Cork ladies football team now have to beat Waterford after poor opening loss to Armagh at home

Cork head into this weekend’s TG4 All-Ireland LGFA senior football championship Group 1 must-win showdown with Waterford off the back of a disappointing loss to Armagh.

Joe Carroll and his squad face a daunting task in Dungarvan on Saturday night.

Win and their All-Ireland hopes remain alive. 

Lose and it is all over for another year.

Last weekend’s 4-10 to 1-9 defeat at the hands of hat-trick hero Aimee Mackin-inspired Armagh left Carroll rueing a couple of important moments.

“We definitely left ourselves with too much to do but we had our chances in the second half,” the Cork LGFA senior manager said.

“We created two goal chances and didn’t take either of them. Then we missed a 14-yard free, with about seven or eight minutes to go, when we were four points down.

“Then there was an obvious (Armagh three-up) breach. Everybody on the line here was shouting, breach, breach. 

"It wasn’t picked up by the officials. Armagh got away with it and they broke to get a two-pointer.

“So, all of a sudden, we went from being four points down to six points down. Whereas, if we’d gotten a free in front of the goal, it would have been down to three.

“I think we were very brave in the second half and showed great heart to keep coming back into it. 

"I suppose that’s the positive we have to take going into the Waterford game.” 

Cork and Waterford need little introduction.

A late Katie Quirke free edged their National League Division 1 clash back in February before Waterford defeated the Rebels by 11 points in this year’s Munster SFC.

“Anybody neutral will be saying Waterford are hot favourites,” Joe Carroll admitted.

“We’ve played them twice, in the league game here and in the Munster Championship as well. They beat us comprehensively the second day.

“Look, we have to get our own house in order. The Waterford game will take care of itself if we can play a full 60-minute game.

“We haven’t been doing that for even 50 minutes. In a lot of games, we’ve been playing fairly well in the first half. The Kerry game, we were reasonable in the first half. Second half we weren’t.

“Against Armagh, we were very poor in the first half but we were good in the second half despite not taking all our chances.

“If we’d taken our chances with the two goals, we could probably have been ahead with seven or eight minutes to go.

“Look, that didn’t happen and the only thing we can do about it now is go forward again for next week.

“I suppose they know us quite well at this stage. 

"So, I don’t think there’s too much of an advantage to anybody. Dungarvan isn’t that far down the road so we won’t have that much travelling to do.

“I still think there’s a sting in Cork when they go down to Waterford,” Armagh manager Gregory McGonigle added.

“I know the last time, Waterford beat them very well in the Munster Championship, but next Saturday’s obviously a new game.

“We will be in Dungarvan on Saturday night where we will watch the game and go from there.

“Waterford were a team I picked at the start of the year that wouldn’t be far away. 

"They are a very fit team and are very well coached.”