CORK 1-9 DUBLIN 2-4

CORK LADIES CONTINUED their winning run over Dublin and lifted their eighth Tesco Homegrown National Football League title in ten years at Parnell Park on Saturday.

Dublin were desperate to get one over the Rebelettes, who had beaten them at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage in two of the last three years, and they led by four points early in the second half.

However Cork showed their resilience and battling qualities once again, scoring six points in a row to turn the game on its head with Dublin failing to score for 21 minutes.

The Dublin girls hit six wides after the break, the most crucial being a poor effort from captain Sinead Goldrick when they trailed by a point with two minutes remaining.

Cork, appearing in their seventh league final in a row compared to Dublin’s first, used all their experience to run the clock down and drew the free which Geraldine O’Reilly expertly converted with ten seconds remaining.

There were the same number of goals scored as points in a low-scoring first half.

Lindsay Peat, who scored a hat-trick in the semi-final win over Monaghan, was back among the goals with two cracking finishes in the first half.

There was good work down the stand side by Noelle Healy, who passed inside and Peat blasted the ball high to the far corner of the net for the opening goal after ten minutes.

Cork responded with a goal from Orlagh Farmer three minutes later with a low snapshot which flew past Cliodhna O’Connor in the Dublin goal.

Lyndsey Davey scored a long range point for Dublin and she then created Peat’s second goal, spinning brilliantly and running towards before unselfishly passing inside to Peat whose explosive finish left Martina O’Brien with no chance.

All Star forward and expert free-taker Valerie Mulcahy was not named to start the game but she ended up as Cork’s top scorer with 0-5. Her only point from play came just before the break to leave her team trailing by just 2-1 to 1-2.

When Dublin opened up with two points in three minutes from Davey and Sinead Aherne to stretch their lead to four, it looked as though they would finally get a victory over the Rebelettes.

Cork had other ideas, however, and three Mulcahy frees as well as points from Geraldine O’Flynn, Doireann O’Sullivan and substitute Deirdre O’Reilly from a narrow saw them turn the game around.

While the brilliant Carla Rowe won and carried a lot of ball, the Dublin forwards disappointed and could not win the ball.

Aherne’s close-in free ended Dublin’s 21 minute scoring drought after 54 minutes to reduce the gap to a point. But Cork, who have lost some key players since last season, showed they still had the confidence to play the possession game with O’Flynn kicking the insurance point to break Dublin hearts again.

Scorers for Cork: V Mulcahy 0-5 (4f), O Farmer 1-0, G O’Flynn 0-2 (1f), D O’Sullivan, D O’Reilly 0-1 each

Scorers for Dublin: L Peat 2-0, L Davey 0-2, S Aherne 0-2 (2f)

CORK: M O’Brien; R Phelan, Angela Walsh, B Stack; V Foley, Ann Marie Walsh, G O’Flynn; R Buckley, B Corkery (capt); Annie Walsh, C O’Sullivan, O Farmer; E Farmer, D O’Sullivan, V Mulcahy

Subs: D O’Reilly for Ann Marie Walsh (36), O Finn for O Farmer (40), E Scally for Annie Walsh (40), G Kearney for E Farmer (51), N Kelly for Foley (54).

DUBLIN: C O’Connor; S McGrath, S Furlong, R Ruddy; S Goldrick (capt), S Finnegan, C Rowe; D Masterson, S McCaffrey; S Woods, N McEvoy, N Healy; L Davey, S Aherne, L Peat

Subs: D Murphy for Woods (45), N Hyland for McEvoy (48), O Leonard for Masterson (55).

Ref: J Niland (Sligo).

Report provided by the Ladies Gaelic Football Association (LGFA).

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