AMY O’Connor’s enthusiasm for the sport she loves is contagious.

Now in her 13th season, the Cork stalwart’s passion hasn’t waned. In fact, it’s the opposite.

‘I love it. I absolutely love it,’ she beams.

‘I love going to training. I love the feeling when you are playing in Thurles, Croke Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh. That hasn’t changed.

‘I probably do appreciate it a bit more. Thinking back to the 2014 and 2015 All-Ireland finals, I was only 17 or 18 years old.

‘I enjoy it now and love it as much as ever.’

The six-time All-Ireland winner is the perfect Cork camogie ambassador.

She’s been there, done that and still wants to contribute to the cause, stressing that she has more to give.

So too does the game itself, O’Connor insists. New rules have improved the sport, both for players and supporters. It’s a stronger product overall.

‘The game is in a much better place,’ the Cork forward says.

‘There are games now where we are scoring more than hurling games. The games are much more free-flowing. Our players are so athletic and physical now.

‘It’s been a massive change, but brilliant. It’s exactly what we want to see.

‘Years ago, we would have played in an All-Ireland final and it might have finished 0-9 to 0-8, whereas now it’s much more high-scoring, and that’s positive.

‘The game is in a really good place.’

Look at Cork’s opening two games in Group 1 of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship. The Rebels beat All-Ireland champions Galway by 0-18 to 1-8 away from home in their opener. On the road again, Ger Manley’s team beat Tipperary 0-21 to 0-18 in a shoot-out.

So, is camogie on the cusp of a boom?

‘I think it will be massive, but only if the eyes are on it. But how do we get the eyes on it? That’s a massive challenge that we have to figure out,’ she says.

‘If people come to games, they will see the speed and strength of our players.

‘We played in Thurles before the men’s hurling game and, before the end of our match, there were 25,000 people there, so how do we get those fans to come to a camogie match? That’s the challenge.

‘If we get that right, that will help the sport grow and grow.’

Amy O’Connor of Cork celebrates a score in the championship win away to Galway.

Looking at the present, a new-look Cork team, backboned by seasoned stars like O’Connor, has found its groove in the championship, winning both games to top Group 1 ahead of the home tie with Waterford this Sunday at Páirc Uí Rinn (3.30pm, live on the Camogie Association’s YouTube channel).

After a disappointing league campaign and an all-too-short Munster championship, the Rebels are showing that class is permanent.

‘We’re delighted. We had a tough league and a tough Munster campaign, so it was good to get back to winning ways,’ O’Connor says.

‘We put in a good performance against Galway and, against Tipp, we probably didn't play exceptionally well but still did enough to get over the line.

‘It’s a very positive start to the campaign.’

That away win in Athenry against Galway that kickstarted Cork’s championship looks ever more important with each passing week.

‘I think so, and it didn’t really matter who it was against because we had such a tough league campaign and tough Munster, so it was good to get back to those winning ways,’ she says.

‘Even if we didn’t win, putting in that good performance was very important to us.’

The challenge now is to keep this winning streak going and build momentum ahead of the knock-out stages. The home game against Waterford is an opportunity to make it three wins in a row.

‘We aren’t under any illusions. It was great to get the two wins but there is a lot to improve on,’ O’Connor explains.

‘Being consistent is super important for us. Can we continuously improve and put in those consistent performances? Going out against Waterford, the first two games will mean nothing if we don’t put in a good performance.

‘They will be tough opposition. They had a good win against Tipp in the first game and were close to Galway last week. There is nothing between the four teams in the group, so you can get quality games every week.’

The new format in this year’s senior championship means Cork, and all four teams in Group 1, are guaranteed a place in the knock-out stages. The top two go directly into the All-Ireland semi-finals, while the third and fourth-placed teams move into quarter-finals to face the top two from Group 2.

In one sense, there is no jeopardy in the Group 1 games because all four teams, who were semi-finalists last season, know they will progress regardless of results.

But O’Connor sees the structure as a positive.

‘It’s a funny one. When you are trying to explain it to people, they struggle to wrap their heads around it,’ she says.

‘From our perspective, being in a group with the top four from last year has been really positive because every week you are playing top-quality opposition and preparing yourself well for the knock-out games.

‘Whether or not it will be seen as a positive across the board, I am not sure. We will only know that at the quarter-final, semi-final and final stages.

‘We are getting top-quality games every week and that helps you figure out where you are at from very early on.’

For Cork, after what happened in the league and in Munster, playing Galway, Tipp and Waterford is just what they needed to rediscover their mojo.

‘It’s good to know where you are at,’ O’Connor says.

‘It’s not that the league or Munster didn’t necessarily go to plan. Obviously, we want to win every game, but we have to be realistic too about where we were at – we lost 14 players from last year, which was massive.

‘In our first couple of league games, we had only two or three starters from last year’s All-Ireland final, which is a huge turnover. Every team in the country, men or women, would struggle with that.

‘Yes, it was tough in the league and in Munster, and we would have liked to have been a bit better, but it just wasn't to be. So getting the opportunity to play against the top teams will show us where we are at and where we need to improve.’

The signs so far are encouraging, with O’Connor leading by example as always.