Cork boss confirms Linda Collins back to boost Rebels in 2023

BY MATTHEW HURLEY

THE Cork senior camogie team will be boosted by the return of forward Linda Collins for the 2023 season.

The Courcey Rovers player (pictured) took a break from Cork camogie in 2022 and spent time teaching in Dubai, but she’s back now and returns to strengthen the Rebels’ attack.

‘Linda Collins is back for next year,’ Cork boss Matthew Twomey confirmed to The Southern Star.

‘She’s travelling over Christmas and we’re hoping to have her back in February. We’ll be delighted to have her back in the fold again. She was a big loss this year and excelled in the club campaign.’

Collins (26) captained Cork in the 2021 season and scored the winning point in the All-Ireland semi-final as they beat Kilkenny 0-15 to 1-11 in Croke Park. She was back in action for her club, Courceys, in this year’s county senior camogie championship, and scored 2-10 from play in five games.

Cork boss Twomey also confirmed that Enniskeane star Orla Cronin will return to the panel for 2023, after she stepped away from the set-up during the summer because of recurrent injuries. 

‘We had 36 players on the panel this year. Orla Cronin and Linda Collins are definitely coming back into the fold so that brings it up to 38. We had a competitive group last year but ultimately we had five players sitting up in the stands,’ he explained.

Twomey added he is working alongside Cork intermediate manager Trevor Coleman to get the best teams possible to represent both sides. More importantly though, the aim is to get more players game time.

‘We’re hoping to set up a couple of matches to get a lot of the players who did well with their clubs and players who did well with the minors this year and the year before. If they can make the senior squad, brilliant. If they can make the intermediate squad, that’s brilliant as well,’ the Cork senior boss explained.