CORK head to Tipperary this Sunday knowing they need a win to get their Munster championship hopes back on track.
Coming off a loss at home to Kerry, the Rebels face two away trips, first to Tipperary this Sunday and then to Waterford the following week.
With the top two teams qualifying for the Munster final in Mallow on May 25th, Cork know they have little room for error in their next two games if they want to qualify for the provincial final. First up, it’s a Tipp team that lost their championship opener at home to Waterford last weekend, going under 2-9 to 1-7, as Lauren McGregor kicked two goals in the opening four minutes for a dangerous Déise team that finished third in Division 1.
Last weekend’s losses means that both Cork and Tipperary have no points on the board after the opening weekend, so the pressure is on to pick up a win on Sunday at Fethard Town Park (2pm). Joe Carroll’s team will know that victory away to Tipp will set up a winner-take-all showdown with Waterford in the final round of games, on the presumption that Kerry will be too strong for the Déise this weekend, and then Tipperary in the last round.
Cork's Laura O'Mahony swings away from the challenge of Kerry's Caoimhe Evans during the TG4 Munster LGFA senior championship round one at Cloughduv on Saturday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
Cork have already gone to Tipp and won this year, beating the home side 3-12 to 0-9 in Division 2 of the league in February – Laura O’Mahony, Orlaith Roche and Emma Cleary all scored goals that day. But Cork will also note how Tipp, after a disastrous start against Waterford, outscored the Division 1 team by 1-7 to 0-8 over the remaining 56 minutes, with Aisling Moloney kicking five points.
With midfielder Maire O’Callaghan, captain Sarah Leahy and forward Aine Terry O’Sullivan all missing the loss to Kerry, Cork will hope at least one will return for Sunday. Also, Cork’s three dual players – Libby Coppinger, Aoife Healy and Hannah Looney – could feature from the start, too.
Joe Carroll has spoken of the need for his team to produce more consistent performances, and that has to start this Sunday. The second-half performance against Galway in the league final hurt Cork, as did the first-half showing against Kerry – if these Jekyll and Hyde showings continue, Cork will continue to make life hard against opponents.
