Three reasons Cork were victorious at Croker
Daire Walsh
Heartbreak of previous final defeats
Since defeating Galway to claim the 2006 crown, it has been a long road back to the intermediate promised land for Cork. Three final reversals on the bounce followed that particular success, while they came off second-best to Kilkenny and Meath (replay) in the past two seasons. The pain of these showpiece reversals was a key motivating factor on their path back to yesterday’s final and it helped them to eventually overcome the challenge posed by the Mourne county.
Scoring prowess of Collins and McCarthy
Although Cork’s mean defence ensured that they went through the whole championship without conceding a goal, they also possessed a clinical streak in attack. Caitriona Collins and Saoirse McCarthy blossomed all the way through the contest, registering a combined haul of 1-10 for the Leesiders. With Down struggling for scores beyond the first quarter, they created a sizeable gap between the teams with a series of fine scores.
Emphatic response to early Down surge
When they trailed by three points, 0-5 to 0-2, with 16 minutes gone, the mental strength of this Cork squad was truly put to the test. However, thanks to five points in succession, they had swung the pendulum back in their favour by the end of the opening period. Even though Down levelled matters on the restart, Paudie Murray’s side had developed an attacking rhythm that they maintained for the remainder of the action.