2026 Lidl National Ladies Football League Division 1 Final – Cork 2-8 Galway 0-9

Lidl National Ladies Football League Division 1 Final

Cork defeated Galway by 2-8 to 0-9 in the Lidl National Ladies Football League Division 1 Final on Saturday April 11th at the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick.

Cork 2-8 Galway 0-9

By Anthony Newman

A dramatic finish saw Cork win the Lidl NFL Division 1 title at the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick.

Two late goals saw the cup head to Leeside for the first time since 2019, with Quirke getting one of the green flags.

The second was given after a Rachel O’Regan palmed effort was touched over the line by a Galway defender, but to be fair there was little she could do to stop it.

Galway had the first chance of the game when Niamh Divilly played Nicola Ward in on goal, but her short was well saved by Caoimhe Richmond.

Cork had a chance to open their account two minutes in from a Katie Quirke free, but her effort went just wide as she was shooting into a strong wind.

The Rebels came close again to opening the scoring when Abbie O’Mahony sent the ball in towards Leah Hallihan but Riona Quinn intercepted the pass to clear the danger.

Galway, aided by the wind, got the game’s first score eight minutes in when Siobhan Divilly pointed and from the re-start her sister, Niamh, doubled their lead.
Quirke had another chance to score for Cork, but again her effort went just wide, before Emma Cleary got them off the mark.

With 12 minutes played Kate Slevin increased Galway’s lead, before another Divilly sister – this time Olivia – made it 0-4 to 0-1 in the Tribeswomen’s favour.

Eva Noone stretched their lead further to make it 0-5 to 0-1, as Cork were finding it hard to get out of their own half, with the wind being a major factor.

Cork had a chance to reduce the gap but another effort from Quirke went narrowly wide from a tight angle.

The Rebels got their second point 23 minutes in when Melissa Duggan burst forward to set up Aimee Corcoran to score.

Niamh Divilly replied at the other end to see her side lead 0-6 to 0-2 with five minutes to half time.

Slevin pointed in the final minute of the half as Galway were deservedly in front by 0-7 to 0-2 at the break.

Despite playing against the wind Galway got the first score of the second half, with Noone on target again.

The Tribeswomen had a chance to go further ahead, but a last minute interception from Duggan denied them a goal.

Quirke reduced the qap as she split the posts after 38 minutes as Cork were now starting to come into the game more.

Before that they looked like they were in on goal but Áine O’Sullivan was deemed to have overcarried the ball and the referee gave a free out.

Aoife Healy pointed for Cork, after 41 minutes, as they tried to get back in contention, to make it 0-8 to 0-4.

Three minutes later and Cork looked like scoring the goal they needed, O’Sullivan intercepted a pass, found Quirke and she played Rachel O’Regan in. But as he closed in on goal Leah O’Halloran was quickly off her line to deny her a green flag.

Quirke pointed from a free to put only three between the sides as Cork were enjoying their best spell of the tie.

Nicola Ward increased Galway’s lead to four again with 10 minutes to go.

Five minutes later and the Rebels were back on level terms when they pounced on a Galway defensive mistake, with Quirke finding the back of the net to level it, 1-6 to 0-9.

With two minutes to go Cork took the lead for the first time in unusual circumstances. O’Regan fisted the ball towards goal and had it gone straight to the net it would have been disallowed, But it was touched by Chellene Trill and as she was adjudged to have carried it over the line the goal was given.

Quirke and O’Sullivan added late points to see the Rebels run out winners five points.

Cork players and coaching staff celebrate with the cup after their side’s victory in the Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1 final match between Cork and Galway at TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Scorers for Cork: K Quirke 1-3 (1f), C Trill 1-0 (og), A O’Sullivan 0-2, E Cleary, A Corcoran, A Healy 0-1 each.
Galway: E Noone, N Divilly, K Slevin 0-2 each, S Divilly, O Divilly, N Ward 0-1 each.

CORK: C Richmond; M Duggan, D Kiniry, S Kelly; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Murphy, E Cleary; A O’Sullivan, K Quirke, L Hallihan. Subs: M O’Callaghan for G Murphy (ht), R O’Regan for L Hallihan (37), A Ring for E Cleary (55).

GALWAY: L O’Halloran; R Quinn, S Ni Loingsigh, K Geraghty; H Noone, N Ward, B Quinn; N Divilly, S Divily; O Divilly, K Slevin, L Noone; E Noone, L Coen, A Trill. Subs: L Ward for L Noone (42), C Trill for R Quinn (50), A Ni Ruairc for K Geraghty (51), R Leonard for E Noone (55).

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow).

Match Preview

A first for Galway or Cork’s 13th?

It all comes down to this – the 2026 Lidl National League Division 1 Final, where Cork and Galway go head-to-head for silverware.

A win for Cork would draw them level with Kerry on 13 top flight titles, as Galway aim for a maiden win, in what will be their eighth Division 1 Final.
Cork last contested a Division 1 decider in 2021, losing out to Dublin, while Galway lost out to Kerry in 2023.

For Cork, it’s the chance to win the Division 1 silverware for the first time since 2019, when they got the better of Saturday’s opponents.
All told, this will be the fifth Division 1 final between the counties, with Cork winning previous encounters in 2019, 2015, 2010 and 2005.

Both sides arrive in Limerick in fine form, with confidence high and momentum building ahead of the TG4 provincial and All-Ireland championship season. Fans can expect a thrilling encounter as two teams on the rise look to make their mark.

Galway enter the final with plenty of belief. Last year, the Tribeswomen captured the Division 2 title, defeating Cork at Croke Park. That was bonus territory for both teams, who had already secured promotion back to the top flight at the first attempt.

This final carries extra intrigue because these teams have already tested each other this year. In February, Cork edged Galway by just two points in a keenly-contested group stage clash. That narrow victory highlighted how closely matched these sides are. Both sides will be acutely aware that fine margins could decide the outcome once again.

Beyond the silverware, this match offers both squads a chance to sharpen their preparations for the championship. The intensity of a national final provides a perfect test under pressure, and both management teams will be keen to see how their players respond to a high-stakes occasion.

Supporters can expect a tightly contested final. Whether Cork return to the summit of Division 1 or Galway claim that maiden title, this game promises the excitement, skill, and drama that fans have come to love from the Lidl National Leagues.

The Cork team named to start in Limerick shows two changes to the side that lined out against Dublin in the final round of group fixtures.
Aimee Corcoran and Grace Murphy both return to the starting line-up, with Ciara Hughes and Kate Redmond listed on the bench.

For Galway, there are six changes following defeat to Waterford in Round 7 .

Into the starting line-up come Ríona Quinn, Sarah Ní Loingsigh, Hannah Noone, Brónagh Quinn, Niamh Divilly and Lynsey Noone, with Aoife Molloy, Katelyn Mee, Sophie Healy, Aisling Madden and Aoife O’Rourke dropping to the bench.

Team News

CORK: C Richmond; M Duggan, D Kiniry, S Kelly; A Corcoran, S McGoldrick, R Corkery; A Healy, A O’Mahony; R Leahy, G Murphy, E Cleary (capt.); Á O’Sullivan, K Quirke, L Hallihan.

GALWAY: L O’Halloran; R Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty (capt.); H Noone, N Ward, B Quinn; N Divilly, S Divilly; O Divilly, K Slevin, L Noone; E Noone, L Coen, A Trill.