SO, as the curtain comes down on Cork ladies footballers’ season after the All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Dublin, what are the positives we can take into the 2026 season?
PROMOTION: At the start of the year, one of the priorities was winning promotion back to Division 1 – and Cork achieved that at the first attempt. The Rebels won six of their seven league games to bounce straight back up to the top tier, following relegation in 2024. Regular games against the top counties – like Kerry and Dublin – are exactly what Cork need to help close the gap. In this year’s championship, Cork played four Division 1 teams and lost to three: Kerry, Waterford and Dublin. The only Division 1 side they beat was Mayo, who were later relegated from the top flight. More games against top-level opposition will benefit this emerging group.
NEW LOOK: When Áine Terry O’Sullivan, back on the panel this year, last played for Cork in 2022, her teammates included the likes of Doireann O’Sullivan, Ciara O’Sullivan, Orla Finn, Róisín Phelan, Ashling Hutchings, Eimear Scally and Meabh Cahalane – none of whom are currently involved with the team. In their place, a new-look Cork side is emerging, and it was encouraging to see players like Aimee Corcoran, Rosie Corkery and Katie Horgan, among others, step up this season. The lessons learned by Cork’s young guns in 2025 must be taken on board heading into 2026 – they now understand the standard required to compete for the biggest prizes.
PLATFORM TO BUILD ON: Don’t forget, this was Joe Carroll’s first year in charge of the Cork senior team – and the same applies to his new management setup. As Melissa Duggan previously told this paper, the players had to learn about the management, just as the management had to learn about the players. That relationship is still developing, but the signs are positive. The more Division 1 opposition Cork faced, the more they seemed to adapt – bar the heavy loss to Dublin. Think of the first half against Kerry in the All-Ireland series, or the must-win victory away to Mayo. There are green shoots, but plenty of work still to do – particularly around physicality. A big winter lies ahead.
