Cork - All-Ireland Ladies Football Champions

Congratulations to the Cork Ladies football team for a great win yesterday. For a Cork supporter it was scary watching because of Monaghan's ability to apparently score at will and their tight marking on the Cork players which meant that if a ball was not controlled first time, it was lost.

Still the Cork backs, themselves, put on their best ever display and Nollaig Cleary took advantage to the full of the Monaghan goalkeeper's mistake. With the minor team also winning their All-Ireland, the future is still bright for Cork Ladies football.

Thought the Cork Fullback was brilliant. Cork were a lot stronger physically which stood to them. The Monaghan side in the main were speedsters with the two blonde corner forwards and the number 10 in particular all looking capable of cutting a team to shreds with their pace if allowed. Cork stuck to their task well though.

At the risk of becoming a pariah, I have to admit to not seeing any attraction in this as a sport. Watching ladies' football, soccer, rugby, camogie and anything else similar, is just about the last way that I'd care to spend an afternoon.

I'm sceptical enough about women's sport at the best of times. Tennis, of course, is the ultimate female sport in terms of earning power, and what a disgrace it is to see the likes of a part-time player like Serena Williams earning exactly the same as Novak Djokevic or Rafa Nadal, purely because she has nothing to beat.

But tennis is not as bad as field sports, as at least there is an element of grace to go with the grunt. Similarly, if hard pushed, I could watch a bit of ice-skating or gymnastics, where there is style and charm to go alongside the effort, but ladies' football has no such redeeming qualities.

To me, ladies' football is essentially a bunch of eager young women, dressed like men, huffing and puffing their way around a field, at a speed similar to a boys' U14 match. It is red-faced girls, with dirty hair and mouths distorted by coloured gumshields, belting into each other in the name of sport. The girls that play it obviously enjoy it, so good luck to them, but I see no appeal in it.

So, well done to Cork on their victory, but I'm glad I missed it.

Thomas Clarke wrote:At the risk of becoming a pariah, I have to admit to not seeing any attraction in this as a sport. Watching ladies' football, soccer, rugby, camogie and anything else similar, is just about the last way that I'd care to spend an afternoon.

I'm sceptical enough about women's sport at the best of times. Tennis, of course, is the ultimate female sport in terms of earning power, and what a disgrace it is to see the likes of a part-time player like Serena Williams earning exactly the same as Novak Djokevic or Rafa Nadal, purely because she has nothing to beat.

But tennis is not as bad as field sports, as at least there is an element of grace to go with the grunt. Similarly, if hard pushed, I could watch a bit of ice-skating or gymnastics, where there is style and charm to go alongside the effort, but ladies' football has no such redeeming qualities.

To me, ladies' football is essentially a bunch of eager young women, dressed like men, huffing and puffing their way around a field, at a speed similar to a boys' U14 match. It is red-faced girls, with dirty hair and mouths distorted by coloured gumshields, belting into each other in the name of sport. The girls that play it obviously enjoy it, so good luck to them, but I see no appeal in it.

So, well done to Cork on their victory, but I'm glad I missed it.

TC sitting on the fence again


Watched the Solheim cup highlights last night
Thought it fairly decent stuff - especially Peterson making 3 birdies to beat Michelle Wie

Womens athletics at the top level is watchable - Other than that TC may have a point
Womens football is a more structured outlet for those who like to power walk around Suburbia

Thomas Clarke wrote:At the risk of becoming a pariah, I have to admit to not seeing any attraction in this as a sport. Watching ladies' football, soccer, rugby, camogie and anything else similar, is just about the last way that I'd care to spend an afternoon.

I'm sceptical enough about women's sport at the best of times. Tennis, of course, is the ultimate female sport in terms of earning power, and what a disgrace it is to see the likes of a part-time player like Serena Williams earning exactly the same as Novak Djokevic or Rafa Nadal, purely because she has nothing to beat.

But tennis is not as bad as field sports, as at least there is an element of grace to go with the grunt. Similarly, if hard pushed, I could watch a bit of ice-skating or gymnastics, where there is style and charm to go alongside the effort, but ladies' football has no such redeeming qualities.

To me, ladies' football is essentially a bunch of eager young women, dressed like men, huffing and puffing their way around a field, at a speed similar to a boys' U14 match. It is red-faced girls, with dirty hair and mouths distorted by coloured gumshields, belting into each other in the name of sport. The girls that play it obviously enjoy it, so good luck to them, but I see no appeal in it.

So, well done to Cork on their victory, but I'm glad I missed it.

If you don't want to watch women's ' Gaelic Games, then of course you're perfectly entitled to not do so. You must have watched it once to form an opinion, but how long ago was that, I wonder? There was a time when I had somewhat the same opinion as yourself, but since then the skill level and the athleticism of the players has improved to the point when it's now compatible to men's senior football. I can assure you that the girls who played for Monaghan and Cork yesterday were very tidy and neat in appearance and did not have red faces or dirty hair.

It put me off when I saw one of the girls wearing Marigold gloves one day ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:It put me off when I saw one of the girls wearing Marigold gloves one day ....

Maxi Curran (One of Jum McGuinness's deputies) trained the Donegal ladies for a while.
His attempts at introducing a sweeper system met with a lot of confusion

Finally, a reason to watch camogie.  Just imagine how much more bearable this game would be if they were all blonde and suntanned, wore denim shorts & vest tops, dispensed with the helmets and stopped all the hitting & running, preferring instead to just stroll around the field handing bottles of water to each other.

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Not sure about the vest tops TC, surely they could do away with them altogether!

Seriously though, AFL players continue to wear ultra tight tops & extremely short (& tight) shorts to entice ladies to their games and it works. Playing to the opposite sex has its advantages at times!

Thomas Clarke wrote:Finally, a reason to watch camogie.  Just imagine how much more bearable this game would be if they were all blonde and suntanned, wore denim shorts & vest tops, dispensed with the helmets and stopped all the hitting & running, preferring instead to just stroll around the field handing bottles of water to each other.

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That's the lovely Katrina Parrock, out injured at the moment. A wrist injury I gather... 

That Wexico team have some contenders for 'Lovely Girl' on there, Mags D'Arcy is a fine figure of a lady!

You see, this is the sort or promotion that all sports need. Forget NSG and his slicing and dicing of tiers every other week. Give people what they really want!

Can't really say hurlers wearing short cut demin shorts and extra tight vests would do it for me TC! Add a dodgy 'tash and you'd think you're in the Blue Oyster!

bald eagle wrote:Can't really say hurlers wearing short cut demin shorts and extra tight vests would do it for me TC! Add a dodgy 'tash and you'd think you're in the Blue Oyster!

Never underestimate the power of the pink pound, BE. As you said, the AFL have been doing it for years!