Cork success can inspire camogie team

CORK’S Liam McCarthy success can inspire the county’s senior camogie team against champions Tipperary in Sunday’s Centenary All-Ireland final in Croke Park.

This is the belief of manager John Considine, an All-Ireland medal-winner in 1990 and the fear of Tipperary captain Joanne Ryan.

Similarly, Cork juniors who take on Down, can benefit, according to manager Lillian Zinkant, whose late father George was a prominent hurler with Sarsfields in the Fifties.

The Cork senior team will include a sister of Cork hurling captain Ben O'Connor (Paula) and a cousin of full-back star Diarmuid O'Sullivan (Valerie) and will be captained by Stephanie Dunlea, already the holder of five All-Ireland senior and seven National League medals.

Newtownshandrum are expected to have a big travelling support, given that their county final two years ago clashed with the camogie decider. That year Cork were winners and prevented Tipperary from achieving the four-in-a-row. Considine, in his first year in charge of the team, is certain that there will be a spin-off from Cork's win at the weekend.

"In terms of pride, the girls will be saying that the hurlers have done it, 'now we can do it.' Most of them were here on Sunday. They will have seen the reaction to the team's victory. They will be looking for something similar."

Tipp captain Joanne Ryan, from the Drom/Inch club (and a three time All-Ireland senior medal-winner), feels that the champions may be under pressure on two fronts.

"We know that Cork are going to be 'up' for it after their hurlers' win and we were lucky to make it to the final. We were 'steeped' in luck against Wexford in the semi-final, when we won by only two points. And before that we beat Kilkenny by a point."

Stephanie Dunlea, however, believes that Cork must improve their performance if they are to win. "We haven't been as successful as we would like to be this year. We lost out in the semi-final of the League and in the Munster final against Tipp, after we beat them in the first round. We have introduced a lot of new players and didn't play to the best of our ability against Galway," she said. "We will be hoping for the best."

President Miriam O'Callaghan pointed out that while the senior and junior finals will be the highpoint of the weekend and will again be attended by President McAleese and the Taoiseach a series of events have been planned around the games.

Their Jubilee team, Antrim, will be introduced on the field before the senior game and five young children will represent the "family" of Gaelic Games rounders, handball, ladies football, the GAA and camogie. Amongst them will be GAA president Seán Kelly's daughter Julie and Miriam O'Callaghan's daughter Orla. Additionally, more than 2,500 children representing primary schools from all over the country wearing their school or club colours will be part of a formation of C100 on the pitch.

On Saturday, a record 60 clubs including an all-American born team will take part in the Kilmacud Sevens tournament. And, early in the day a torch run will set off from Navan (the venue for the first ever competitive camogie game in 1904), ending in Croke Park on Sunday at 2.40.

Pre-media coverage will include a documentary on RTÉ on Friday night and a TG4 Laochra Gael feature on the Downey twins from Kilkenny, Ann and Angela, to be broadcast on Saturday night, along with a rerun of last year's All-Ireland final.

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