Changes paying off for O’Reilly

DEIRDRE O’REILLY often slips under the radar when it comes to mentioning Cork football stars.

The 27-year-old is one of the most consistent players for the southern superpowers, and in Killarney this afternoon against Kerry, she bids to add to her medal collection as the Rebels bid for an eighth successive Munster title.

It has been an exciting time on an off the field for O’Reilly. Last September she opened Agility Fitness Studio, after working as a pilates instructor for a number of years.

On the football front, the departure of wing-back Briege Corkery last season, resulted in manager Eamonn Ryan redirecting O’Reilly from attack to defence. The move has proven inspirational. In the Munster semi-final against Clare two weeks ago, the Liscarroll star was part of a defensive unit which didn’t concede any score in the opening half before recording a 3-19 to 1-2 victory.

But today’s clash (Dr Crokes pitch, 5pm) will test how water-tight the Cork rearguard really is.

O’Reilly agrees: “Against Kerry we’ll find out where we stand, and we’ll get a marking about where we’re at.

“Kerry are never an easy side to play against. We didn’t play them this year in the league because they were in Division Two, so it’s hard to know what to expect. They did very well to reach the All-Ireland semi-final last year, so we’re under no illusions.”

Having first made her senior intercounty debut aged 15, alongside older sister Sinéad, O’Reilly remembers the bad days before Cork’s rise in ladies football. “You can’t forget them; getting hammered out the gate down in Kerry and Waterford. It’s nice to be on the winning side, but it’s good to remember the past. It helps against complacency.”

CORK: E Harte; A Marie Walsh, A Walsh, D O’Reilly; B Corkery, B Stack, G O’Flynn; A Walsh, J Murphy; N Cleary, M Kelly, G Kearney; V Mulcahy, R Ní Bhuachalla, A O’Shea.

KERRY: E Murphy; C Kelly, A Leonard, G Crowley; B Lane, A Desmond, A Lyons; L Scanlon, B Breen; M O Donoghue, L Cronin, L Galvin; L Ni Mhuirtceartaigh, S Corkery, D Corridan.