# 2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship

The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship—known as the Foras na Gaeilge All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship for sponsorship reasons—was the high point of the 2003 season. The championship was won by Tipperary who defeated Cork by a three-point margin in the final. The attendance was a then record of 16,183. Player of the Match was Eimear McDonnell, a niece of Cork football legend Billy Morgan. The championship and the final was a high point in a period of rapid growth in the popularity of the sport of camogie which quadrupled the average attendance at its finals in a ten-year period.

## Semi-finals

In the semi-final Cork were 2-2 up after only seven minutes, with the goals coming from Fiona O'Driscoll and Orla O'Sullivan. “All Galway could do was look on” one reporter wrote as they trailed 0-0 to Cork's 3-6 at the break and lost by 25 points. Tipperary beat Limerick 18 points in the other semi-final. With six minutes of the half remaining, Tipperary were awarded a penalty which centre back Ciara Gaynor struck to the back of the net and it gave them a 2-8 to 0-7 half-time lead.

## Final

Cork led 0-3 to 1-3 at half-time. Deirdre Hughes got an early second-half goal and Eimear McDonnell scored four points to put them into a six-point lead with 10 minutes remaining before a late Gemma O'Connor goal put a better appearance on the scoreboard. Goalkeeper Jovita Delaney made a vital block and clearance on a late free.

### Final stages

| Tipperary | Cork |
TIPPERARY: :
| GK | 1 | Jovita Delaney (Cashel) |
| RCB | 2 | Suzanne Kelly (Toomevara) |
| FB | 3 | Una O'Dwyer (Cashel) (Capt) |
| LCB | 4 | Claire Madden (Nenagh Éire Óg) |
| RWB | 5 | Sinéad Nealon (Burgess) |
| CB | 6 | Ciara Gaynor (Burgess) |
| LWB | 7 | Therese Brophy (Burgess) |
| MF | 8 | Angie McDermott (Kildangan) |
| MF | 9 | Philly Fogarty (Cashel) |
| RWF | 10 | Joanne Ryan (Drom-Inch) (0-1) |
| CF | 11 | Emily Hayden (Cashel) (0-2) |
| LWF | 12 | Claire Grogan (Cashel) (0-1) |
| RCF | 13 | Noelle Kennedy (Toomevara) (0-2) 56' |
| FF | 14 | Deirdre Hughes (Toomevara) (1-1) |
| LCF | 15 | Eimear McDonnell (Burgess) (1-4) |
| Substitutes: ||||
| RCF | | Trish O'Halloran (Nenagh Éire Óg) for Fogarty 55' |
CORK: :
| GK | 1 | Ger Casey (Inniscarra) |
| RCB | 2 | Joanne Callaghan (Cloughduv) |
| FB | 3 | Eithne Duggan (Bishopstown) |
| LCB | 4 | Stephanie Dunlea (Cloughduv) (Capt) |
| RWB | 5 | Paula O'Connor (Newtownshandrum) Half time' |
| CB | 6 | Mary O'Connor (Killeagh) (0-2) |
| LWB | 7 | Gemma O'Connor (St Finbarr's) (1-0) 36' 54' |
| MF | 8 | Rachel Maloney (Courcey Rovers) |
| MF | 9 | Vivienne Harris (Bishopstown) 47' |
| RWF | 10 | Una O'Donoghue (Cloughduv) (0-1) |
| CF | 11 | Emer Dillon (Ballygarvan) (0-2) |
| LWF | 12 | Jennifer O'Leary (Barryroe) (0-2) |
| RCF | 13 | Orla O'Sullivan (St Finbarr's) (0-1) 54' |
| FF | 14 | Caoimhe Harrington (Newtownshandrum) 47' |
| LCF | 15 | Fiona O'Driscoll (Fr O’Neill’s) (0-3) |
| Substitutes: ||||
| RWB | | Cathriona Foley (Rockbán) for Paula O'Connor Half time' |
| MF | | Briege Corkery (Cloughduv) for Harris 47' |
| LWB | | Sarah Hayes (Rockbán) for Gemma O'Connor 36' |
| FF | | Colette Desmond (Newcestown) for Harrington 47' |
| FF | | Gemma O'Connor (St Finbarr's) for O'Sullivan (returning to play) 54' |