2025 Lidl National Ladies Football League Division 2 Final – Galway 2-8 Cork 1-5

Galway defeated Cork by 2-8 to 1-5 in the Lidl National Ladies Football League Division 2 Final on Saturday April 12th at Croke Park.

*REPORT*

Lynsey Noone and Roisín Leonard were the goalscorers as @GalwayLgfa lifted the @lidl_ireland NFL Division Two Cup at @CrokePark against @CorkLGFA.

✍🏻 @DaireJWalsh was there for us!@ConnachtLGFA @MunsterLGFA #SeriousSupport https://t.co/oArK5X7YE6

— Ladies Football (@LadiesFootball) April 12, 2025

Galway 2-8 Cork 1-5

By Daire Walsh

Lynsey Noone and player of the match Roisin Leonard bagged second half goals at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon as Galway came from behind against Cork to secure the Lidl National Football League Division 2 title.

A TG4 All Star winner in 2024, Katie Quirke had provided Cork with a perfect start to the action when she drilled a low shot to the bottom right-hand corner of the Galway net in the third minute. Although Leonard got Daniel Moynihan’s westerners up and running with a pointed free, their Leeside counterparts moved four points clear with back-to-back efforts from Quirke and centre-forward Laura O’Mahony.

Galway kept in touch courtesy of a 0-2 salvo by the reliable Leonard – including a majestic long-distance strike off the ground – only for Quirke’s second successful free of half to propel Cork into a 1-3 to 0-3 lead at the end of a low-scoring opening period. Yet this was a long way off being an unassailable deficit and a highly-motivated Galway swung the pendulum in their favour within two minutes of the restart.

Moments after Ailbhe Davoren had kicked a point at a left-hand angle, Lynsey Noone (one of six players from AIB All-Ireland senior club football champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne in Galway’s starting line-up) impressively fired beyond the reach of Cork netminder Sarah Murphy for a 32nd minute goal.

The Leesiders twice got themselves on level terms with points from Emma Cleary and Quirke either side of another place-ball contribution by Leonard, before Galway subsequently pounced for their second goal just shy of the third-quarter.

Following a neat dispossession by Kate Slevin on opposition custodian Murphy, Corofin attacker Leonard clinically rifled the ball to the back of the net and this score was immediately supplemented by a well-taken Olivia Divilly point.

This left their Munster rivals with a mountain to climb and after Aoife Healy (one of three players in the Cork team who is in line to feature in a camogie league final against the same county tomorrow) was sin-binned on 48 minutes, Galway were very much in the driving seat at Jones’ Road.

As the final whistle approached, wing-back Hannah Noone got forward for an excellent point and with Leonard pointing a late free to bring her final tally to 1-5, Galway ultimately sealed their first Division 2 title since 2014 in fine style.

12 April 2025; Erika O’Shea of Cork in action against Chellene Trill of Galway during the Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 2 final match between Cork and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Scorers – Galway: R Leonard 1-5 (0-5f), L Noone 1-0, H Noone, O Divilly, A Davoren 0-1 each.

Cork: K Quirke 1-3 (0-3f), L O’Mahony, E Cleary 0-1 each.

GALWAY: D Gower; A Ní Cheallaigh, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; O Divilly, S Hynes, A Davoren; L Noone, R Leonard, K Slevin.
Subs: E Noone for Hynes, L Coen for Davoren (both 41), K Thompson for L Noone (44), B Quinn for Trill (51), C Cooney for Slevin (54).

CORK: S Murphy; D Kiniry, S Kelly, M Duggan; E O’Shea, S Leahy, R Corkery; A Corcoran, A Healy; A O’Mahony, L O’Mahony, E Cleary; H Looney, L Coppinger, K Quirke.
Subs: S Cronin for Corcoran (39), A O’Sullivan for Coppinger (43), A Ring for O’Mahony (48), L Hallihan for Cleary (56), A Ryan for (58).

Referee: Philip Conway (Armagh).

Match Preview

Saturday April 12
Lidl National Football League – Division 2 FINAL
Cork v Galway; Croke Park, 3pm – Live on TG4.

JUST like Saturday’s Division 1 decider at Croke Park, there’s a familiar feel to the pairing for the Lidl National League Division 2 Final.

Cork and Galway are teams that know plenty about each other, having met in Round 2 of the group phase.
That game resulted in a 2-8 to 0-12 win for Galway, in what was the first competitive meeting between the sides since the 2024 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final.

Galway won that one, before falling to Kerry in the Final, after Cork had beaten Galway in the round-robin phase of the Championship.
Those 2024 Championship tussles came on the back of a desperately disappointing League campaign for both counties last year, when they were relegated from Division 1.
Cork and Galway were favourites to make an instant return to the top flight, however, and so it proved.
Galway won seven from seven to top the table, with Cork winning six of their seven games (a sole blip coming at the hands of Galway).

Having contested a TG4 All-Ireland Senior Final last year, Galway will be pleased to get back to Croke Park so quickly and have the chance to savour a winning feeling here.
The goal at the start of the League campaign for both of Saturday’s finalists will have been promotion and the chance to capture a trophy now is a lovely bonus.
Championship may be just around the corner but Cork and Galway will give it everything as they chase the win.

Cork are the proud holders of 12 Division 1 titles but they’ve also won the Division 2 crown on three occasions – 2003, 1992 and 1988.
On Saturday, Galway go in search of their third Division 2 title win, following previous successes in 2014 and 2002.
With the potential to provide some real clues as to the Championship prospects of both counties, this Division 2 Final should be a really interesting game.

Galway’s will be desperate to atone for last year’s TG4 All-Ireland SFC Final loss to Kerry, while Cork’s ultimate goal is to get back to a first Senior Final since 2020.
Going into the Championship with a major national title would be a real boost – and that’s the opportunity that presents itself.

Two talented teams with huge potential are ready to put on a show at Croke Park. The old saying is that familiarity breeds contempt but, in this case, it will almost certainly breed entertainment, too.

Team News

Cork: S Murphy; D Kiniry, S Kelly, M Duggan; E O’Shea, S Leahy (capt.), R Corkery; A Corcoran, A Healy; A O’Mahony, L O’Mahony, E Cleary; H Looney, L Coppinger, K Quirke.

Galway: D Gower; M Jordan, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty (capt.); H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; O Divilly, S Hynes, A Davoren; L Noone, R Leonard, K Slevin.