'The most important thing is the players, and Cork have the players'

When Ger Manley knew Liam Cronin would be joining him in the Cork camogie backroom team, he didn't hesitate to take up the role of manager.

Tue, 06 Aug, 2024 - 07:16

Eoghan Cormican

Taking over a team that has just won the All-Ireland final by 19 points can be viewed two ways. A hugely desirable gig, or a hugely daunting gig? Does one relish the challenge of keeping them atop the summit or does one fret over the reality that anything other than maintenance of their current position will be deemed a failure.

When Ger Manley sized up the Cork camogie managerial vacancy following Matthew Twomey’s decision to step down four weeks after last year’s 5-13 to 0-9 All-Ireland final hammering of Waterford, none of the above questions played on his mind.

“The girls looked for us and that is the bottom line,” Manley said of himself, a selector in Twomey’s outgoing backroom team, and 2023 coach Liam Cronin assuming the reins this year.

“Myself and Liam got on very well last year. Liam was the coach, and I gave him a hand when he wanted me to do something. It is the same this year. I am the manager and Liam is the coach, and if Liam wants me to give a hand coaching, I'll give him a hand.

“That balance we have and once I knew Liam was with me, I had no issue going in.”

Familiarity worked both ways. The players wanted to continue working with Manley and Cronin, and Manley, for his part, wanted to continue moulding the “huge talent” that is in Cork right now.

“You need the players. The most important thing is the players, and Cork have the players, and I think it is very easy to come in and manage an All-Ireland winning team. Our goal was to get back there, and I am delighted we got back there.

“This is my third final involved, and for the players this is their fourth final in-a-row. They are so focused. I have trained men's teams, but tactically they are so good. They are tactically very aware. They push themselves.”

Last year’s Cork-Waterford All-Ireland final attendance of 30,161 was the largest ever crowd on All-Ireland camogie final day. With last Sunday’s ladies final attracting an audience of 30,340, there is the opportunity for the camogie decider, for the first time in two decades, to pull in the bigger crowd.

With Cork also involved in the intermediate decider, Manley is expecting no shortage of red in the Croke Park stands.

“Cork people love sport, whether it is ladies football, hockey, rugby, whatever, marbles, they'll follow it. There'll be a huge crowd in Croke Park.”