Cathal Murray: 'It could have gone either way, Cork are unbelievable champions'

It was as dramatic a finale as they came, but Cork were edged out by the minimum after a gruelling battle against Galway at Croke Park.

The physicality on show was ferocious else in their All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final – and Galway manager Cathal Murray outlined just how much the hurt of the past three seasons fuelled Sunday’s victory.

“The last three years have been tough,” he said, post-match. “We lost to Kilkenny in 2022, probably had chances in the first half, we didn’t take them. ’23 against Cork, we just didn’t perform.

“Last year we performed but we weren’t good enough to win it. So there’s an awful lot of hurt.

Winning it the way we won it, it’s the sweetest one.

“A puck of a ball and with five minutes left, the game is levelled up. You just have to batten down hatches, win the balls and Carrie [Dolan]’s free was just incredible. I’m absolutely thrilled for her.” 

Victory was never assured until the very end, and Murray reserved huge praise for Cork, who pushed them all the way in the second half despite playing with 14 from just before half-time.

“To be down to 14 players just before half time, and give the performance they gave in the second half,” Murray said. “Their selector said it to me there, we [Galway] played unbelievable. We had to play unbelievable.

“It’s a mark of how good they [Cork] are. We’re just delighted for ourselves, as I said, that third All-Ireland – it’s just, I don’t know does it copper-fasten how good we’ve been. Three All-Ireland’s in seven years is massive.

UNBELIEVEABLE

“Thank God we pulled it off today, it could have gone either way – Cork are unbelievable champions, they’re an incredible team. To come within a puck of a ball to winning three in a row, it’s hard on them today but I’ve huge respect for them, I’ve huge respect for the management.” 

Facing the reigning champions is daunting at any time, more so on All-Ireland final day when they’re chasing history. But Murray insisted Galway backed themselves – and admitted they felt completely written off in the build-up.

“We just backed ourselves. We were written off completely. 

The Irish Examiner yesterday, any Galway person or player reading that – our player ratings – go back and read and it is absolutely f***ing insulting.

“I thought it was the biggest insult ever. But that is coming out for the last week, two weeks, we were given no chance.

“We knew we were three points off in 2023, and three points off last year. Small percentages.

“But I think I’ll look back at this match now, tonight, and say, ‘this is the benchmark now’. We've got to that level.

“You have to when you're playing Cork. It's the way they play. They want to pass the ball out. If you're not hooking, blocking, chasing, you're not going to win any game, and I just thought we were heroic there today.

SET THE TONE

“I just thought the forwards just set the tone, I think we turned Cork over so many times, and that comes down to raw hunger,” Murray explained. 

It's not that we wanted to stop the three-in-a-row, to be honest with you, we wanted to win this for us.

“That heartbreak that was there last year, we had to put that to bed. We knew we were good enough, it was a matter of delivering in the big moments, and thank God we did.”