Ashling Thompson: Cork 'don't really do panic' 

BIG IMPACT: Ashling Thompson of Cork before the Glen Dimplex Senior Camogie All-Ireland Championship Semi-Final. Photo: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Ashling Thompson has admitted that looking on from the line as Cork struggled early on in last weekend's Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie semi-final against Waterford was a new and frustrating experience.

The ultra experienced midfielder was brought on 22 minutes into Saturday's all-Munster tie with her team yet to score and trailing by four points.

Having only been cleared of a proposed two-match ban shortly before the game, management opted to hold the Milford colossus in reserve though her impact proved decisive as Cork came from five points down at one stage to win by five.

Speaking at this afternoon's launch of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie finals, four-time All-Ireland winner Thompson said it was a tough watch for the opening third of the game.

"I was only saying it to one of the girls that I was fit to run back down the tunnel after five or 10 minutes," she said. "Just in general even, it's very hard to watch it from the line. It's something that I haven't really experienced myself. It was frustrating, but I have a lot of faith in those girls."

Despite her unease, Thompson said she still had faith in Cork to turn things around.

"We don't really do panic," she continued. "I know for the audience looking on, there was probably a lot of panic in the stadium but I had no fear to be honest. I have their back the same way that they have mine. There was a lot of time left, there was 40 minutes to be played, and to me that was plenty."

Thompson was initially booked against Tipperary in Cork's final group game before being shown a straight red card after the final whistle for a separate incident which prompted the two-match ban.

Asked what it means to be preparing for another final now following the episode and drawn out appeals process, Thompson said it 'means everything really' to her.

"It's your goal at the end of the day, to get to the All-Ireland final and to build collectively as a team," she said. "I think we've done that from the outset, we've had a few setbacks along the way but we've really grown together as a unit. Obviously it was a difficult enough week before the semi-final but I had the backing of my management and my team-mates and thankfully we got over the line in the end."