Camogie’s biggest day is almost here, with three finals down for decision in front of what promises to be a record crowd at Croke Park on Sunday afternoon.
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship final: Cork vs Galway, 4:15pm, Croke Park – live on RTÉ
One of the great current rivalries in Irish sport will be renewed on Jones’ Road on Sunday.
This is what both teams have been waiting for. The Lee-siders are a team on a mission, bidding to exact revenge for their surprise defeat 12 months ago, which halted their three-in-a-row bid.
The Rebels endured a lethargic start to 2026, narrowly avoiding league relegation. They went one-and-done in the Munster Championship, before finally clicking into gear with a stunning dismantling of the Tribe in Athenry. From there, they haven’t looked back.
Cathal Murray’s outfit shook off that 0-18 to 1-8 home loss in their Glen Dimplex Championship opener to get back on the horse. Three consecutive wins see them back in HQ, with a point to prove.
Both teams have undergone change since 12 months ago.
The retirement of Laura Treacy, along with Hannah Looney and Aoife Healy heading Down Under to pursue AFLW careers, has forced Ger Manley into a reshuffle. Nonetheless, the conveyor belt continues to tick along. Their U23A All-Ireland triumph in May gave Cork Camogie a timely shot in the arm. From that team, Orlaith Cahalane and Millie Condon in particular have stepped up to take on more central roles with the senior side.
For Galway, Áine Keane and Niamh McPeake both missed last summer through injury, and their returns have bolstered the forward unit.
Question marks surround Aoife Donohue and Niamh Mallon, following their semi-final win over Kilkenny. Meanwhile, Shauna Healy parked her sporting maternity leave to answer her county’s call. The All-Star defender could be in line to feature in Sunday’s final, just four months after giving birth.
Fine margins could prove crucial, and to that end, Galway will need Dervla Higgins and Co in their full-back line to keep tabs on Cork sharpshooters, Sorcha McCartan, Amy O’Connor and Cahalane.
There is rarely much between these sides when they meet on the biggest stage. And Sunday’s final promises to be no different.
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Intermediate Championship final: Antrim vs Laois, 2pm, Croke Park – live on RTÉ
Antrim spent their springtime in Division 1A, mixing it with the best teams in the game. Their shock win away to Cork in February would surely have put the Intermediate Championship field on notice that the Saffrons were not to be taken lightly.
Despite league relegation, they came away with real credit, and an Ulster title soon followed.
Elaine Dowds’ team have swept through the grade, with four consecutive wins. They come into this decider as red-hot favourites.
If any underdogs are going to pack a punch, however, it is this Laois team. After dusting themselves off after defeat in the 2024 Premier Junior finale, they came back and went one better 12 months ago.
In any given year, the goal for a promoted team is generally to survive in their new grade. The O’Moores have loftier ambitions, however.
Indeed, their semi-final victory over 2025 beaten finalists Kerry was a real statement. Laois now stand on the cusp of becoming the first team since Offaly in 2009/2010 to put together successive Premier Junior and Intermediate triumphs.
The Ulster champions are justifiably favourites, but might not have everything going their own way.
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Premier Junior Championship final: Armagh vs Cavan, 12pm, Croke Park – live on RTÉ
When Laois boss Pat Collier commiserated with Armagh manager PJ O’Mullen in the wake of the 2025 final, Collier mentioned that he was in that position 12 months previous. The message was to keep going.
Scant consolation for O’Mullen at the time, no doubt. With the Orchard County back at the bottom of the mountain, it would have seemed like a world away.
Now, they are back on the sport’s biggest day, with the Premier Junior peak in sight once more.
They come up against a real bolter in the form of Cavan.
The Breffni County did not field a team during the Centra Camogie League, but have taken the Glen Dimplex Championship by storm.
“Our manager threw the idea out again come March time, and a lot of girls decided to commit. Here we are now! It’s great, the talent has been there all along,” captain Róisín O’Keeffe commented midweek.
Cavan topped the table in the group stages, accounting for Armagh, 3-13 to 1-10 in the process.
Results across the breadth of the campaign would suggest this one will go right down to the wire.
