Good afternoon, football fans. Welcome along to our coverage of today’s TG4 All-Ireland ladies football final in Croke Park.
The final contenders are familiar ones, with Cork and Dublin meeting for the fourth time in five years.
Dublin, of course, are reigning champions after last year’s success against Mayo, who denied the Rebels a shot at a seventh-straight title by dumping the Leesiders out at the semi-final stage.
Here are the teams set to do battle after 4pm (live on TG4) in Croke Park.
Dublin
1. Ciara Trant (St Brigid’s)
2. Martha Byrne (Cuala)
19. Sinéad Finnegan (Fingallians)
4. Leah Caffrey (Na Fianna)
5. Sinéad Goldrick (Foxrock Cabinteely)
6. Siobhán McGrath (Thomas Davis)
7. Niamh Collins (Foxrock Cabinteely)
8. Lauren Magee (Kilmacud Crokes)
9. Olwen Carey (Thomas Davis)
10. Carla Rowe (Clann Mhuire)
11. Noelle Healy (St Brigid’s)
12. Lyndsey Davey (Skerries Harps)
13. Sinéad Aherne (St Sylvester’s)
14. Niamh McEvoy (St Sylvester’s)
15. Nicole Owens (St Sylvester’s)
Cork
1. Martina O’Brien (Clonakilty)
2. Eimear Meaney (Mourneabbey)
3. Róisín Phelan (Aghada)
4. Melissa Duggan (Dohenys)
5. Maire O’Callaghan (Mourneabbey)
6. Shauna Kelly (Araglen Desmonds Buí)
7. Emma Spillane (Bantry Blues)
8. Aisling Hutchings (Fermoy)
9. Hannah Looney (Aghada)
10. Ciara O’Sullivan (Mourneabbey)
11. Libby Coppinger (St. Colum’s)
12. Eimear Scally (Eire Óg)
13. Áine O’Sullivan (Beara)
14. Doireann O’Sullivan (Mourneabbey)
15. Orla Finn (Kinsale)
The crowd in Croker are being whipped into a frenzy as the teams complete the pre-match parade.
The opportunity for talking is almost over, it’s decision time.
THROW-IN: Cork take in the first possession of the game. Shauna Kelly makes a burst and the Rebels work through possession to create a chance for Libby Coppinger, but she’s well closed down the Dubs see out the danger.
3 mins: Superb work from Lauren Magee to dig out possession for Dublin and deny Cork sight of the target.
Supreme effort from the Blues Sisters in defence so far and Magee goes close to opening the scoring at the other end as she drives the right channel and fires a shot just the wrong side of the uprights from a tight angle.
7 mins: Dublin 0-2 Cork 0-0 (Sinead Aherne)
After a kickable free goes begging for Cork, Niamh McEvoy drives at the heart of the Dublin defence.
Aherne slots the resulting free and instantly doubles her tally as she is put through after the restart. The star forward had sight of goal, but her powerful effort is over the bar.
11 mins: Dublin 0-2 Cork 0-1 (Orla Finn)
Terrific from Ciara O’Sullivan, powering up the middle for Cork and enticing Martha Byrne into attempting a slide tackle.
Orla Finn converts the chance from the free.
12 mins: Dublin 0-2 Cork 0-2 (Orla Finn)
After a shaky start on frees, Finn is on target again to square this tie up.
13 mins: Dublin 0-2 Cork 0-3 (Orla Finn)
The Kinsale woman is on target again. Cork have settled into a rhythm and forced errors out of Dublin since that quick-fire Aherne double.
15 mins: Dublin 0-3 Cork 0-3 (Nicole Owens)
Marvellous score from play from the Sylvester’s corner forward, curling over with her right foot from open play.
PENALTY!
Lyndsay Davey powers towards goal and gets dragged down by Eimear Meaney.
Aherne steps up to the spot… and SLOTS IT INTO THE CORNER.
18 mins, GOAL: Dublin 1-3 Cork 0-3 (Sinead Aherne)
19 mins: Dublin 1-3 Cork 0-4 (Aine O’Sullivan)
Excellent response from Cork as Aine O’Sullivan shrugs off a challenge and points with the outside of her boot.
