CORK 1-12
CLARE 0-7
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
THE Rebels are back in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League for 2026 – that was the main headline coming out of Naomh Abán’s Áras Íosagáin grounds in Ballyvourney on Sunday.
It was far from straightforward for Joe Carroll’s side but, in the end, Cork got the job done.
Their victory, along with Galway hammering Monaghan, meant the latter and Cork sealed their Division 1 promotion – both teams bounced straight back after their relegations last season.
Regaining their place in the top tier and qualifying for a Division 2 final with a game to spare means this weekend’s long trip to Donegal is a dead rubber. That won’t bother the Cork LGFA senior manager too much on a day Naomh Abán did their club and county proud by hosting a superbly organised event.
‘We had an opportunity to use the facilities and it was fabulous the way it was set up by the Naomh Abán club, it was absolutely outstanding,’ Cork boss Carroll said.
‘The best ladies football venue I’ve been to so far this year because there was a crowd here, a fabulous atmosphere. They had savage preparation done. The pitch looked fabulous and everything. We’d like to thank Naomh Abán, hugely, for all the work they put into preparing for it.’
Clare's Theresa Collins is challenged by Cork's Melissa Duggan during the Lidl LGFA National Football League Division 2 round six at Ballyvourney on Sunday.
From a West Cork point of view, O’Donovan Rossa’s Laura O’Mahony underlined her value with another eye-catching performance and 1-1 from open play. In defence, Dohenys’ Melissa Duggan and Beara’s Clare O’Shea were solid throughout. Ilen Rovers’ Emma Hurley also chipped in with a point.
Clare had a strong wind at their backs in the opening half and only trailed by a point at the break. That was down to Cork throwing away an early 0-4 to 0-0 lead and Hannah Looney getting yellow carded on the stroke of half time.
Inaccurate passing and repeated turnovers made for a frustrating first 30 minutes. Cork settled in the second half however, and had the requisite quality and fitness to run out deserving 1-12 to 0-7 winners.
Laura O’Mahony’s late goal put a gloss on the final score in a game Katie Quirke excelled yet again and kicked seven points. There were other positives too but the bottom line was that Cork got the win they needed to go back up to Division 1.
Disappointingly, Joe Carroll revealed that Cork may need additional sponsorship to help with the cost of travelling to and from Donegal this weekend.
Clare's Megan Downes tries to block a pass from Cork's Amy McDonagh.
‘Donegal is a long trip’, Carroll stated.
‘If there’s anyone out there willing to throw a bit of sponsorship our way for that weekend, it’s going to be a huge cost to the county board.
‘So, if there was anyone out there, we’d be delighted to take any sponsorship towards the (cost of the) trip.
‘We will be taking Donegal seriously. We’d like to continue our unbeaten run. We’ve only been beaten once so far, and we’d like to beat Donegal as well.’
Financial concerns aside, Cork has an upcoming Division 2 final against Galway to look forward to following a memorable day in Ballyvourney.
Scorers
Cork: K Quirke 0-7 (5f); L O’Mahony 1-1; A Healy, E Hurley, E Cleary, A Ring 0-1 each.
Clare: C Moloney 0-3 (1f); E McNamara 0-2; A Considone (1f), L Conway 0-1 each.
Cork: S Murphy; M Duggan, S Leahy (captain), S Kelly; C O’Shea, S Cronin, R Ní Chorcora; A McDonagh, A O’Mahony; L O’Mahony, E Cleary, E Hurley; A Ring, H Looney, K Quirke.
Subs: A Healy for A McDonagh (ht), D Kiniry for R Corkery (ht), A Corcoran for E Hurley (39), L Hallihan for A Ring (41), L McDonagh for H Looney (54), K Horgan for C O’Shea (58), C Richmond for S Murphy (58).
Clare: A Griffin; A Keane, G Harvey, R Doohan; E Burke, J Doohan, S Melican; C Harvey (captain), E Hanrahan; L Conway, M Downes, T Collins; E McNamara, A Considine, C Moloney.
Subs: C Dunne for M Downes (41), A O’Loughlinn for L Conway (46), A Slattery for A Considine (inj, 47), L Shanahan for E Hanrahan (53).
Referee: Ger Canny (Mayo).
