TRANSITION isn’t a word that sits easily with Saoirse McCarthy.

‘It sounds like an excuse,’ she says, even if she understands why it has been used to describe Cork’s underwhelming season.

This is, after all, a team that contested the last five All-Ireland senior finals, winning back-to-back titles in 2023 and ’24. Yet this year has been a different story.

Cork have struggled to find their rhythm. One win from five Division 1A games saw them surrender their league crown, before a six-point loss to Tipperary ended their Munster championship at the quarter-final stage.

Now, attention turns to the All-Ireland series – the one that matters most. But McCarthy knows Cork have ground to make up this summer.

‘I’m looking forward to the summer. It hasn’t gone to plan and we are disappointed with how the league and Munster championship went. It’s obviously a new team and a new challenge,’ the Courcey Rovers ace says.

‘There’s a different type of pressure now. Last year it was about going for the three-in-a-row, whereas this year it’s about whether we can pull things together after a slow start. But there are enough leaders in the group to rise to that challenge.’

Four-time All-Star McCarthy has been involved with the county senior panel since 2018, so has lived it all, but the player turnover in the Cork squad this year is something she hasn’t experienced before.

‘Another county would be completely depleted after losing that level of experience,’ McCarthy says. A quick look at the Cork squad highlights the scale of change in Ger Manley’s team.

Laura Treacy has retired. Hannah Looney and Aoife Healy are AFLW-bound. Pamela and Katrina Mackey are not involved. Both Ashling Thompson and Amy O’Connor are injured. Clíona Healy has stepped back. Kate Wall has gone to Australia. And there’s more.

‘The biggest question I’ve been asked is, “What’s going on?” The short answer is we lost 15 or 16 players from last year. There were over 30 All-Ireland medals gone from the dressing room,’ McCarthy explains.

‘It’s not easy losing when you’re used to success. There’s always an expectation on Cork to be there or thereabouts.

‘We’re trying to keep going, playing for the jersey and each other, and get back to ourselves again.

‘But we’ve taken positives from games and there are so many new faces getting game time, making debuts and being blooded into the team. That’s positive for the future. 

‘There’s unbelievable talent coming through in Cork and we’re seeing that now at senior level.

‘We’re not performing to our best yet, but it will only go in one direction. We’re all putting the shoulder to the wheel and trying to work as hard as we can so that when the All-Ireland championship comes around, we’re in the best position possible.’

Saoirse McCarthy at the launch of Féirla's new range.

McCarthy is key to the Rebels’ revival. The Ballinspittle woman has developed into one of the top players in the country, shortlisted for Player of the Year in each of the past three seasons. If this classy attacker finds her groove, it gives Cork a chance.

An injury sidelined McCarthy at the start of the league, leaving her playing catch-up. It’s been one of those seasons for Cork.

‘I was training for the first month and then got injured just before the league – my IT band. It was my first proper injury and it was tough mentally watching the girls and not being able to help,’ she says.

‘Watching the Antrim game was hard because I felt I could have made an impact. That’s all you want to do: contribute.

‘I’m back now but probably not playing as well as I’d like yet. Fitness has been a factor, and there are new players around, so it takes time to build that understanding. I’ve also played in a few different positions, so it’s about learning and adapting.’

While there is an expectation around Cork given their success in recent years, there’s also an expectation on McCarthy given her own rise. She’s aware of that, but has learned to take it in her stride.

‘It’s probably that pressure I’m putting on myself rather than other people putting it on me,’ she explains.

‘When I was coming back from injury, it was like, “Ah, Saoirse will be back and Laura (Hayes) will be back and we’ll be okay.” I remember my first game thinking, “I’m back now, I’m going to have to make a difference straightaway.”

‘There is pressure as one of the more experienced players, but there are plenty of leaders there, like Amy Lee, Libby Coppinger, Méabh Cahalane, Amy O’Connor, Ashling Thompson.

‘When you put on that jersey, you’re expected to perform, but that’s no different any year.’

So, does McCarthy put pressure on herself to perform?

‘Yeah, probably to an extent. I try to enjoy it as much as I can because when I enjoy my camogie, I play better,’ she explains.

‘It’s about balancing pressure – putting it on yourself but also realising it’s just a game. We love it and want to do well, but there are more important things in life.

‘The pressure is a privilege. I’m lucky to play for Cork, lucky to be out there with my friends. The worst that happens is you lose a game – it’s pressure, but not real-life pressure.’

Saoirse McCarthy at the launch of Féirla's debut range, Ireland’s first-ever sportswear brand with Gaelic games in mind, designed specifically for female bodiess. (Photo: INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

Recently, McCarthy lined out for Courceys in a county league win against Charleville. She loved it, scored 1-3 and came off the pitch smiling after Courceys’ victory. It was simple: dry pitch, good weather, playing with friends. Summer camogie.

It also allowed her to step outside the inter-county bubble. A trip to Salou with her mum was welcomed too, taking advantage of a week off training before the serious business resumes.

In a new All-Ireland senior format, Cork are in a group with fellow 2025 semi-finalists Galway, Waterford and Tipperary. All four will advance to the knock-out stages – the top two straight to the semi-finals, the next two to the quarter-finals. The expectation is that, even with Cork’s struggles, they will be in the shake-up again.

‘100 percent, that never changes. You go into every year wanting to win an All-Ireland. That’s the expectation with Cork camogie,’ she says.

‘Historically, we’re the most successful team in the country and you have to back that up. I’ve always said since day one that you want to leave the jersey in a better place than when you got it, and we got it off a pretty good team.

‘We’re going through a period where we have to work through things, but we learned a lot from the last time we were in transition. I hate that word because it sounds like an excuse.

‘We want to be in All-Ireland finals and winning them. I still have full faith in this team.’

If the Rebels rediscover their spark, the early-season struggles will be seen as a stepping stone. And if Cork are to rule again, a fit and firing Saoirse McCarthy will be central to it.

• Saoirse McCarthy was speaking on the Star Sport Podcast after Féirla launched their debut range. Féirla is Ireland’s first-ever sportswear brand with Gaelic games in mind, designed specifically for female bodies.