CORK are on the road to Cahir on Sunday as they take on Tipperary in their opening game of the TG4 Munster Ladies Senior Football Championship.

For the first time in a number of years, it’s difficult to predict who will reach the final, not to mind say win it.

Cork are the defending champions, but despite this Kerry will start as favourites to lift the cup this year and possibly go on to All-Ireland glory.

The Kingdom won the league recently and so far this season have been the team to beat, as they open their campaign against Waterford.

Cork will be favourites to join Kerry in the final but they will need to be on their guard against a Tipp side they have been improving all through the year.

But the Rebels can’t and won’t take the challenge of Tipp lightly and for now all their concentration is on Sunday, with a 2pm throw-in.

Looking ahead to their opening game Cork manager, Shane Ronayne, who was involved with Tipperary a number of years ago, said they won’t be taking them lightly and all concentration has to be on that tie.

“I think it’s going to be a very competitive Münster championship, and I know them well. The team has changed a bit since I was there but I know they are going to be very determined,” said Shane.

“My boss at school is their manager, there is a great rivalry there and we have looked no further than the Tipperary game. If we get off to a bad start then we are under serious pressure so we are really concentrating on that.

“We have had a very good four weeks of training leading up to it and are happy where we are at the moment and we will be ready for Sunday and will be treating Tipperary with the utmost respect.

“They were very unlucky not to get to the Division 2 league final, narrowly by Laois, and they have some quality players. They are much stronger than last year with Ashling Moloney back.

SQUAD DEPTH

“But with a small bit of luck, we could also have been in a league final. Am I overly worried we weren’t? I’m not as we got a very good block of training into the girls that we couldn’t have done had we been in the final.

“If we were in the final obviously you would want to win it and it’s a very short turnaround after that to the championship. 

We were very happy with what we got out of the league and got a lot of game time into players.

“The five-week break in effect was like a second pre-season and as I said we got a good block of training done and glad we got to do that as well as getting a lot out of the league.

“With three games in three weeks, we are going to have to use all our squad and that’s where the league was important, getting that game time for some of the newer players in the squad.

“Hopefully we won’t pick up too many injuries along the way and also we will be hoping the dual stars will come through camogie games ok as well.”

Managing dual stars will always be an issue but Shane and camogie manager, Matthew Twomey, have a good working relationship and are in constant contact on this matter.

“Matthew and I have built up a good working relationship and we have even set up a WhatsApp group between ourselves and the two S&C Coaches. I think that’s worked very well for us and we have managed the players very well, taking them off when and at times not playing them at all.

“There will be a lot of double weekends as the season goes on if the two teams are successful, and I hope both are, so there will be a bit of managing to do. You have two experienced players in this regard in Hannah Looney and Libby Coppinger and younger ones in Orlaith Cahalane and Aoife Healy, so we need to guide them and take decisions out of their hands.

“At the end of the day what I and Matthew want are happy players so this guidance and cooperation between the two sides is very important."

CORK: M O’Sullivan; M Duggan, D Kiniry, R Phelan; S Kelly, E O’Shea, R Leahy; H Looney, S Leahy (c); L Coppinger, K Quirke, E Cleary; O Cahalane, E Kiely, C O’Sullivan.

TIPPERARY: L Fitzpatrick; C O’Dwyer, M Curley (c), E Cronin; S English, L Spillane, N Towey; A.R. Kennedy, L Morrissey; E Morrissey, M Creedon, A Delaney; A Fennessy, A Moloney, A McGuigan.