Lynch: 'My two medals are equal at the end of the day'

Whatever the outcome, Lynch won't view it as a greater stage than the Cooley Peninsula where she competed earlier this week.

Wed, 07 Aug, 2024 - 07:37

Paul Keane

She may very well be a back-to-back Glen Dimplex All-Ireland camogie title winner by Sunday evening but it still won't mean any more to Molly Lynch than her Poc Fada achievements.

Locked in a long running battle for the Cork goalkeeper's jersey with Amy Lee, Lynch took time out on Monday to travel to the M Donnelly All-Ireland Poc Fada final and successfully defended her crown.

Her 25 pucks, and 39.8 metres gained, was three pucks better than Galway's Susan Earner and installed Lynch as the winner for the fourth consecutive year.

Beating a Galway adversary may prove a good omen too, considering Lynch and Cork will head to Croke Park on Sunday to face Galway.

Whatever the outcome of that one, Lynch won't view it as a greater stage than the Cooley Peninsula where she competed earlier this week.

"My two medals are equal at the end of the day," said Lynch, comparing the Poc Fada medals to the one she won with Cork last year.

"They're both All-Ireland medals and you are never going to pass up an opportunity to win one."

Last year, after Cork's camogie final win over Waterford, Lynch ducked out early on the celebrations and headed up to Louth to prepare for the Poc Fada the following day.

This time, the trip to Louth came six days ahead of the camogie final, though there was no chance of her not going.

If the Cork management had known of the brutal conditions that the participants would endure on Annaverna Mountain, they may have suggested she skip it.

"I was always going up," said Lynch, with enough authority to know not to ask twice.

Barring an injury to regular goalkeeper Amy Lee, Lynch will start as deputy again at Croke Park this Sunday.

"Amy has been a brilliant goalkeeper," said Lynch. "I suppose she learned from Aoife Murray so to get the opportunity to learn from Amy is brilliant. But yeah, it is tough, I suppose you just have to be ready, something could happen Amy in the warm up or in the first minute or the match and you could be in."

Lynch is captain too, adding to the complexity of the situation.

"It's no different to any match all year," she clarified. "It's an honour to be captain and I'm really lucky with the way it's done, whatever club wins the county gets to have the captain. So it is an honour."