O’Connor savours Rebelettes’ return to glory
Most of all, she was pleased with the character and organisation of the team to bounce back and beat Galway on Sunday, after failing in their bid to complete the three-in-a-row in 2007.
“Somebody said after the Wexford final that 12 months wouldn’t be long coming around, and it’s true. It was a great team performance,’’ she commented.
Now, she is in line to win her fourth medal with the footballers on Sunday week. “I wasn’t going to play after I came back from the injury but then I said I’d give it a go again. It’s just unfortunate that Laura McMahon is out injured. I have filled in and hopefully the 28th will go the same way as Sunday.
“We have often spoken over the last couple of years about the strength of camogie in Cork and the strength of the Cork panel and that was brought to fruition yesterday. We lost five players — three of them Allstars — from last year’s team and the new management that came in, freshened things up and got us enjoying camogie and thinking a lot about the game.
“All credit must go to Jim McCarthy, Denis Cronin, Con Malone and Pat Murray because it wasn’t easy inheriting a group of players on the road a long time, who had won a lot and were very disheartened after last year.
“It’s very difficult to win an All-Ireland. The Camogie Association is well over 100 years old and Cork have won only 23 senior titles. For a county like Cork, people would say that’s not enough. We are a very proud hurling county and a very proud camogie county and when we get to Croke Park we want to win those finals. They are hard-earned because and a lot of things go on behind the scenes.
“You have to make hard choices, away from the field as well as on it. Camogie is your priority for nine or 10 months.’’ O’Connor, who is National Director of Development with the Camogie Association, feels Galway will benefit from their first appearance in a final in 10 years and views Clare’s success in winning the junior championship as a further positive step in promoting the game in the Banner county.
“I think the way the format of the (camogie) championship has changed over the last few years is going to help Galway develop their players.
“That’s the challenge. Talent alone won’t win All-Irelands. It takes an awful lot of hard work.
“It was fantastic for Clare and especially their older players to see them win the junior title. They have been knocking on the door for years and what they have is an underage structure that has really benefited them.”
