LADIES FOOTBALL: PREVIEW – Cork vs Galway – TG4 All-Ireland Senior Semi-Final
Compiled by Jackie Cahill
The second Senior Finalist to join Dublin at Croke Park on December 20 will be revealed on Sunday, when Cork face Galway.
The game fixed for Parnell Park on Sunday with Cork and Galway having a 1.30pm start.
Both of the weekend’s games are live on TG4, and on the TG4 Player: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/home/
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Sunday December 6
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TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final
Cork v Galway – Parnell Park, 1.30pm – Live on TG4: https://www.tg4.ie/en/player/watch-live/home/
CORK and Galway meet on Sunday for the right to play Dublin in the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Final on December 20 at Croke Park.
This semi-final meeting pairs the 2018 and 2019 runners-up, as Cork lost out to the Sky Blues two years ago on Final day, while Galway came up short last year.
It’s also a repeat of the 2019 Lidl National League Final between the counties, which Cork won at Parnell Park.
When they last met in the Championship, Cork ran out comprehensive 6-19 to 1-10 quarter-final winners in Mullingar, while the Rebelettes had a two-point victory at the quarter-final stage in 2015 over Galway.
Also in 2015, Cork claimed a replay victory in the National League Final, and that recent sequence of big-game results suggests the Leesiders have the Indian sign over the Westerners.
Galway are without suspended Fabienne Cooney for this one, as Sarah Gormally is handed her first Championship minutes of the season in a starting role at corner back.
Cork also make one change – Shauna Kelly getting the nod in defence, with dual player Meabh Cahalane dropping to the bench.
Kelly was introduced at half-time for Cahalane last time out against Cavan, and holds her place.
Cork beat Kerry and Cavan to make it to the last four, while Galway endured nerve-jangling one-point victories over Tipperary and Monaghan.
Cork will look to Saoirse Noonan (3-4 to date in the Championship), Orla Finn (1-8), Áine Terry O’Sullivan (3-2) and skipper Doireann O’Sullivan (0-7) to fire them into the Final, while Galway will be reliant on the scoring prowess of former skipper Tracey Leonard (0-11), Olivia Divilly (0-6), captain Louise Ward (1-2) and Lucy Hannon (1-2).
Last Saturday’s Armagh-Dublin semi-final was a gripping encounter at Kingspan Breffni, and we look set for another cracker at Parnell Park.
Cork (v Galway): M O’Brien; E Meaney, R Phelan, S Kelly; M Duggan, A Hutchings, E O’Shea; M O’Callaghan, H Looney; E Kiely, C O’Sullivan, O Finn; Á O’Sullivan, D O’Sullivan (capt), S Noonan.
Galway (v Cork): L Murphy; S Gormally, S Lynch, S Burke; L Coen, C Cooney, N Ward; A Davoren, L Ward (capt); O Divilly, M Glynn, L Noone; M Seoighe, T Leonard, L Hannon.
PODCAST: The Curtain Raiser – Friday, 4th December 2020Tags: Cork LGFA, Galway LGFA