Return to summit may be out of Cork’s reach

This may be the fourth time in five years Dublin and Cork are meeting in the final, but to lean on those previous clashes in attempting to determine who will come out on top tomorrow afternoon would be a rather futile exercise.

Return to summit may be out of Cork’s reach

This may be the fourth time in five years Dublin and Cork are meeting in the final, but to lean on those previous clashes in attempting to determine who will come out on top tomorrow afternoon would be a rather futile exercise.

This is a new Cork side and while Dublin will draw motivation from the 2014, 2015, and 2016 final defeats, their window of opportunity to prove themselves a match for the Cork team of Buckley, Corkery and Stack has passed.

Sinead Aherne, who kicked 2-4 in the semi-final victory over Galway and has run up 4-24 this summer, is the focal point of the Dublin attack, with Lyndsey Davey and Carla Rowe a most capable supporting cast.

How the Cork rearguard fare in chaperoning these three players will, of course, heavily influence the outcome.

More pertinent, however, will be Cork’s success in curtailing the two runners - Noelle Healy and Nicole Owens - who have kept Dublin’s supply lines so fluid these past two years.

Healy was player of the match in last year’s All-Ireland final. The three-time All-Star charged up and down the field all day long, time and again carrying the ball from defence into attack.

Even this summer when Dublin were running up winning margins of 12, 13 and 18 points, Mick Bohan kept the St Brigid’s clubwoman on the field for every minute of every game.

That’s her worth to this team. If she and Owens are allowed be at their marauding best tomorrow, Cork will finish a distant second.

Briefly returning to last year’s decider; Dublin were by far the dominant outfit and yet, with eight minutes remaining, they only led Mayo by three (1-10 to 0-10). Their economy in front of goal has let them down on several September Sundays.

That they had 12 to spare over Mayo at the final whistle was a direct consequence of their superior fitness and bench. They will probably have the edge on Cork in the former department, but in terms of backup, the underdogs possess a game-changer and match-winner in Saoirse Noonan.

With 22 All-Ireland medals between them, so much is going to be asked of Cork forwards Orla Finn, Eimear Scally and the O’Sullivan sisters, Doireann and Ciara. On top of their scoring responsibility, they’ll have to organise the front eight in such a shape that puts Dublin ‘keeper Ciara Trant under pressure on her own restarts. The reigning champions cannot be allowed easy ball.

The 2014, ‘15, and ‘16 finals were decided by margins of one (‘14 and ‘16) and two points respectively. This’ll be similarly close. Cork’s return to the winner’s enclosure may be a year or two away yet.

Verdict: Dublin

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