Galway are aiming to upset the odds and win only their second All-Ireland Camogie title as they take on Cork in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon Gala All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final.
Despite their tag as underdogs for the clash with Cork, Galway have had an impressive season so far. The management team of Liam Donoghue, Anne Broderick and Damien Coleman in its first year in charge, led the team to the National League final in April. However on this occasion they were denied by Kilkenny.
The Tribeswomen are competing in their first All-Ireland decider in 10 years and it has been 12 years since they won their one and only O'Duffy Cup.
Bouncing back from this disappointment Galway roared through the round robin stage of the Championship. They won four of their six matches only losing to Kilkenny and drawing with Tipperary when semi final qualification was already secured.
One of their most outstanding performances was a win over Cork and they remain the only side to have beaten Cork in the Gala Championship this year.
This year the outstanding performer on the Galway side has been 18-year-old Jessica Gill from Athenry. While Gill is top scorer in this year’s Championship with 6-40 her most important score was the injury-time goal against reigning champions Wexford in the semi-final, which secured Galway's Croke Park appearance.
This season has seen a huge turnaround for Galway Camogie. Last season, while they made the last four of the Championship, they were easily beaten by eventual winners Wexford losing by ten points. This eventually led to the resignation of Mike Kelly with Broderick, Donoghue and Coleman taking over the reins.
Donoghue knows what it is like to lose a final to Cork as he played in goals for Galway in the All-Ireland Hurling final in 2005. However, Broderick has happier memories as she was part of the famous 1996 Camogie side who defeated Cork to win that solitary All-Ireland and she will hope for a similar result on Sunday.
On Leeside they have revenge on their mind following their dethroning as Camogie kingpins last September by Wexford. Cork made their intentions clear during the Gala Championship round robin stage as they won five of their six games, losing only to their final opponents. An easy win over Tipperary in the semi-final sees them back in Croke Park for a seventh consecutive year.
This season has also seen a change in management for the Rebels as Denise Cronin has taken the helm along with a new backroom team and panel of selectors.
This freshness reinvigorated the camp following last year’s final disappointment and has seen the team continue their run of All-Ireland final appearances.
Cork's leader on Sunday is Rockban's Catriona Foley and she is hoping her side will use the memory of last year’s defeat to their advantage. 'While we’re not thinking too much about last year’s loss and not getting the three-in-a-row, I think the pain from it can motivate us towards a win this year. It would be an amazing response to last year and I think the girls deserve it too,' Foley said.
The UCC student has no nerves ahead of Sunday and believes this could help her side. 'I’ve been here, in this position, for the past four or five years so I don’t think I’m too nervous at all. I’m just ready to get involved and hopefully do the business on the day. I can guarantee that on match day we’ll all be a bit nervous but it’s how you handle it.'
'We have been here before and hopefully we can handle it better than Galway but we will see on Sunday,' Foley added.
The Rebels will be the favourites on Sunday down to their unrivalled experience in Croke Park, but following Galway's impressive season and victory over Wexford in the semi-final it promises to be a very tight encounter.
