Cork ladies footballers back on the road to where they belong

This is the second year of Joe Carroll’s term as Cork ladies football manager after he took over from Shane Ronayne.

When he took the job, he found himself taking over a side that had lost a lot of key players and had been relegated to Division Two of the league.

The likes of Roisin Phelan, one of the top defenders to ever have played ladies football, Ciara O’Sullivan, Orla Finn, Doireann O’Sullivan and Laura Fitzgerald are just some of the players he was going to have to do without, as did Ronayne in the year they went down.

It was going to be a baptism of fire for the Rockchapel man, but it was also a challenge he relished.

Carroll has been around ladies football for some time and knows all about winning. He guided Cork to an All-Ireland minor title, with some of the players now on the senior side in that team.

UCC have also been coached by Carroll with success along the way.

So, as he took on the job, Carroll knew what he was letting himself in for – a lot of hard work and a rebuild of the side.

Cork ladies footballers were the driving force in the game for many years, and the part they have played in upping standards on the pitch cannot be underestimated.

Some of the battles they enjoyed with the likes of Dublin and Kerry over the years were a joy to watch. There are plenty of managers around the country who will say the bar was pushed higher and higher by the Rebels for many years, and it was up to others to reach it.

That the likes of Dublin, Meath and Kerry have done in recent years, and they, among others, drove on past Cork.

Once he took the top job, the number one priority was to get back up to Division One of the league, anything after that was a bonus.

Carroll knew this wasn’t going to be easy, especially having to try and pick up the confidence of a squad that had only one league win for the entire season before being relegated.

That was against Galway, their first game, played in the middle of a storm and many still question how it went ahead in the first place.

After that, it was a downward spiral for Cork until relegation was confirmed after a loss away to Meath, making it a long and lonely road home for the players.

It wasn’t an easy task for Carroll, not helped by having to face Galway in their opening tie, up in Tuam.

They lost out narrowly that day but showed enough that there was a spirit in the side and were going to give it everything to try and gain promotion.

Slowly but surely, they built on that day and found themselves reaching the league final, ironically against Galway again.

It was a free hit for both the Rebels and Tribeswomen as two sides go up, so they knew promotion was secured ahead of their clash at Croke Park.

This season Carroll has built on that solid foundation and is driving Cork back, game by game, to where they belong – at the top of ladies football.

A win over Galway in the Division One league decider tomorrow, throw-in 5pm at the TUS Gaelic Grounds, would be another positive step on that road.

But just getting to the decider shows how far Cork have come in a short time. They are not there yet, but the Rebels are on the right road and have now become a side others fear facing again.

No matter what the outcome tomorrow Carroll and his management team can be proud of their achievements to date, and no doubt, there is plenty more to come from this talented bunch of players.