Galway seek to end final heartbreak as Cork stand in their way again

Michael Bolton

It is a repeat of last season's Division Two final - but this time on a bigger stage - as Galway take on rivals Cork in Division One this weekend.

It has been a long wait for Division One glory for Galway, who have yet to win the title, suffering seven final defeats, the most recent against Kerry in 2023.

For Captain Kate Geraghty, there is satisfaction with the progress Galway has made through the league campaign.

"I think when you are winning games and winning any sort of final, it drives the team on. That is motivation enough for us.

"We went out and won a lot of league games, getting to the Division One final is a testament to the team performances put in throughout that league.

"It will definitely be a battle. We are used to playing them at this stage. They always put in a huge dog fight. Our work rate will have to be huge on the day."

It was another season for the Galway ladies where they came agonisingly close to All-Ireland success.

Leading with seconds to go in the All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin, a Hannah Tyrell free-kick brought the game to extra-time, with Dublin prevailing in extra-time and going on to win the final.

In 2024, it was another final defeat for Galway, losing to Kerry. A team that has been able to keep its key players, with several players winning All-Ireland club titles in the last five years.

While this can take a toll on teams, Geraghty is positive the team will be contenders once again this summer, as the Tribeswomen remain determined as ever.

"It was a disappointing end to the year, but I think it shows how close we are, and we should be able to get back to it.

"I don't think it was too deflating of a defeat in the sense we were able to get back.

"We have all our players back really. It shows everyone wants that and wants to keep going until we get there eventually. The fact we have that closeness in that group, it is just a huge advantage to us.

"We have only lost games by a point or different things going against us. You still have to adapt depending on who you are playing. Cork are a different team to others in Division One, they beat us in the league already, so we have to look back and see what we can do differently."