Tipp ace Emer facing old friends

IT’S becoming a bit of a habit at this stage, team-mate against team-mate in All-Ireland finals.

Last Sunday it was Kilkenny’s Tommy Walsh on Cork’s Tom Kenny, both also involved with the UCC Fitzgibbon team.

In this Sunday’s senior camogie All-Ireland final, ace Tipperary corner-forward Emer McDonnell will face a number of erstwhile UCC team-mates in the Cork opposition.

“I know a load of the Cork girls, Una O’Donoghue, Elaine Burke, Sarah Hayes, Rachel Moloney, Joanne O’Callaghan, Sinead Buckley and Ciara Healy,” she said.

“We won the Ashbourne this year and last year. I’m heading for Dublin next month, after three years in UCC, and I’m really going to miss the place.”

Because of those long-term friendships, Emer will, of course, be taking it easy this weekend, especially in light of tenderised Cork feelings, following last week’s events. “God I don’t know about that now,” she laughs, “probably as easy as they’ll be taking it on us.

“It’s not easy when you’re directly marking someone, but you have to deal with it. You’re playing for your own team, aren’t you?”

No apologies then, if she should happen to score one of her trademark goals. “Apologise to [Cork keeper] Ger Casey? Definitely not! If you get the chance it has to be done, I just hope I get that chance,”

Take it as read that Emer will get the chance. In Tipperary’s semi-final win over Limerick no one looked sharper, no one looked more threatening, than the exceptionally skilful Burgess player from Nenagh.

If Cork can put the shackles on McDonnell, cut off the supply, they will have gone some distance towards retaining their title. If not, there could be trouble ahead.

“Of course we believe we can win; no point in going up there otherwise,” reckons Emer, “but this is a good Cork side, if you let them run at you, their speed, skill, they can take you apart.” They did look very intimidating in their dismantling of Galway in the other semi-final, a lot like Tipp themselves, no discernible weak link. “Yeah, when they connect, especially that forward line, lethal. I don’t think even a men’s team would stop them. It’s a matter of preventing the ball going into them, and we have a big job to do in the forwards, trying to stop their backs from clearing the ball.”

Tipperary will be trying to avenge the loss in last year’s final to the same opposition, when they were looking to complete a four-in-a-row.

Well-beaten in a tired-looking display, but it could have happened, reckons Emer.

“On the day they were the better team, no excuses, but little things can affect a game.

“Just before half-time we had a goal called back for a free.

“That could have made a difference, we would have been further ahead at half-time.

“They got fairly quick in the second half and that was it.

“We thought we still had the hunger, but maybe we hadn’t. Hopefully with the new faces, we have it back this year.”

The new faces Emer was referring to are on the sideline, manager Raymie Ryan and his management team, though Emer wouldn’t hear a harsh word against former manager, her own townie, Michael Cleary.

“God no, Skippy is a legend, a very hard act to follow, with three All-Irelands. But I suppose we looked a bit dead on our feet near the end alright last year. The appetite is definitely back again this year, there’s a lot of interest in the game, and hopefully those fans will travel, give us a bit of support.”