Galway 2-7

Cork 0-10

ANYTHING you can do; we can do too! That appears to be the mantra of the Galway senior ladies footballers who continue to follow in the footsteps of their male counterparts in the summer of 2024.

Winning the Connacht title; dumping the reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin out of the title race; and now just one game away from ultimate glory, Galway are matching Padraic Joyce’s trailblazers every step of the way.

Again, the Tribeswomen were tested to the limit and if Saturday’s All-Ireland semi-final triumph over Cork didn’t quite match the drama of Parnell Park a fortnight earlier, this deserved victory underlines the continuing progress of Daniel Moynihan’s well-prepared outfit.

In reaching only a fifth All-Ireland final, and a first since 2019 when losing to Dublin on a desperate day at Croke Park, Galway have been the bolters from the pack in the championship having lost their division 1 league status earlier in the season.

But that Spring campaign had been hampered by injuries and bad luck – they lost several games narrowly – and there was always the chance that with a full deck, Galway had the capacity to at least progress deeply into the championship.

That scenario has come to pass, and they will take on Kerry – a county which jointly leads the All-Ireland roll of honour with Cork on 11 titles but haven’t triumphed since 1993 – in the decider at GAA headquarters on Sunday week

In front of a modest crowd for this semi-final double header, Galway managed to turn the tables on a Cork team which they had lost to in the league and had also successfully retrieved a five-point deficit against them in the championship a few weeks ago.

Those two defeats meant Galway were under no illusions about the challenge facing them on Saturday, but thanks to the leadership of team captain Ailbhe Davoren, the scoring exploits of Roisín Leonard, and the ball-carrying expertise of Olivia Divilly, they pulled off another magnificent victory.

This trio were, in fact, Galway’s only scorers but they had great support all around them. Goalkeeper Dearbhla Gower kept a clean sheet and only two of her second-half kick-outs didn’t end up in a colleague’s hands despite having to contend with a strong wind and a high Cork press.

The Galway defence may have struggled to keep tabs on by far Cork’s best player in Katie Quirke, but Maryanne Jordan – so secure in possession – Sarah Lynch, Kate Geraghty, Aoife Ni Cheallaigh, Nicola Ward and Charlotte Cooney, who was liable to pop up anywhere, gave everything for the cause.

Ward may not have had the same influence as against Dublin – Cork appeared to throw a blanket of players in front of her anytime she threatened to take off on one of those trademark runs – but Galway’s number six was still a tower of strength.

Pictured: Galway’s Louise Ward comes under strong pressure from Abbie O’Mahony of Cork during the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Football Senior Semi-Final at O’Connor Park in Tullamore on Saturday. Photos: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.