Mackey double seals win for Cork against Dublin
DAIRE WALSH, ST PEREGRINE’S
Katrina Mackey grabbed a brace of goals at St Peregrine’s on Saturday evening as Cork produced a powerful turnaround to defeat Dublin in Group One of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship.
Four points adrift in the early stages of the second half, the Leesiders registered 1-8 without reply to comprehensively seal their third successive win in this year’s competition.
After Amy O’Connor (free) and wing-back Saoirse McCarthy posted back-to-back points, Katrina Mackey clinically fired to the back of the Dublin net on 15 minutes.
However, this was to be Cork’s final score of the opening period as the Sky Blues completely turned the table on their Leeside counterparts. Supplementing four points from the ever-reliable Aisling Maher, Aisling O’Neill (two) and substitute Kerrie Finnegan also found the range to give the hosts a surprise 0-7 to 1-2 interval lead.
Having accumulated three points from their opening two games against Waterford and Tipperary, the Leinster side were in a strong position to bolster their championship prospects when Finnegan and Ali Twomey split the uprights on the resumption.
Yet Cork now had a strong breeze at their disposal and edged back into the ascendancy with unanswered points from O’Connor (two), Kate Wall, Chloe Sigerson and Mackey.
Mackey’s second goal on 49 minutes offered them additional leeway and with O’Connor (two) and McCarthy adding to their personal tallies, Cork eased over the line in the end.