22 mins: Dublin 1-4 Cork 0-4 (Sinead Ahern)
It’s that sharpshooter Aherne once again, this time from open play as she delights Hill 16 with a curled effort that bisects the posts.
GOAL! Dublin 1 – 4 Cork 1-4 (Aine O’Sullivan)
We’re all level again. O’Sullivan collects a loose ball and makes the most of the confusion after a collision deep in Dublin’s half, she shapes to shoot for a point, but the ball dips sharply over Trant’s head and nestles in the corner of the net.
27 mins: Dublin 1-5 Cork 1-4 (Sinead Aherne)
Back come the blues with Aherne once again unerring in her free-taking.
GOAL! Dublin 2-5 Cork 1-5(Carla Rowe)
No fear of Carla Rowe feeling the nerves, she coolly sidesteps a desperate challenge and pokes home her finish to give Dublin a second goal.
Cork respond with a point, but Dublin look set ot hold the advantage at the interval.
HALF-TIME: Dublin 2-6 Cork 1-5 (Niamh McEvoy)
One more reason to be cheerful before the break for Dublin as full forward McEvoy adds a fine point from play.
Here’s Sinead Aherne’s reaction to her goal this afternoon.
Earlier, O’Sullivan is slide tackled by Martha Byrne.
Here comes the second half, hold onto your hats
Siobhan McGrath drives through the middle, but Cork close down the space at the most crucial time and the halfback can only toe an effort into a waiting defender.
Typically intense opening to what has been an excellent match so far.
Dublin 2-6 Cork 1-6 (Aine O’Sullivan)
Cork respond by signalling an intent to back their possession game, they work the ball slowly from back to front and Ciara O’Sullivan picks out a fine fist pass to Aine O’Sullivan who fires over the bar.
We’re back to a one score game.
Dublin 2-6 Cork 1-7 (Orla Finn)
Lovely fooet from Scally, sees her turn and power to the middle and earn a free. Finn slots the resulting chance.
Dublin 2-7 Cork 1-8
Finn gets the better of Martha Byrne, sending the Cuala defender to the turf, but a brilliant defensive block from Siobhan McGrath shuts down the chance and sets Dublin on the attack and Nicole Owens points from play to restore the goal advantage before Finn points again at the other end.
Huge chance for Cork as they work Scally in for a shot on goal from the right, she drives low to beat Trant, but Niamh Collins is on the line to clear the danger.
Dublin 2-7 Cork 1-8
Dublin 2-8 Cork 1-8 (Sinead Aherne)
A rare wayward free for Dublin as the scoring chance drifts all the way across goal from right to left. Cork attack methodically again, Dublin come back strong with Lynsay Davey winning a free which Aherne returns to making look straightforward.
Dublin 2-8 Cork 1-9 (Orla Finn)
Cork just won’t give up this chase. We’re inside the final 15 minutes of the game and it’s still on a knife edge.
GOAL! Dublin 3-8 Cork 1-10 (Carla Rowe)
Immediately after Finn slots her latest free for Cork, Dublin take a massive stride towards retaining this title as Rowe breezes through the defence, subtly jinking this way and that before firing a left foot shot to the net.
Dublin have done a good job of breaking the game up since netting their third goal, but Finn has pointed once again to get Cork moving in the right direction.
A lot to do in the final six minutes for the Rebels though.
Dublin 3-8 Cork 1-11
Dublin 3-9 Cork 1-11 (Sinead Aherne)
Dublin 3-11 Cork 1-11
Death by a thousand cuts stuff from Dublin now. They starve Cork of possession, showing superb movement in all positions to work short passes and pull the Rebel defence all over the field before working space for the shot.
That terrific team point is followed up by another point from play for Aherne. Dublin are on course for back-to-back titles.
Back to back! Dublin are All-Ireland Ladies Football champions again.
FULL-TIME: Dublin 3-11 Cork 1-12
The Blues Sisters lost to Cork in 2014, 2015 and 2016, but today they have seen off the Rebels to lift another All-Ireland title.
A terrific achievement for the Dublin women, backing up last year’s landmark success by taking on the side who set the standards in this sport for the majority of this century.
That’s all from our liveblog, but we’ll have a match report and all the reaction from Jones’ Road tonight and in the days ahead as the dust settles and the blue tickertape clears.
