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It seems that no matter what, there will never be more than a puck of the sliotar between these two.
Kilkenny did not impress everyone with the manner of their Semi-Final win over Galway but the westerners pushed them to extra time in 2016, when Ann Downey went on to navigate them to their first All-Ireland since she herself climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand as victorious skipper in 1994.
What’s more, the westerners staged a second-half rally that had Cork hanging on in the penultimate stages last year. The Cats would hope there is an omen there and that the team that takes care of Galway continues to progress to ultimate glory.
There is no doubt that Kilkenny can draw plenty of positives from prevailing despite not being at their best and will go into this having been tested more severely than the champions. Galway made the semi-final a ferocious battle, albeit a tactical one.
The Cats butchered a couple of goal chances early on, Denise Gaule missed frees she would normally convert with her eyes closed and they were certainly feeling the pressure. But Edwina Keane, the triple All Star finally back in the team having had to bide her time when missing out last year with a cruciate knee ligament injury, was magnificent in defence.
Meighan Farrell and Anne Dalton were influential too, while Julianne Malone, Katie Power and Anna Farrell showed glimpses of their capabilities. Crucially, Kilkenny’s execution held up for the third-quarter goal that turned the tie in their favour. They quickly turned that three-point advantage to six and that enabled them to hold off the late Galway onslaught.
Paudie Murray was unhappy with his team’s workrate against Tipperary in their Semi-Final and Chloe Sigerson bemoaned the number of times the Premier forwards made ground through the middle of their defence in the second quarter.
Matters improved significantly after the break and they went on to win by 12 points, finishing with a tally of 0-21. They have been scoring heavily throughout the summer, clearly looking to play a more expansive style but that does seem to be giving the opposition more chances too.
Sigerson shone at wing-back, weighing in with three long-distance points, including two whoppers from play. Orla Cotter excelled in all facets of her game, while Pamela Mackey kept the Championship’s leading scorer Cáit Devane to a point from play. Hannah Looney, Ashling Thompson and Julia White provide much of the industry, while the latter is also the joined leading goalscorer in the competition with four. Katrina Mackey and Amy O’Connor are other genuine threats, while Orla Cronin was Player of the Match in last year’s Final.
It will be interesting to see how Cork approach this, particularly given Kilkenny’s miserly tendencies when not in possession, and the Noresiders’ own slew of dangers in attack.
Shooting from further afield will be important one suspects. So will free-taking. Cotter, who got married this year, has been magnificent as usual in this regard since her return and Gaule is a former Player of the Year who is unlikely to have an off day twice in a row.
Squad depth will be significant too. It was surprising given that Kilkenny only used one sub in the Semi-Final, and that was Miriam Walsh, who was deemed not fit enough to start. Being able to call on someone of the calibre of Keane, while Danielle Morrissey, Aoife Doyle, Kellyanne Doyle and Jacqui Frisby, the former All-Star defender now providing cover for goalkeeper Emma Kavanagh, are all good options in attack.
Cork were able to bring on the likes of Linda Collins against Tipp and she quickly made an impression with two nice points, while the player she replaced, Niamh McCarthy has been among the goals this year and works very hard to bring those around her into the game from her regular posting at full-forward. And of course there was the return of Briege Corkery and that is sure to have had a positive impact.
Anyone expressing confidence about the result in this is a soothsayer or a bluffer. What can be said with a fair degree of certainty is that the verdict will be in doubt, right up to the closing minutes.
Cork will be desperate to get over the line having lost the last two deciders, including last year’s to Meath after a replay.
Much like their Senior counterparts, they have cruised through to the Final, finishing the group phase with a positive scoring differential of 65 points, compared to Down’s -2. Indeed the Rebels were 12-point victors when the teams met in Páirc Esler in July.
The Leesiders possess a lot of firepower with the likes of Finola Neville, Caroline Sugrue and Katelyn Hickey well able to hit the target. Minor star Cliona Healy came off the bench to have a big impact in the Semi-Final win over Galway, scoring three points in as many minutes soon after her second-half introduction to edge the Leesiders clear and finishing with four.
Healy wasn’t involved when the Leesiders garnered the Division 2 League title but she and a handful of other colleagues from the All-Ireland-winning Minor Championship side have made the step up and with that sort of ability to be called upon, they will be hard to beat.
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