The Galway Intermediate team bowed out of the Littlewoods Ireland League division 2 on Saturday after losing to Cork in Moneygall by 1-13 to 0-10.
However, this youthful Galway side, which included six players from last year's minor team, gained plenty of this experience from this game as they head into the championship.
Galway started brightly when Laura Kelly scored Galway’s opening point in the first minute before Katie Gilchrist added another. Although a quick free from Michelle Murphy found the Cork captain, Fiona Neville who scored Cork's first point, Laura Loughnane and Gilchrist, through a free, responded with points for Galway to leave it 0-4 to 0-1 after seven minutes.
A Murphy point and two frees from Joanne Casey levelled the sides before Tara Lawrence found Loughnane who put Galway in front again in the 15th minute. However after Murphy livelled for a second time, Cork went in front for the first time when Siobhan Hutchinson ran through the heart of the Galway defence, and blasted the ball past Fiona Ryan.
Murphy and Casey through a free extended the Cork lead in the 25th and 27th minutes while Gilchrist got Galway’s first score in 13 minutes to leave it Cork 1-7 Galway 0-6 at half-time.
Cork continued to dominate the scoreboard with two frees, and although Gilchrist had a missed goal chance for Galway, Laura Kelly responded with a sideline point to keep the westerners in touch.
Casey, however, gave an exhibition of free taking, adding 65 metre free while Rachel Carty found Hutchinson for another point as Cork extended their lead, 1-11 0-7.
Although Kelly (2 ) and Gilchrist, through a free, tried to reduce the deficit for Galway, Casey responded to ensure Cork took the spoils.
Scorers: Galway: K Gilchrist 0-4 (0-3 f ), L Kelly 0-4, L Loughnane 0-3; Cork: J Casey 0-8 (0-8f ), S Hutchinson 1-1, M Murphy 0-3, F Neville 0-1.GALWAY: F Ryan; C Starr, S Lyons, T Lawrence; K A Porter, K Manning, E Gilmore; J Hughes, T Canning; S Coleman, S Divilly, L Loughnane; T Ruttledge, L Kelly, K Gilchrist. Subs: C Kenny for T Ruttledge (ht ), E Madden for S Divilly (39 ), N McPeake for S Coleman (51 ), A Donnellan for KA Porter (54 ).
