Buckley wants Cork to retain air of invincibility
A win against Galway in the Division One final of the Bord Gáis Energy league would mark the side’s sixth straight success in a national decider, a run that started in September 2007 with the third of their five consecutive championship titles.
As winning stretches go it is unprecedented in the annals of the modern GAA, regardless of gender. The only record that can match it is that of the Kerry ladies, who dominated the code in the 1980s.
Twice, from 1982-85 and again from 1987-90, the Kingdom won four back-to-back league and championship doubles but Cork’s success has come at a time when the game is far more competitive than ever before.
The only combined run of league/championship success that can compare in the men’s sphere came when Kerry claimed seven national titles one after the other from 1929 to 1932.
That collection spanned the 1930 season in which there was no league campaign played and, no doubt, Kerry’s opponents at the time were as eager to bring such hegemony to an end in the same manner Cork’s are now.
Galway will be the latest pretenders hoping to lower their colours and Cork’s captain Rena Buckley admits that maintaining their air of invincibility in national finals has become as important as silverware itself.
“We are well aware there are teams looking to get one up on us and we don’t want to let that happen,” said the Inniscarra woman. “All we can do is worry about ourselves.
“We are blessed with the bunch of girls we have. It is a great group and then you add to that a great management team and background staff. That is fierce important to keep things fresh. That is key.”
Cork have been challenged from numerous angles since they first established themselves as market leaders back in 2005. Five counties have challenged them in five consecutive All-Ireland finals and Galway will be the third ‘new face’ aiming to lay down a marker in three league deciders.
The challengers’ captain, Emer Flaherty, was fulsome in her praise of today’s opponents earlier in the week and lauded the heights which the Munster side have managed to reach in such a short shelf life.
The respect is mutual.
Galway seemed to be on the verge of greatness when they broke through to win a first senior All-Ireland title in 2004 with a bright, young team but the final 12 months later proved to be a seminal event for both of today’s protagonists.
With the title in the balance and the clock winding down, it was Cork – appearing in their first decider – who found the winning combination and have not looked back since.
Galway had slid back into the chasing pack but they have re-emerged this year under manager Gay O’Brien with an unbeaten league campaign.
“They have a lot of underage players coming through,” says Buckley. “I was very impressed with them when we played them in the league. They were very strong overall, dangerous in the forwards and the defence was good.
“They look to be an excellent team and they will be coming into this match with a lot of confidence. It will be a great gauge for them as well as us so it will be interesting to see how it goes.”
The sides have already produced a thriller during the group stages when Galway eliminated a 10-point deficit in Buttevant to lead by four before the hosts scrambled for a draw.
As games go, it was symbolic of Cork’s overall league campaign. The ups and downs of the last four months produced four wins, two draws and a defeat to Dublin before a comfortable semi-final win against Monaghan.
“At the start of the year we weren’t going particularly well. We probably weren’t that happy with it but, as the year went by, we started getting a bit better. We are nowhere near we want to be or will need to be at the end of the year. At the same time, we are happy enough to have got through the semi-final and we are looking forward to the final because it will be as near to championship standard as you can get.”
- Bord Gáis Energy NFL Division 1 final: Cork v Galway, Parnell Park, 5.15pm; Division 2 final: Donegal v Kildare, Parnell Park, 3.30pm; Division 3 final: Cavan v Waterford, Parnell Park, 1.45pm.
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