It’s fair to say Niamh Mallon’s journey to winning her first All-Ireland senior camogie title with Galway has had its ups – and “Downs”.
Mallon, originally from Portaferry, won an All-Ireland intermediate camogie title with her native Down in 2020.
One of her team-mates that afternoon against Antrim was Sorcha McCartan. Mallon scored 2-3 in the decider against the Saffrons while McCartan registered 0-2.
Both were involved in last Sunday’s All-Ireland senior camogie decider too – but this time as opponents, Mallon playing for Galway and McCartan representing Cork.
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A college work placement took McCartan, daughter of former Mourne footballer Greg, to Leeside. While she initially commuted to keep playing for Down, the talented forward transferred to St Finbarr’s in 2021 and made her Cork debut in 2022.
Mallon has been living and working in Galway since 2018, but only transferred to play camogie with the county last year, a season that ended with an All-Ireland senior camogie final appearance and an All Star.
It also led to Mallon coming up against her former Down team-mate in last year’s final, but it was McCartan who finished 2024 with an All-Ireland senior title. After Galway’s 1-14 to 1-13 victory over Cork on Sunday, Mallon now also has a senior medal on her CV.
“Cathal [Murray], the management team, the players, they were all brilliant [to me when I joined],” Mallon says.
“I think the experience of playing my first senior All-Ireland final was something I needed to work through, so the experience of last year stood to me.
“I’m just delighted for the group and delighted for Cathal. They put a massive effort in.
“It’s easy for people to have pops at management teams and the way they set teams up, but the time and effort that the group has put into us has been massive since the turn of January.
“And they got their just rewards. I’m just delighted to be part of the group and very grateful.”
But it was not such a memorable day for McCartan, who was replaced in the 41st minute without a score.
She had come off the bench in last year’s final and scored two points in the second half as Cork won by three. McCartan also hit 1-1 in the 2023 final victory over Waterford.
Mallon played a significant role in Sunday’s Galway victory, scoring a point and helping lead the charge in terms of work rate and intensity brought by the Tribeswomen in squeezing and putting pressure on the Cork defenders.
“We really went after stopping their running game at source. If they get out, they’re a fierce dangerous side, so we were trying to not let them build from the back and give them a platform, particularly in that middle third,” she says.
“That’s where they got us last year. They hit 1-3 or 1-4 without reply building solely from the back. We knew we couldn’t let that happen if we were going to win and thankfully we managed the game better in that third quarter this year.”
Sunday’s contest was an extremely physical affair and the sides produced one of the best All-Ireland camogie finals in years.
Mallon, who has been performance nutritionist for Pádraic Joyce’s Galway senior footballers for the last two years, was aware of the ferocity as the game developed.
“It was fierce intense, to be honest. But we kind of knew that coming into the game if we were going to turn Cork over it was going to be intensity that was going to take us there.
“We brought a massive intensity this time last year; we just didn’t have the composure to see it out.
“I think the experience of last year really stood to us, particularly coming down the stretch. We managed the game a whole lot better than this time last year. We’re just delighted to get over the line.”
Afterwards Cork manager Ger Manley was critical of referee Justin Heffernan – questioning some decisions made against his side, including the red card shown to Hannah Looney in the closing stages of the first half.
However, Mallon says the Wexford official helped create the environment for an entertaining All-Ireland final.
“He let the game go and it really contributed to a really good game. There were a few questionable decisions last year coming down the stretch on both sides. I think he did a great job to let the game flow. You got a spectacle out of it,” she says.
Mallon, whose father Martin captained and managed the Down hurlers, has had quite the few months: she got married to Cushendall hurler Dominic Delargy in March.
Which was better, though: tying the knot or lifting the O’Duffy Cup?
“Don’t ask me that,” she says with a laugh. “It’s been a mad year. It’s been great.”
With more ups than downs.
