Cork sharing the load on All-Ireland quest

Racking up 1-17 in their quarter-final victory over Waterford has Shane Ronayne and the Cork senior panel in the rudest of good health.

Thu, 18 Jul, 2024 - 07:52

Ger McCarthy

A first All-Ireland final appearance since 2020 will be Cork’s reward if they defeat Galway in Saturday evening’s TG4 All-Ireland LGFA senior football championship semi-final at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore.

The two sides met in the All-Ireland group stages at MTU Cork on June 15th. On that occasion, the Rebels emerged two-point winners following a titanic battle.

Shane Ronayne’s charges needed a Hannah Looney goal to get over the line, winning 1-12 to 1-10.

Since then, Galway have seen off Laois and, sensationally, All-Ireland champions Dublin after-extra time to reach Saturday’s semi-final in Tullamore.

Hoping to emulate their male counterparts, Galway will look to Roisin Leonard, who notched 2-3 against the Dubs, and Olivia Divilly for inspiration against a rejuvenated Cork setup.

Relegation to Division 2 of the National League has been quickly forgotten since improved Munster LGFA performances preceded qualification for the last four of the All-Ireland championship.

Racking up 1-17 in their quarter-final victory over Waterford has Shane Ronayne and the Cork senior panel in the rudest of good health.

“We scored 1-15 from play against Waterford,” Shane Ronayne commented.

“Ten different scorers and 1-4 off the bench too. I think that is very important. We are not overly reliant on any one player even though we were dependent on Katie Quirke (for a while).

“Other players like Emma Cleary have stepped up. Emma’s scoring stats have gone way up. Laura O’Mahony is contributing and we are getting scores off the bench too.

“That’s important heading into the semi-finals. If any one of our marquee forwards struggle, we are looking at someone else to step up. The fact that they (forwards) are all starting to score is really helping us.”

Cork’s overall improvement since their disappointing relegation from Division 1 has seen the likes of Ava McAuliffe, Rachel Leahy, Aoife Healy and Amy McDonagh make their mark at senior level.

Katie Quirke, Emma Cleary and Laura O’Mahony’s increased scoring outputs are additional welcome developments but stopping Galway’s equally talented attack will be pivotal to the outcome of Saturday’s clash.

“Looking at the Dublin and Galway game, Galway’s ability to get goals was absolutely crucial. That’s something we have to make sure we don’t allow,” the Cork LGFA manager said.

“They have some excellent forwards, but all their key players are going to have to be well marked. Stopping Galway getting goals will be crucial. So, can we force Galway to shoot from outside their comfort zone?

“Look, there will be nothing in it like there was nothing in it at MTU the last day. We’re two evenly matched teams even though they probably have that little bit more experience than us with their (two-time All-Ireland senior club champions) Kilkerrin Clonberne girls.

“For us, we have the element of youth and players who don’t fear what’s ahead of them. I do think we have a very good bench and we hope to introduce that firepower at some stage to see us over the line.”