by Kevin Egan

All-Ireland champions Cork, who have lost five Very Camogie League Division 1A (top tier) finals since their last victory all the way back in 2013, confirmed their place in the 2025 decider after they travelled The Ragg and picked up a 1-12 to 0-7 victory over League champions Tipperary.

Galway’s 1-16 to 0-13 win over Dublin in Kilbeacanty means that they are the current holders of second spot, but they have to travel to Cork next Saturday afternoon, more than likely needing to match Tipperary’s result against Waterford if they are to hold onto that other berth in the final.

Meanwhile at the other end of the table, Kilkenny picked up a crucial 2-18 to 2-13 win over Waterford in their local derby at UPMC Nowlan Park, lifting them off the foot of the table.

Dublin are now the only team out of the sextet without a win so far but they will feel that they could have taken something from South Galway today, particularly if they had made better use of the strong breeze that blew at their backs in the opening half right from the start, instead of only from the 13th minute.

Áine Keane, who a week ago was named the Electric Ireland Camogie Third Level Rising Star Player of the Year, landed an outstanding strike from the right-hand side in what was the highlight moment of the opening ten minutes, during which time Galway moved 0-4 to 0-0 in front.

Aoife McKearney struck the first Dublin point of the day with 12 minutes gone and once they had one on the board, the visitors rallied, levelling by the 20th minute thanks to two Aisling O’Neill points in the space of 60 seconds.

Gerry McQuaid’s crew got their noses in front approaching half-time but Galway full-forward Niamh Mallon proved that her wedding eight days ago didn’t take the edge off her sharpness, as she capitalised on Keane’s excellent run and pass to finish for a crucial goal. No less important was a remarkable diving save from Sarah Healy at the far end two minutes later, denying Emma Moran access to the top corner of the net and an immediate reply.

Dublin’s best work was done in the third quarter with McKearney levelling the scores at 1-9 to 0-12 from a 45 after 46 minutes, but Galway were the dominant side from then on, with Mallon picking off a neat score from the right wing and Carrie Dolan finishing strongly with five frees in succession.

The wind was a huge factor in The Ragg as well and the first half followed a similar pattern, with Tipp holding out well for the first 15 minutes into the elements. They trailed by just a single point when Grace O’Brien hoisted over a fine strike from the sideline in the 16th minute, but Kate Wall replied with a good score in traffic on the next attack, and that kicked off a run of 1-6 unanswered from Cork.

In a good physical contest where referee Liz Dempsey let both teams play freely, Clodagh Finn, Laura Hayes (two), Orlaith Cahalane and Katrina Mackey all used the breeze well to raise white flags from open play. Cahalane also showed incredibly vision to flick a 15-metre pass into Mackey for a goal two minutes before half-time, a score that proved to be a hammer blow to Tipperary’s hopes of securing a big psychological win against their neighbours.

In the second half, Cork’s defensive play was absolutely immense, with Laura Treacy and Hannah Looney very impressive across the half-back line. On the one occasion when Clodagh McIntyre cut through to try and bring Tipperary to life, Amy Lee prevented the ball from going under the crossbar with one of the best saves anyone will see on any pitch this year, and it was a testament to the vice-like grip that the Cork defence had on their Tipp opponents that the Premier women failed to register a score from play at any stage.

At the other end of the table, Kilkenny and Waterford still have relegation concerns but Kilkenny will feel that they’re in the best position after securing their first win over the season.

Their defence was opened up to allow Mairéad O’Brien open the scoring with a goal in the third minute and they still trailed by three points when Niamh Rockett hit a brace of frees in the 14th minute, but once again, a one-sided quarter proved decisive. Kellyann Doyle seized a Katie Nolan delivery for a goal after 15 minutes and added a second seven minutes later. Steffi Fitzgerald’s two points, the first a superb team score, were also part of the highlight reel as Kilkenny took a 2-10 to 1-5 interval lead.

By the sixth minute of the second half, Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh’s point meant that all six Kilkenny forwards had scored but their proficiency up front slowed up a little after that.

They still led by ten points when Nolan and Sophie Holden hit the target either side of the 55-minute mark, but a goal and point from O’Brien and Rockett’s eighth point of the afternoon reduced the margin.

In Division 1B, Antrim’s 5-12 to 1-10 win over Clare may see them installed as favourites for their rematch in the league final, but with both already qualified, it would perhaps be unwise to read too much into the scoreline.

Meanwhile Limerick’s 4-15 to 1-5 win over Westmeath means that the Lake County will drop back to Division 2A next year. Wexford defeated Down 1-15 to 0-5 in the other tie.

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