Kilkenny 1-13
Cork 1-09
Kilkenny turned on the style in the second half to power past Cork in the All-Ireland camogie final at Croke Park on Sunday.
No more than three points separated the teams in the first half, as Kilkenny never trailed. Wing-forward Denise Gaule was in brilliant form scoring five points from five frees on both sides of the field, and continued that run to make it seven from seven in the second half.
Despite Kilkenny's superiority in the first half, it was Cork who had the best chance of the opening 30 minutes. Killeagh's Hannah Looney was taken down in the box after an excellent high catch saw her run in on goal. Cork goalkeeper Aoife Murray was only able to score a point from the resulting penalty as the sliotar was deflected over the bar by Kilkenny midfielder Ann Dalton.
At half-time, the League champions led by two points, 0-08 to 0-06, and it had been clear from even before the throw-in that there was no love lost between the two sides.
The beginngs of a pre-match shemozzle here, clearly no love lost #Camogie https://t.co/802jRHcAef
— Newstalk Sport (@NewstalkSport) September 11, 2016
The turning point came in the second half however, as Kilkenny began to make their dominance count. The intensity with which they pressed and the speed they played at proved to be too much, and when a smart pass found Shelly Farrell with the goal at her back, she spun on the spot and fired in an unstoppable shot that gave the Cats an unassailable lead.
Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson
From that point, Cork looked to be frustrated and shocked, as they struggled to muster a response. It got the better of Gemma O'Connor, who was shown two yellow cards in the space of a few minutes, as the relentless pressure on Paudie Murray's side proved to be too much.
Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson
The points kept raining down for Kilkenny however, and in the end they needed that breathing space.
A late goal from Orla Cotter set up a nervous few minutes towards the end, as Kilkenny had to withstand another wave of attacks from. However, but it proved to be just too late to spur on a comeback and help Cork to their third title in a row.
They were the deserved winners on the day however, as they claimed All-Ireland for the first time since 1994.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
