Three reasons Cork won
Daire Walsh
SAOIRSE NOONAN AND SADHBH O’LEARY
There were a number of star performers for Cork in Pearse Park, but it was the scoring prowess of Saoirse Noonan and Sadhbh O’Leary that proved decisive in the end. Following an early goal for Dublin by Rachel Douglas, Noonan replied with a brace of first-half majors, and with 0-5 to her name, O’Leary also made an invaluable contribution.
RESPONSE TO DUBLIN GOALS
While Cork were deserving winners in the end, Dublin’s goal-scoring prowess ensured that they were always within touching distance. However, Cork recorded 1-3 and 0-4 without reply in response to Dublin’s first and second goals respectively, while after Dublin claimed 2-1 in quick succession during the final-quarter, late points by Ciara McCarthy and Sadhbh O’Leary ultimately sealed their triumph.
JOHN CLEARY
Although Cork have always had a strong pedigree in this competition, the presence of highly-respected Castlehaven native John Cleary on the sideline can’t be underestimated. He previously worked with a number of the squad when the Cork U16 team secured All-Ireland glory in 2014.