Corcaigh abú!

It wouldn’t be a World Cup without the best player and captain falling out with the manager would it?

I feel quite sorry for manager Vera Pauw and all the squad after their partly excellent performances at their debut Women’s World Cup.

Landed in the ‘Group of Death’ with co-hosts Australia, Olympic champions Canada and top African team Nigeria who boast a Barcelona striker, the Republic of Ireland put together three very competitive performances but couldn’t score enough when they had their dominant periods.

They managed only one goal, coming against Canada and were overly reliant on set pieces.

In each game they showed just how good they can be, which makes them going out in the group stages that much more frustrating.

The format of the Women’s World Cup is much less forgiving than the men’s, it should be noted as only the top two in each group go through. In the men’s World Cup, the two best third placed teams can also go through.

I don’t think i can remember another Ireland team play a tournament in which they were so good in the first half and then so much worse in the second half.

In each fixture, Ireland were undoubtably the better team for the first 45 minutes, even if that was marred slightly by the concession of a late goal against Canada in their second game.

Megan Connolly’s very unfortunate own goal came in the sixth minute of time added on and changed the complexion of the match.

In that first half, Ireland had been the better team by far and would not have been flattered to have been two goals up at the break; instead they were level and Canada took control in the second half to win 2-1.

Against co-hosts Australia, a soft penalty given away in the 52nd minute was the difference. Ireland’s attack began well against Nigeria but ultimately couldn’t find the net, meaning a draw was our best result. That didn’t tell the full tale however. Well done to Vera Pauw, captain Katie McCabe and of course Denise O’Sullivan and Megan Connolly.

Our focus this week turns to Sunday when Cork face Waterford in a mouthwatering All-Ireland camogie final.

It may be Waterford’s first final for 78 years but they have already beaten Cork in the Munster Championship and that was at Páirc Uí Chaoimh too, so they cannot be underestimated.

Cork haven’t won an All-Ireland since 2018 - a drought for Cork camogie but they have gotten a few monkeys off their back this year, by beating Kilkenny in Croke Park and finally defeating Galway in the semi-final. We have an excellent preview from Finbarr McCarthy on page 35, as well as coverage on our front page this week.

Corcaigh abú!