Inside Track with John McIntyre

IT was watching the 13-man Tipperary minor hurlers overcome Kilkenny in last year’s All-Ireland Final at Nowlan Park that the county’s senior counterparts realised that they hadn’t been given everything for the blue and gold jersey. It proved to be a turning point and undoubtedly helped Tipp to unexpected championship glory last month.

Now, we wonder, will the example of the Galway camogie team at Croke Park last Sunday have a similar impact on the county’s hurlers in 2026. If ever you wanted to see a team railing against their underdog status, the Tribeswomen did just that against the All-Ireland champions. They worked and ran themselves into the ground.

We had seen Galway’s aggressive approach against Tipperary in the semi-final, but Carrie Dolan and company reached new levels of defiance in dethroning Cork. They rocked the Rebels with their intensity and though there was just one point between the teams at the end and Cork only had 14 players for the second half, this was a day when the outsiders deserved everything that came their way.

The Galway players were in Cork’s faces from the off; there was no holding back or waiting to see how the final would evolve. The biggest camogie match of the year was going to be played on their terms and that’s not an easy thing to achieve against the reigning champions who were seeking a third title on the trot.

Some of Galway’s tackling was frenzied and If I ever end on a field battling for possession with Aoife Donohue – admittedly, that’s some stretch of the imagination – I will just hand her the ball in the interests of my own personal safety!  What a warrior. Donohue was a deserving player of the match in confirming her status as a camogie legend,

But this was a momentous triumph achieved on the back of a heroic team effort. From ‘keeper Sarah Healy to goal scorer Mairéad Dillion, Galway had players who were prepared to go far beyond the call of duty. They covered themselves in glory with Dolan’s nerveless matchwinner in stoppage time the stuff of fairytales.

We must also salute long-serving trio Ailish O’Reilly, Annmarie Starr and Donohue for capturing their fourth All-Ireland senior medal. When you think that Galway have just five senior titles in the locker, that is some achievement and reflects magnificently on their endurance and pride in wearing the maroon jersey.

Pictured: The Galway team celebrate with the O’Duffy Cup Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ben Brady