CORK boss Ger Manley is backing his players to rise to the occasion as they bid for a third consecutive Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie crown, but standing in their way again are familiar foes.
Galway return to Croke Park for a second straight All-Ireland final meeting with Cork, and Manley knows just how dangerous they’ll be.
‘There hasn’t been much between us in the few matches we’ve played over the last couple of years,’ Manley told The Southern Star.
‘Galway are a very physical team. I suppose we’ve got the better of them the last couple of times, but the fact it’s Galway again does focus the minds.
‘Physically, I thought they were very strong against Tipperary in the semi-final. We’re expecting the same hard, physical battle in the final.’
Manley welcomed the current refereeing approach that allows a more free-flowing contest, noting that his players are prepared for the intensity Galway will bring.
Cork hit top form in their semi-final, beating Waterford by ten points in Nowlan Park – a much sterner test than last year’s semi-final win over Dublin at the same venue.
‘I totally agree,’ Manley said.
‘Waterford set their stall out in the first 20 minutes. They had two sweepers and played with the wind – we actually didn’t realise how strong that wind was, so it was tough for the girls.
‘Our conversion rate wasn’t great early on, but we took over in the last 10 or 15 minutes of the first half. We outscored them 1-16 to 0-5 over the last 40 minutes, that was impressive.
‘To be fair, Waterford worked extremely hard. We needed that. It was important to finish the game well.’
Ger Manley celebrates after Cork's 2024 All-Ireland final win.
Cork edged Galway by 1-16 to 0-16 in last year’s decider, and Manley says the video analysis team have gone over that win in detail as they prep for Sunday’s rematch.
‘You have to look back – that was such a big game and it shows where players reveal their true form,’ he said.
‘Galway will throw a few curveballs at us, like they did last year. But I think we’re a bit more experienced now, and the girls are good at coping with that kind of stuff on the field.
‘We give them all the mechanisms they need. At times you can’t get your message in as a manager, so they have to be able to react on the pitch.’
Cork and Galway have seen plenty of each other in recent years – this will be their sixth championship clash since 2022. Earlier this season, the Rebels beat Galway by 11 points in the national league final, though the Connacht side had defeated them earlier in the campaign.
‘In the league final, we dominated them for most of the game,’ Manley reflected.
‘But they hammered us in the league round before that, so we know what they’re capable of.’
He also pointed to the 2023 All-Ireland semi-final win over Galway as a turning point for this group.
‘That semi-final in Nowlan Park was probably one of Cork camogie’s best performances in a long time,’ he said.
‘It felt like we got a big monkey off our backs that day. Looking ahead to Sunday, we know what we have to do – but it’s going to be a savage battle.’
