It is a day that will agonise over the long winter evenings as Cork ended the Donegal Ladies’ bid for a place in a first-ever All-Ireland senior final.
Donegal 0-11 Cork 2-11
By Chris McNulty at Dr Hyde Park
Goals in either half by Orla Finn and Saoirse Noonan broke the Donegal hearts as a place in the final slipped from their grasp.
Finn’s major, in the 20th minute kept Cork at arm’s length and Noonan hammered in the last nail late in the game as Cork, finally, wriggled free of Donegal.
It was a brave display by Donegal, who will rue a number of missed chances on a day when they had nine wides and were maybe a little too conservative for too long.
It was a game that was there for the winning, but that moment in the first half when Finn palmed home was a game changer.
Donegal’s rearguard, including the goalkeeper, Laura Gallagher, committed itself en masse to close down the advancing Cork captain Ciara O’Sullivan.
Seizing the moment perfectly, O’Sullivan’s lofted pass to the far post was turned in by the lurking Finn, who steered to the net.
When Doireann O’Sullivan and Finn, twice, knocked over points, there was a danger that the game was creeping away from Donegal, but Karen Guthrie steadied the wobbles with her fourth point of the day. Briefly, a goal seemed on, but Guthrie’s stinging effort whizzed just over the crossbar.
Donegal made two changes to the team that had been named yesterday with Olive McCafferty and Kate Keaney coming in to replace Aoife McDonnell and Eilish Ward, but McDonnell was sent on for McCafferty in the 25th minute, not long after Finn netted.
McDonnell had played, alongside Yvonne Bonner on the 2003 All-Ireland Junior-winning Donegal team, also under Maxi Curran’s stewardship.
Eight of the Donegal starting team here featured in the 2010 All-Ireland Intermediate final win over Waterford, but this was new ground entirely for a Donegal team as they tried their hand at denying ladies queens Cork – who have won 11 of the previous 13 All-Ireland titles.
Donegal built a wall across their ’45, leaving Bonner and Geraldine McLaughlin to plough the furrows in attack and it certainly served to frustrate the Cork advances in the early stages.
Cork punched through for Eimear Scally and Finn to hit scores in the first six minutes, but Donegal were level with two quick-fire points.
Katy Herron and Deirdre Foley worked a sharp counter that ended with McLaughlin patiently waiting for the right moment before deliciously firing over.
And the leveller came when, after Ciara Hegarty forced a turnover at one end, captain Guthrie converted at the other.
Guthrie had been an injury doubt just a couple of weeks ago with a leg muscle injury, but the Glenfin midfielder showed no ill effects here, slamming over another equalising score after Scally momentarily had restored the Cork advantage.
Finn’s goal helped Cork to a four-point (1-6 to 0-5) half-time lead.
Donegal remained in touch with Katy Herron and McLaughlin (2) responding to scores by Doireann O’Sullivan and substitute Saoirse Noonan.
With Róisín Phelan doing a superb marking job on McLaughlin, ably assisted by Melissa Duggan, who swept in front of the Termon sharp-shooter for the duration, Donegal’s options were limited.
And yet, when McLaughlin tapped over a free in the 53rd minute, only Finn’s goal separated the participants.
It was a similar story, three minutes later, as McLaughlin cancelled out a wonder point by Doireann O’Sullivan to retain the hope.
Donegal sub Amy Boyle Carr was sent to the sin bin and another Noonan free had Cork four up again.
Sarah Jane McDonald had a sight of the bullseye when cleverly fed inside by Guthrie, but her shot was brilliantly charged down and Donegal were running out of room and time.
Noonan put it beyond reach and Donegal were left to wonder what might have been.
Donegal: Laura Gallagher; Treasa Doherty, Ciara Hegarty, Nicole McLaughlin; Deirdre Foley, Olive McCafferty, Anna Marie McGlynn; Karen Guthrie (0-4, 1f), Katy Herron (0-1); Therese McCafferty, Niamh Hegarty, Sarah Jane McDonald; Geraldine McLaughlin (0-5, 2f), Yvonne Bonner (0-1), Kate Keaney. Subs: Aoife McDonnell for O.McCafferty (25), Eilish Ward for N.Hegarty (46), Amy Boyle Carr for Keaney (53), Niamh Hegarty for McGlynn (55).
Cork: Martina O’Brien; Eimear Meaney, Róisín Phelan, Melissa Duggan; Maire O’Callaghan, Shauna Kelly, Emma Spillane; Ashling Hutchings, Hannah Looney; Ciara O’Sullivan, Libby Coppinger, Eimear Scally (0-2); Áine O’Sullivan, Doireann O’Sullivan (0-3), Orla Finn (1-3, 3f). Subs: Saoirse Noonan (1-3, 3f) for A.O’Sullivan (36), Orla Carragher for Finn (36), Finn for Looney (50).
Referee: Brendan Rice (Down).
