Cork ‘hugely motivated’ to make up for last year’s lapse

CORK ladies football boss Eamonn Ryan has confessed his team lacked the “appetite” for All-Ireland glory last year, having won an historic five in-a-row from 2005 to 2009.

Going down at the quarter-final stage to eventual runners-up Tyrone is an experience he hopes his charges have learned from going into Sunday’s final. “Last year was a huge disappoint for us indeed,” said Ryan. “Even though I was wary going up to play Tyrone that we weren’t fully prepared, we still got stung. But it’s great to be back and we’re hugely motivated to perform on Sunday.

“Where we lost last year was the appetite. After winning so many titles, it was very natural that the focus would drop. It’s hard to keep the appetite up when you’ve won so much. We didn’t show it last year so we want to make up for it this time round.”

Cork blazed a trail through the league, topping the table before hammering Laois in the final but the one blot on their copybook was a February defeat by Sunday’s opponents in Emyvale and Ryan is under no illusions about what awaits them on Sunday.

“I mean, people will think we’re talking Monaghan up here but seeing them against Kerry in the semi-final you couldn’t but be fearful of them.

“They were very, very impressive. They’ve four or five excellent forwards. I have to admit we are a bit apprehensive but I suppose that’s a good way to be going into it.”

On his own side’s progression following last year’s defeat, the Ballin-geary man hesitated before offering it’s “good, without being brilliant”.

“It’s been up and down a bit for the year, particularly in the Dublin match. We got caught cold in the opening half of the Laois game in the semi-final so we’re not totally happy with our form yet. But I suppose on the flip side, we’re working hard for each other and that’s so, so important when things mightn’t be going right.”

Indeed, if there was any debate about the hunger in the Cork squad it was surely answered following that last eight win over the reigning champions this year as the Rebels clawed back a seemingly insurmountable deficit with less than a quarter of an hour to play..

“The Dublin game was the turning point for certain,” he acknowledged.

“We used up quite a bit of luck that day because with 15 minutes to go it looked dire for us. We were six or seven points down and we didn’t do much on the line either to change it. But the players knuckled down and went fully for it, used up a lot of luck, and we’re here now in the final and that’s the important thing.”

One issue Ryan believes the Rebel ladies don’t need to answer to anyone on is commitment.

“You have no idea how committed this bunch of players are. You have to put all this into context. All the time they give for the county jersey is from their own spare time. They get no expense, they all have jobs and are trying to hold them down, but they all give it 100% and always have done. It makes my job easier.

“I was just asked to be involved at the start and I thought it was only for a short while but things went well, I was enjoying it, so I stayed on a while longer. It is a commitment but not near what they give. It’s something I enjoy. What else would I be doing?”