Elaine Aylward: Cork's final to lose unless Galway bring something different

Not that Galway's performances to date have been all bad. Getting back to Croke Park on All-Ireland final day for the first time in three years is not bad for a team “in transition”, but one feels they will have to produce something a little bit more this weekend in order to topple a Cork team that have swatted aside all challengers, with relative ease, en route to Sunday’s decider.

Familiar foes, these teams met on four occasions last year, between League and Championship, with Galway holding the upper hand right up until their All-Ireland semi-final meeting in Nowlan Park. There a massive Cork performance saw them prevail and having already overcome Kilkenny in the quarter-final, they proceeded to cut loose in Croke Park, against a luckless Waterford team on the day. In truth, nobody would have lived with Cork that day and that performance seemed to ignite the confidence and swagger we’ve always come to associate with Cork camogie teams over the years.

Inside lines 

With the exception of a league defeat to Sunday's opposition back in March, Cork have been unbeaten in both Munster and All-Ireland championships this year, amassing an eye-watering 17-110 in six championship games – 10-54 of that coming from the devastating inside line of O’Connor, Mackey and Cahalane. On Sunday, they come up against arguably Galway’s most established line and a formidable trio themselves. 

Player of the match in that semi-final victory over Tipperary, Rachel Hannify is capable of putting the shackles on any inside forward and relishes the opportunity. Roisín Black has firmly established herself in the number three jersey vacated by stalwart Sarah Dervan, and Dervla Higgins is in Player of the Year form, teak, tight defending matched with the ability to make surging runs forward when required. She has been a standout for Galway all year. 

Whichever trio has the better of the battle close to the Galway goal could have a huge impact on the outcome of Sunday's game, Cork love goals, they thrive on them. If Galway can limit them, they give themselves a chance.

Defending the Cork attack 

Galway may be tempted to sit Áine Keane back in the pocket to offer extra protection to that inside line, that could make Cork even more dangerous. If Cork can hurt you inside, they can hurt you equally as much from outside. They have sharpshooters who love to break forward and score from distance. Fiona Keating will break that half-back line time and time again and shoot over two or three points a game, as will Saoirse McCathy and Cliona Healy. Add in the athletic, strong-running Aoife Healy and Ashling Thompson from the middle, as well as the defence-splitting runs of Laura Hayes from the half-back line, and you can see how Cork have hit on average 26-83 points a game. 

Galway cannot afford to let that space develop in front of their half-back line or Cork will exploit it. Galway will need to bring a ferocious work-rate all over the field but especially on the tackle in this area, slow up the ball, stop Cork moving it forward at pace and force turnovers. Then they can think about hitting Cork on the counter-attack.

Who picks up Laura Treacy?

At the centre of that Cork defence, really to repel any thoughts of counter-attack, will be the rock steady Laura Treacy - the plus one, the sweeper, the orchestrator, whatever you want to call her. She will be central not only to stopping Galway breaking through that Cork rearguard but also ready to propel Cork forward in attack time and time again. 

Her possession stats for the Dublin game were through the roof. Everything goes through her, she is the starting point for the vast majority of Cork scores in the Championship to date. Once she is in possession Cork start to motor. Laura Hayes, Hannah Looney or Ashling Thompson will come short to her for the pop pass to break another line or they will start a lung-bursting run forward before her angled pass will fall perfectly into their path.

Galway must curb Treacy’s influence, she is too good a reader of the game and distributor of the ball to allow her the freedom Dublin afforded her the last day out. I would start Aoife Donohue on her Sunday, ask questions of Cork, turn them towards their own goals. 

All eyes will be on Donoghue to see where she does start. Placing her on the 40 directly in opposition to Treacy may unsettle Cork, even momentarily, enough maybe to give Galway the start they need. Cork looked shaky in the opening 11 minutes versus Dublin, possibly due to the long layoff between their last group game and the semi-final, but Dublin will rue the 2-4 that they left behind in that period. Galway can’t afford to leave anything behind if they are to win on Sunday.

The Mallon effect 

When Siobhán McGrath stepped away from the Galway set-up after the league this year, Cathal Murray looked to have a replacement ready to go in Down’s Niamh Mallon. She came on in the league final versus Tipperary and in scoring three points almost pulled the game back for Galway. While she didn’t have her greatest showing, by her high standards, versus Cork earlier in the group stages, in truth few of the Galway girls did. If they can rectify that this Sunday then few will remember Páirc UíChaoimh in June. 

Mallon looked to be a woman on a mission in Nowlan Park two weeks ago and her 1-2 either side of half-time kept Galway within striking distance of Tipperary. By the time Tipperary moved Karin Blair and Karen Kennedy back to keep tabs on Mallon the damage had been done.

Cork deployed the evergreen Pamela Mackey in a one one-on-one marking role on Mallon from the start, back in June, and she did a superb job limiting the corner forward to a single point from play, albeit Mackey’s job was certainly aided by the poor quality and quantity of ball supplied. Expect Mackey to be given a similar task Sunday. 

Galway need a big game from Mallon and they will be hoping a wrist injury she looked to have picked up two weeks ago has healed fully. They will also be hoping they can rectify the supply issues with the return to the starting 15 of previous Players of the Year Aoife Donoghue and Niamh Kilkenny, not a bad duo to add to your team.

Impact from the bench

Both benches proved their worth in the semi-final victories, the Cork subs adding 1-4 when introduced with Clodagh Finn and Sorcha McCarton looking particularly impressive. Galway subs too had the lively Niamh Niland showing well and unlucky not to goal against Tipperary. Both Cathal Murray and Ger Manley will know they need finishers on the day and the correct substitution at the correct time could have a huge impact.

This is Cork’s All Ireland to lose, they are overwhelming favourites and rightly so, based on the form book, but that won’t bother Galway. We didn’t get the big performance we were expecting from them in the semi-final, a bit like their championship to date they came in fits and starts. Not convincing maybe, but they got the job done. A similar performance won’t be enough on Sunday and they know that.

 Galway have given the impression all year that they have been timing a run, Cork have been queens of that for years. Come 6.30pm on Sunday we should know who has gotten their timing right.