ONE of Cork’s most experienced campaigners, Amy O’Connor is ready to make her mark in another All-Ireland camogie senior final.
August 6th, 2023 is a date etched into Cork camogie folklore. That was the day O’Connor delivered one of the great individual All-Ireland final performances – she scored three goals in 120 second-half seconds as Cork defeated Waterford 5-13 to 0-9 to win the title. O’Connor finished with a personal haul of 3-7.
So, how much would the Cork legend love to replicate that display against Galway on Sunday?
‘Of course I would!’ O’Connor told The Southern Star.
‘Some days it happens for you and other days it doesn’t. I’m a firm believer though that you’ll always be rewarded for the work that you put in.
‘I think our panel has put in a massive shift this year and put in massive work so, hopefully, we’ll be rewarded on the day.’
O’Connor has won six All-Ireland titles for Cork and claimed three All Stars. Amidst the excitement and noise of the Cork camogie media and supporters night at Castle Road, the Knocknaheeny native is calmness personified and ready for another crack at the O’Duffy Cup.
‘All-Ireland final day does get a little bit easier because you kind of know the ins and outs – you know (media) nights like this happen, you know what you need on the day and what you might need to do to prepare yourself beforehand,’ O’Connor added.
‘You probably think about it a bit less than before just because you’d be a bit more used to it. It’s as exciting as ever, so we’re really looking forward to it.
‘On the day I have a set routine. I think everyone in our group would have a set routine at this point.
‘You do get nervous. You care so much about it, you put so much of your life into it – it would be only normal to get a little bit nervous, a little bit excited.’
Some of the current Cork group’s strongest traits is their work rate but also their togetherness. Clearly, a deep bond has developed amongst a group of players who have won All-Ireland finals but also had to stand up for players rights, including the recent skorts versus shorts issue.
‘There’s a really good bond there,’ O’Connor stated.
‘The biggest thing about us is that we’ve a good spread of players. There’s a number of girls that would be over 30, there’s a number of us in the middle, kind of in their mid to late 20s and then you’ve the younger girls as well.
‘We’ve a really good group and I think Cork camogie management has done a really good job at getting one or two minors into the panel every year. Getting them a bit more experience.’
Adding fringe players leads to increased competition for places. Orlaith Mullins is a prime example – the young Sarsfields forward came off the bench in Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final victory over Waterford, scored 1-2 but is not expected to start in the decider.
‘The competition in the Cork senior panel is huge,’ O’Connor admitted.
‘That’s why we’ve been so fortunate to be part of so many All-Ireland finals as well, because of that competition within our panel.
‘Every line of our team, you can’t predict the starting team because there’s so many people putting their hands up for selection. Orlaith was a great example of that last weekend against Waterford.’
Familiarity within the Rebel camp will be a positive heading into the county’s fifth consecutive All-Ireland senior decider. The same can be said for meeting old rivals Galway, 12 months on from a cracking final at Croke Park.
O’Conor knows all about the Connacht side, their manager Cathal Murray and an opponent who match the All-Ireland title-holders in the physicality stakes.
‘I think you have to focus on your own game first but we know Galway so well,’ the Cork forward said.
‘We tend to come up against them a couple of times every year and played them in the league final already this year.
‘We know them extremely well and they know us extremely well. Both teams will go flat out on the day and we will just focus on ourselves. Galway are an unbelievably physical team. It’s what they’ve always been. I imagine it’s what they’ll always be. They’re really, really physical.
‘I imagine they put a lot of emphasis on strength and conditioning because of that physicality that they bring to the game. We will just have to match that on the day.’
