CORK’s trip to Waterford on Sunday is a straight shoot-out to see who joins Kerry in this month’s Munster final.
As the Déise lost by a single point to Kerry on the same afternoon Joe Carroll’s side overcame Tipperary, it effectively set up a Munster semi-final in Dungarvan when the counties clash in their final round-robin game.
Both Cork and Waterford have beaten Tipperary and lost to Kerry, so the winner will progress to the provincial decider. Cork have a better scoring difference, +5 against Waterford’s +4.
Under former Cork LGFA senior coach Tomás Mac an tSaoir, Waterford have been in impressive form this year. A creditable third place finish in Division 1 (four wins, two draws and a solitary loss) was achieved prior to defeating Tipperary and running All-Ireland champions Kerry to a single point in the Munster championship.
Cork manager Joe Carroll knows exactly what’s ahead of the Rebels on Sunday.
‘It’s a Munster semi-final, no doubt about it,’ Carroll confirmed.
‘We already know that Waterford are one of the top teams in the country at this stage. Look, they finished third in the Division 1 league. We were playing Division 2, beaten in the Division 2 final, so Waterford are probably going into that game as favourites. Going to Dungarvan, we still have a lot of work to do to come up to that level.’
Joe Carroll knows the Waterford set-up well having coached some of the Déise’s players for UCC this year.
‘It is going to be a real test for our players,’ the Cork boss said.
‘Some of those Waterford players are in UCC with me, like Áine O’Neill, Bríd McMaugh and, one of the top forwards in the country in my estimation, Kellyann Hogan. Waterford have some absolutely fabulous players.
‘It is going to take a bigger performance than we gave today against Tipperary to beat them. Look, hopefully, we can produce that.’
Former Castlehaven men’s senior manager and current Cork LGFA senior selector James McCarthy is under no illusions as to the size of the task facing an improving Rebels senior panel.
‘Waterford are playing very well and they have great experience,’ McCarthy commented. ‘We’re learning every day we go out with these players and trying to build the panel, make the panel stronger. Look, the Galway and the Kerry games were a great experience for our girls and they learned from them. They brought a few of those things to the Tipperary game today which is encouraging.’
