Hannah Looney: Easier be the hunter than the hunted

Cork's Hannah Looney Pic: Ben Brady, Inpho

Cork’s three-in-a-row bid is well-documented.

It's been many years since it was achieved. In fact, over a half century.

Hannah Looney joined the Rebel senior set-up as a young 17-year-old in 2014 and while six All-Ireland senior camogie medals is quite the haul, including back-to-back victories thrice, the quest of putting three All-Ireland wins together hasn’t been realised.

Similar to a number of her county teammates, the Killeagh club player would love to rectify that stat.

The hugely successful dual star salutes those women of the early ‘70s that won four simultaneously, recognising their hard work and dedication. Actually, there is a strong connection throughout the four squads to east Cork and indeed to her own club, with names such as Marie Costine, Pat Moloney and Marion Sweeney just a few who played their part.

“I must look them up and find some of those ladies, it is on my to-do list,” she said at last week’s media event.

“It’s a long time since it was done alright.

“It is an opportunity for this team to leave a mark but for now, it is just another game and we won’t be thinking about that on Sunday. It’s a huge job to do and I don’t really get sidetracked about it. We cannot look too far ahead.

“For me personally, the success Cork women have had in football and camogie over the years is just phenomenal.” 

Trying to hold on to the O’Duffy Cup is never easy. The hunter becomes the hunted.

“From experience, it is a lot easier when you are the one chasing, when you are the wolf climbing the hill, it is a lot, lot easier.

“I’m sure Galway will have that plastered on their dressing-room, us going for three-in-a-row and how they are going to stop it.” 

Wexford are the most recent county to claim three successive titles (2010-2012). Since then, Cork has come closest, winning two on the bounce a couple of times.

“I do think it is a lot harder to stay at the top,” she stated. “If this Cork team does get over the line, it will tell a lot about us as a group.

“It’s the third time in my career going for three-in-a-row. We won in ’14 and ’15 and we were stopped in ’16 by Kilkenny. And then in ’17 and ’18 we won and Galway beat us in the semi-final in ’19.”