Galway manager says camogie finalists should not have to collect fivers to fund team holidays

Galway manager Cathal Murray said a €20,000 - €25,000 grant would suffice for a team holiday

Cork defeated Galway by a point to win the All-Ireland camogie final. Pic: Paul Phelan/Sportsfile

Cathal Murray has called for The Camogie Association to make available funds for the All-Ireland senior camogie finalists' team holidays.

While disappointed, Murray was magnanimous in defeat and made a point of concluding his post-match press conference by highlighting the fundraising teams have to do for holidays.

“I think Cork and Galway have been unbelievable the last three years, and they've brought camogie to a different level. Them girls, when we went there last year, we were out fundraising. The same way when we won the All-Ireland in 2019, going around to club matches, with buckets, asking people for fivers, asking people for tenners, asking people for change.

“I think it was 1993 when (former Kilkenny captain) Eddie O'Connor spoke in the Hogan Stand here, that's nearly 35 years ago now, about the GAA providing money for a holiday.

“I think these girls don’t need to go out collecting money in the next few weeks. We talk about integration, we talk about closing the gap. It was brilliant to hear Brian Molloy (Camogie Association president) that he loves canvassing for these players and I think that needs to be done now.” 

Murray continued: “The two teams have done so much for camogie, and so much for promotion of that sport, that there should be some financial thing there for them, and some money put in. You're not looking for an awful lot of money. €20,000, €25,000 would do so much for us.

“We wouldn't have got out last year to New York only for Galway GAA, and I couldn't thank them enough for providing us with €100 tickets, but we still had to go and sell them tickets. I think the day is coming now where, if we want to close the gap, that's something that we can look at going forward.” 

Murray is not looking for the €150,000 grant, which is given to each of the four male All-Ireland senior finalists. 

“I think the Camogie Association should be, I'm not going to go into how much money they've in the coffers or anything like that, but I think these players deserve it.

“Why should the male sports, the hurling and football, and okay, there's big crowds of that, but we're not looking for €150,000 to go out on holiday, but certainly €20,000, €25,000 per county would do so much, and it would mean we wouldn't have to go and raise money just to go on holiday.” The Galway manager's comments were endorsed by his Cork counterpart Ger Manley.

Murray rued Cork’s “two sucker punch goals”, the game-ending injuries to Niamh Mallon and Ciara Hickey as well as the wide count of 11. “The girls, they died in their boots out there. You'd be very proud of them, to be honest with you.

“Look, I think we'd have a lot of regrets but every losing team has them. We did probably have chances, I'm not sure the wide count in the second half but definitely we had six in the first half. Just real momentum killers I felt at the time. Look it, we're a young team, a lot of players playing their first All-Ireland final today.” 

Murray applauded goalkeeper Sarah Healy for attempting to find the net with her last-gasp free, which flew over the crossbar. “We were told it was the last puck of the game. There wasn't even an option of passing the ball. It just had to go and score direct.

“Obviously, Sarah Healy has a serious shot in her. Fair play to her for going up and fair play to her for going for it. It just didn't work out. We probably had chances before that just to leave the minimum between the teams.”