Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior final: Saturday December 12 at 7pm in Croke Park: Galway v Kilkenny
GALWAY have never achieved back-to-back All-Ireland senior titles. In fact they only have three titles to their name; 1996, 2013 and last year.
By contrast Kilkenny have 13 titles, although only one of those have come in the last 27 years.
They are appearing in a seventh final in eight seasons but have only picked up the 2016 title from all those visits to Croke Park.
Opponents Cork carried the favourites’ tag into the semi-final a fortnight ago against Kilkenny even though they had lost to Galway in the group stages, while Kilkenny had remained unbeaten in their section.
Kilkenny probably had an easier group, but back at the start of the year they were under scrutiny after losing the opening league game to Clare by a margin of two points and then they went down by 14 points to Cork in the next game before everyone hit the lockdown.
Those results put new manager Brian Dowling under a bit of pressure, which any successor of legend Anne Downey would feel.
But on the evidence of the semi-final performance Dowling seems to have his team working well although they were all over the place in the opening ten minutes when Cork opened the game with an unanswered goal and three points.
Amazingly however Kilkenny struck seven of the next eight points to get back into the game and then Anne Dalton grabbed a long free from Denise Gaule for a goal. That was followed by a second goal just after half-time when Aoife Doyle and Miriam Walsh combined and from then on they managed to contain Cork to win 2-10 to 1-11.
The players already mentioned are pivotal to Kilkenny’s attacking plan, while Collette Dormer, Denise Tobin and the Farrell sisters from Thomastown are playing well at the back.
However Galway look to have upped the ante since taking the title last year. Not a single player from the Sarsfield’s club featured in the 2019 success. Sarsfield’s would eventually topple Slaughtneil and win the All-Ireland club title before lockdown.
The McGrath sisters have since committed to the county team; Orlaith is established at corner-forward and hit two great points in the semi-final win over Tipperary, while Siobhán came off the bench to also snatch two points and push for a starting jersey in Croke Park.
The Galway defence is rock solid at the minute with Sarah Dervan picking up Player of the Match from the semi-final and goalie Sarah Healy sound on the line and the launch pad for plenty of the attacks.
The Connacht side is unbeaten, they are very well organised and they have options coming off the bench that could strengthen the team.
Kilkenny don’t look to have the same power in reserve; what is on the pitch needs to win the game for them.
They will push close but I cannot see them moving off 13 titles just yet. Galway to retain the O’Duffy Cup.
2020 has been a good year for Ulster teams on the pitch with three national titles already in the province and that will be enhanced this evening with Ballymena referee Owen Elliott taking charge of his second senior final.
Best of luck to Owen and his umpires.
