Ashling Thompson's race against time sums up Cork’s remarkable road to Croke Park

When Ashling Thompson hit the turf in agony during Cork’s league clash with Kilkenny in March, it appeared the curtain had fallen on her season.

The Cork midfielder had suffered a broken and dislocated elbow in the dying moments of the game, an injury serious enough to require surgery and one that left medical experts believing her 2026 campaign was over before it had truly begun.

Less than five months later, the Milford star is preparing to line out in a sixth successive Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final as Cork get set to face Galway in Croke Park on Sunday, August 9.

For Thompson, one of the most driven competitors in the game, accepting that diagnosis was never really an option.

“Absolutely not,” she says when asked if she believed an All-Ireland final appearance was still possible as she lay on the pitch in pain that afternoon.

“I was in excruciating pain, but I was probably a bit naive. I thought they’d just pop it back in and if there was a break sure that would only take six weeks.

“I had to undergo surgery and I was pretty much ruled out. The medical people were almost apologetic saying that my season was over.”

That verdict only fuelled her determination.

The first thing Ashling did was not dwell on the injury but examine the fixture list.

“I genuinely don’t know what it is, but the first thing I did was pull out the phone and the calendar and see what games I might make.

“I had a good chat with the surgeon, and he gave me a small window of opportunity. Once I knew there was a chance, that became my focus.

I was doing rehab three or four times a day, going to physios, getting treatment, focusing on nutrition and supplements – anything at all that could help.”

The obsession with recovery came with a price.

While the physical challenges were immense, she admits the mental strain posed an equally difficult test.

“The hardest part is how secluded you become and how socially distant you get without even realising it.

“You just become consumed by rehab. Everything revolves around getting better. After a couple of months your body almost says, ‘enough here’.

“There was a stage where I felt I was nearly losing my mind, but once I got back into the camp everything felt worth it.”

The reward came sooner than anyone expected.

Having initially targeted a possible return for the latter stages of the championship, she surprisingly togged out against Tipperary in the group stages before returning fully for the Waterford game, where she completed the full hour.

Among the milestones that stand out most are the simple ones.

“It’s the small things you remember,” Ashling said.

“Even throwing a ball off a wall and seeing that your reactions are still there. Then getting a hurley back into your hand and striking a sliotar again.

“Those little moments are probably the things that stay with you more than anything.”

TOUGH TIMES

Her comeback mirrors Cork’s wider journey this season.

This is a team that many outside the county questioned during a turbulent spring. A heavily depleted squad lost league games to Waterford, Antrim and Galway while adjusting to life after a significant turnover of players, with several retirements and a number heading to Australia.

Yet Thompson insists there were signs from the outset that Cork possessed the resilience to overcome those setbacks.

“We had only four players from last year’s starting team playing against Waterford in the first game of the league. We actually expected to get hammered, to be honest.

“But we could have won it. That gave me hope because we were so inexperienced and still competitive.

“Then there was the Antrim game and people were wondering where we were going, but it was very early in the year.”

The first major statement arrived in Freshford when Cork travelled to Kilkenny and won impressively on their own patch.

“That was a huge performance. Kilkenny had far more time together than we did and it’s never an easy place to go. We took an awful lot from that game.”

If that victory hinted at potential, Cork’s championship opener against Galway in Athenry confirmed they remained genuine contenders.

After suffering a heavy defeat to the Tribeswomen in the league, Cork returned to the same county and produced one of their most impressive displays of the year to win by 10 points.

“We knew how hard we had worked in those seven weeks leading into it. 

We wanted to make our mark. Going to Galway and winning up there showed Cork camogie wasn’t going anywhere.”

That belief has only strengthened as the season has progressed.

A successful All-Ireland U23 campaign helped accelerate the development of a new generation.

According to Thompson, that success fostered a sense of unity that has become one of the defining characteristics of this Cork group.

“There was a real bond created there. The younger players came back buzzing with confidence and it brought everyone closer together. Winning becomes a habit and I think that definitely helped us.”

That spirit was evident again in the All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary, where Cork weathered a second-half comeback to book another decider.

This year’s final will be Cork’s sixth consecutive All-Ireland appearance and their 11th in 13 seasons, a level of consistency few teams in Irish sport can match.

“It’s mad when you think about it like that,” Ashling added,

“Sometimes maybe we don’t get the recognition we deserve, but maybe that’s what keeps us hungry as well. The less praise you get, the more it drives you.”

FIERCE RIVALS

Now comes Galway once again. The teams shared the last two All-Ireland titles, Galway winning last year after Cork triumphed in 2024.

Thompson has no issue with Cork entering the final as underdogs.

“Galway are the favourites and that’s the way we look at it too. They’re All-Ireland champions, they’ve huge experience and we know how good they are.

“But at the same time, what our girls have accomplished this season has been incredible. We never thought we’d be in an All-Ireland final after everything that happened this year.

There’s no fear in this group. 

"They’ve worked extremely hard and they deserve to be here.”

For Thompson personally, simply being part of the occasion represents a victory of its own.

Back in March, an All-Ireland final seemed impossible.

Now, after months of relentless work, sacrifice and stubborn determination, she stands one game away from adding another chapter to Cork camogie’s remarkable story.

And given everything she has overcome to get there, few would bet against her.