Linda Mellerick: Cork dual stars pay price again as camogie and ladies football can't find middle ground

CORK had a rest weekend while group two played catch up and face Down today in round two of the All-Ireland championship in Páirc Uí Chaoimh at 3pm.

They’ll be without two of their dual players who play with the footballers in Galway this evening. The less said about that the better because it seems like we’re wasting our breath. Nothing changes and people are so used to it now that it is just accepted with little public furore. This is wrong, but as with everyday life outside of sport if it doesn’t affect the majority of people, protests don’t happen, and the wrongs continue.

I did hear during the week that the WGPA were getting involved. I hadn’t an update by submission.

But I don’t expect a change.

The camogie fixtures are always Saturday with the football on Sunday. The ladies’ football association totally dismissed that so their game could be televised on TG4.

You would have to say that the future of the dual player is seriously in doubt at this stage. 

It doesn’t do any team or player any good having this issue year after year. We have another clash in two weeks when Cork take on Clare in camogie and the footballers play Tipperary in Clonakilty.

UPSET

The massive surprise from last weekend’s fixtures was the draw between Kilkenny and Wexford.

That puts Kilkenny under pressure to finish top and straight to a semi-final if Tipperary get the better of them in July. Tipperary put 2-19 up against Dublin whereas Waterford hit 2-26 against a poor Offaly side a week previously. I think Waterford would have preferred to be in a tougher group than they find themselves. They’ll top group 3 of that I’m sure and they’ll head straight to a semi-final with no stern competition.

The result will show that it finished all square in Nowlan Park between Leinster rivals Kilkenny and Wexford. It will feel like a victory for Colin Sunderland’s Wexford side, as they rattled off the last 1-4 of the game, including 1-1 in stoppage time, to salvage a 3-11 to 1-17 draw with the reigning All Ireland champions.

Shelly Keogh’s goal got the underdogs off to a dream start with just three minutes on the clock.

Kilkenny’s response was immediate, as they rattled off the next five points of the game – four from the stick of Katie Nolan – over the next eight minutes.

Steffi Fitzgerald and Kellyann Doyle linked up play extremely well, enabled by some strong defensive work from the Kilkenny half-back line, and while a brace of Ciara O’Connor frees stemmed the tide somewhat, points from Denise Gaule (two), Katie Power and Nolan made it 0-10 to 1-2, and hinted at a one-sided encounter, even allowing for the breeze that favoured the Cats in the first half.

Wexford needed a moment of magic to stay in contention and they got it when O’Connor whipped a sideline over the bar for a two-point score, though they still trailed by 0-12 to 1-5 at half-time.

With 40 seconds gone in the second half, Julianne Malone finished to the Wexford net following a snappy turnover and there was even less evidence of the comeback that was to come.

Linda Bolger’s goal, rifled into the top corner, kept them in contention, but when Asha McHardy pointed in the 53rd minute to make it 1-17 to 2-7, there were very few anticipated the big finale that was coming.

Three O’Connor scores, two from frees and one from play, set the scene for a frantic period of stoppage time. Orla Sinnott’s long, hanging delivery was flicked by Áine Leacy to the net, but arguably the most impressive score was the equaliser, six minutes into stoppage time.

Sarah O’Connor drove out from centre back and kicked the ball to her sister Ciara, who duly levelled the game with her ninth point of the afternoon.

There was no such drama at the Ragg, where Munster champions Tipperary made a solid start to their campaign at Dublin’s expense.

Cáit Devane found the back of the Dubs’ net in just the second minute of play, and things didn’t get much better for Gerry McQuaid’s side from then on, as Tipp racked up a 2-19 to 1-6 win.

Grace O’Brien, Eimear McGrath and Devane all struck a couple of points each in the opening half as Tipperary surged clear, 1-12 to 0-2, at the break. The game lost any intensity in the second half as Tipp convincingly drove on.