Cork determined to make amends

JULIET MURPHY sips her cup of tea and looks forward to another national final.

The instructor in Curves Fitness Centre in Cork captains Cork in tomorrow’s Suzuki Ladies Football NFL final against Galway and is looking for atonement after the letdowns of last year.

“Last year was the first year we really got it together at senior level and we won the Munster final,” she says.

“We were disappointed to lose to Mayo in the quarter-finals. We also lost to Mayo in last year’s league final, which was disappointing. If we’d known in advance that was how the year was going to pan out we’d have been happy enough, but when you get to big games you want to win them.”

They didn’t dwell on those defeats, however. This year Cork find themselves again in a league final with “not a whole lot done,” says Murphy.

“Through various circumstances we haven’t done a huge amount of training, but we’re happy to be back in the final. At underage level we’re flying, and we have girls coming through with a lot of All-Irelands. They’re used to winning, so we need to keep that momentum going.”

That underage success is the backdrop to Cork’s relatively recent blossoming as a ladies football power. Those successful youth teams need that breakthrough victory at the senior grade to take the county on to the next level, however, hence Murphy’s keenness on winning the league title.

The midfielder is aware that Galway, Cork’s opponents tomorrow, present a formidable obstacle. She’s frank about their league encounter this season. “They dominated us all over the field” - and points to the likes of Allstar Annette Clarke and Lisa Keown as likely threats. However, Cork are keen to concentrate on their own game this year, which wasn’t always the case last season.

“Last season we were trying to stop this player and that player, this year we’re trying to focus on our own game and our own strengths. For example, all of our forwards can score, we’re not depending on one or two, like some teams.

“There was also the fact that we weren’t as used to the big occasions last year. After one of the Mayo games someone said we’d just never got going, and they were right. Still, that was all part of the learning process for us.”

Moulding a successful team is an intricate process on and off the field, and Murphy is full of praise for the management team, which includes the experienced Eamon Ryan as coach. Morale is aided by the likes of dual player Briege Corkery - “a character,” says Murphy.

Another off-field issue building team spirit is tomorrow’s venue. Cork were unhappy to learn they’d have to play Galway in Dr Hyde Park, Roscommon, and given that some players and supporters have to travel from west Cork, they appear to have a point.

“We were disgusted,” said Murphy, “I don’t know whose decision it was but if we’re trying to promote the game you have to do that at ground level. I could understand playing in Thurles or Portlaoise, but we’ll just have to get on with it.”

That said, Murphy acknowledges the efforts of administrators Helen O’Rourke and Geraldine Giles of the Ladies Football Association in raising the sport’s profile.

“Helen and Geraldine have done great work, and you can see the improvement. Sponsorship is easier, we get better pitches now for games and the television coverage is fantastic.”

Cork is traditionally a strong camogie county also, but its recent progress with the big ball is also facilitated by the co-operation between Eamon Ryan and Fiona O’Driscoll, the Cork camogie trainer.

“There’s a good balance there for the dual players,” says Murphy. “Eamon and Fiona have organised it well so that training and games don’t clash.”

For Murphy herself, kicking a football around with three older brothers would have been good preparation for playing with Donoughmore, a ladies football stronghold. The likes of Sheila Kiely and Seamus Twomey at the local club and national school helped her refine her skills on her way to the red jersey, and now she’s one game away from a senior national title.

“We’re looking forward to the game. This year we want to make amends.”