Cork camogie semi-final preview: Sars v St Catherine's should be a great game

Camogie semi-finals: Cloughduv v Seandún, 1.45pm; Sars v St Catherine’s, 4.30pm, Castle Road.

IT’S going to be a battle royale between Sarsfields and St Catherine’s tomorrow in the second of the senior camogie championship semi-finals, a double-header in Castle Road.

First up is the Cloughduv v Seandún game which was previewed here: 

The second game has the 2019 winners against the 2009 champions, players such as Yvonne O’Neill, Carolyn Motherway, Finola Neville, and Orla Cotter still driving St Catherine’s 14 seasons on from that first senior title.

Sarsfields, defeated in last year’s final after winning their second senior title in 2019, are eager to get a third.

Both sides have players returning for this season, most notably Orla Cotter’s return from New York after four years.

It didn’t take Cotter long to get back up to pace, and she has been instrumental in St Catherine’s getting to the last four.

Shane Mulkerrins has stepped into the manager’s role this year after four years as a selector, and he acknowledges the massive influence Cotter is having.

“Orla came back to us in March. She is a huge addition. She was a big loss to Cork, so you can imagine how much of a loss she was to us.

The younger girls would have watched her play and had aspirations of playing with her; now is their chance.”

Facing into their semi-final Mulkerrins said: “We’re very happy with where we are. At the start, it was a tough group. We won three games and got a beating from the Barrs.

LEADER

“We beat Éire Óg then in the quarter-final. We’re injury-free, after losing Finola Neville after the Barrs game and her having to sit out the next couple of games. She’s back now, a true leader, and back on free-taking duties.

“We have a panel of 25 all pushing each other in training and games. We’re there on merit. Sars are one of the top teams in the county.

“We’re there with a chance. If you’re not there you’ve no chance. Once we play with work-rate and aggression the result will take care of itself.”

Laura Hayes is St Catherine’s platform, Aoife Hurley is having a great season making big runs from midfield, alongside Niamh O’Regan at right corner-forward, but all over the pitch St Catherine’s are strong, digging out big wins over Killeagh and Glen Rovers in added time.

Olivia McAllen, Lucy Kelly, and Niamh O’Callaghan are back for Sars.

They’ve lost Tara Elliot and Amy McNamara through injury, but there is little doubt the players back have strengthened their side.

Topping their group and defeating Inniscarra in the quarter-final, this will be a step up again as the top teams narrow in.

The forecast looks mild although as Sars manager Tadgh Óg Lynch rightfully states: "Castle Road has it’s own micro-climate.

“We’re looking forward to it,” he said. “St Catherine’s bring a new dimension. We played them in the league semi-final, so we know what to expect. Cotter is a big addition, she’s very influential for them.

“Finola is back. She was very good in their quarter-final, very good from frees.

“Aoife Hurley is back; Laura Hayes didn’t play that night in the league. They’ve a new management team in place, they’re very professional, a well-organised set-up.

In the league, we pulled away in the end, but they had a right cut off us. They’ve had tough battles in their group.

“I saw them against the Glen after playing Killeagh a few days earlier. They dug it out. They kept battling. We had a tough group ourselves. Aghabullogue the intermediate champions came with a freshness, Courcey Rovers and Cloughduv.

BATTLE

“In terms of a settled team, we’ve been chopping and changing a bit. Inniscarra was a battle, conditions so poor.

“We couldn’t really hurl. We like to think there’s more in us. Inniscarra might have brought us on a bit.

“We’ll hope to get the most from ourselves and perform. It should be two cracking games.”