BY SEÁN HOLLAND
MOLLY Lynch is looking to ‘right the wrongs’ of last year’s provincial championship as the Rebels face Waterford in the Munster senior camogie final this Sunday in Semple Stadium, Thurles (1.45pm).
It was the Déise who dumped Cork out at the quarter-final stage of last year’s Munster championship after a 1-18 to 1-15 win at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, so this is a chance at redemption for Cork captain Lynch and her team-mates.
While Cork went on to hammer Waterford in last season’s All-Ireland final, they are keen to take the top title in Munster, too.
‘We’re looking forward to Sunday, it’s an opportunity to right the wrongs of last year,’ Lynch said. ‘It’s another game to help us build towards the All-Ireland championship so we're really looking forward to it. Anytime you get to play a Munster final in Thurles, it's always an added bonus.’
With the group stage for the All-Ireland championship kicking off after the Munster final this is crunch time for the Rebels. Cork are in Group 2 alongside arch-rivals Galway, Down, Wexford, Clare and Dublin.
Following Sunday's final, the reigning All-Ireland champions play Wexford in their All-Ireland opener on May 25th so this Sunday’s game gives them the opportunity to attack the championship with the aim of winning back-to-back O’Duffy Cups.
‘Definitely, it’s a springboard and it's another game for us to grow. You learn something every day you play,’ Sarsfield’s star Lynch said.
‘We're out the following week against Wexford so it helps give us a focus each week. We got the maximum amount of games we could in Munster and that was the goal, to utilise game time and learn new things and get better each day we go out.’
How much would winning a Munster title mean to this group?
‘It would be great,’ the Cork captain said. ‘There’s great confidence in the group and it would be really nice. It's one of our goals so it would mean a lot to the group. We have a lot of new faces, so anytime you’re playing for silverware, it's always a great day.’
Leading up to the final, Cork have been putting in the hard yards. There’s been little time for rest and relaxation, even though they spent a weekend at the five-star Fota Island resort.
‘We've had a tough few weeks. We were in Fota a fortnight ago for a training camp for two days. That was great because we got to spend two days working on our camogie and just learning new things and a bit of team bonding as well,’ she said. ‘Training has been tough and we’re constantly working and trying to be better. There wasn’t any time spent in the spa, let me put it that way, but it's been an enjoyable few weeks,’ quipped Lynch, who is hoping to lift her first cup as Cork captain on Sunday.
‘It would mean an awful lot. Being captain is a real honour and it's also a dream. Not many people get the opportunity to captain their county. They're a great bunch of girls and they always buy into everything, so there's no issues within the group. It would mean a lot to win it, so we're really looking forward to it.’
