THE RISE OF SAOIRSE: How Courceys star has developed into a leader for Cork camogie team

SARA Hayes isn’t surprised to see Saoirse McCarthy develop into a leader for the Cork camogie team.

The Courcey Rovers legend coached McCarthy in her underage days with their home club, and there were some tell-tale signs that the Ballinspittle native had star quality.

‘I had Saoirse when she was U16. She was the same underage as she is now but has developed so much more athleticism, drive and hunger,’ explains Hayes, who herself has won five senior All-Ireland with Cork.

‘Saoirse still had those things when she was younger and I played her in positions where she was allowed to roam. We only had to work on small things like tightening up her swing when she was U16. She is more athletic now and stronger than she was back then.’

McCarthy’s rise has been incredible to watch, as the 22-year-old is already an All-Star having scooped an award in 2022. Her trophy cabinet is filling up quickly, with a player-of-the-match award from the All-Ireland semi-final the latest addition.

It was former Cork camogie boss Paudie Murray who brought McCarthy onto the senior panel, having coached her with the Cork intermediate team too. He liked what he saw.

Saoirse McCarthy with her 2022 PwC Camogie All-Star Award.

‘What impressed me was her athleticism and she was something different: a livewire around the middle of the field,’ Murray says.

‘She wasn't lacking confidence. Getting her settled in a position was the one thing we worried about when she came in.’

There has been a bit of debate as to what McCarthy’s best position is. Her versatility is noticeable. Current Cork manager Matthew Twomey has utilised her as a midfielder this season. She played at wing back last season and was playing in the forwards as recently as 2020.

‘We played her in all sorts of positions. I feel her best position is wing back because that’s where she plays her best hurling,’ Murray said. ‘I think she needed to be moved around this year because they had a high level of injuries. They were plugging gaps in various different places. Her versatility has helped the management greatly this year.

‘As an attacking wing back, I think she’s unstoppable. She’s got a good hand, she’s got a very good strike and I think she would worry the opposition tearing down the field.’

Sara Hayes, however, having played at wingback herself, thinks McCarthy would be better used at midfield.

‘She can make it back to the full-back line and then into the half-forward line, she is so athletic. She has the running to go backwards. I always saw her as being a midfielder for the Cork seniors in time. I said it to her,’ says Hayes, who was never convinced playing McCarthy at corner forward was the right move.

‘I knew that was the wrong place for her. She gets scores but she needs a bit of space. We can see now when she played at wing back last year she just excelled. She is a joy to watch when she’s in full flight, tearing up the wing and she has a massive strike at the end of it. She can score from 50 yards out, no problem. She can also belt it into the net if closer in. She is very versatile but wing back or midfield is the place for her, there’s no doubt about it.’

Regardless of her position, the one thing that McCarthy has in spades is determination.

‘Her drive is just admirable and she had the same playing for MTU this year. She was the one that won the Purcell Cup for them,’ Hayes insists. ‘She just wants every ball. She is a leader and always positive. People look up to her but they also expect her to do it because she can. She’s very easy to coach, takes things on board, listens and there was never any backchat from her.’

Paudie Murray concurs.

‘I always knew that to make it at the highest level you needed to have a high level of desire. To me, she has made it even though there is a lot more in her,’ he says.

‘You don’t get there without that determination. The year she was minor, we brought her straight back into the intermediate team and she had a massive bearing on that even as an 18-year-old. We wouldn’t have been able to win the All-Ireland without her,’ Murray said.

Look at her all-action displays recently against Kilkenny and Galway.

‘When she got going against Kilkenny, we went with her and the same against Galway when we really needed her,’ Matthew Twomey says on this week’s Star Sport Podcast.

‘Nothing phases her’, he adds. ‘She doesn’t get nervous or anything like that. She just has a job to do. She loves pucking the ball. Loves playing camogie. That’s what you want.’

McCarthy is also a player who drives this Cork team on, and will be key in Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Waterford in Croke Park.

‘When the pressure came on against Galway, she stepped up with a great point out on the sideline. For Cork to win an All-Ireland, they would need her to be performing at a high level,’ Paudie Murray notes.

‘She is up there with the best this season. I think there is an awful lot more in that girl and she can become one of the top players in the country in a number of years.’