to topple a team which has inflicted such misery upon them.

But there is a sense that Cork are arriving here better tested and even stronger than last time around. 

That should be enough to get them over the line.