Rebels' All-Ireland camogie victory forged in the fire of bitter defeats

It’s Valentine’s Day but there is no love shown for the Cork as Waterford defeat them in the opening round of the Centra National Camogie League Division 1A at Azzurri Walsh Park.

For Cork players, management and supporters it was a rude awakening as they started with just four of the team that played in the All-Ireland final the previous year against Galway.

Shock

With that in mind it was no great surprise to see the Déise win, but a week later and shock waves were sent throughout the camogie counties as the Rebels were beaten at home by Antrim.

A defeat that shocked most people involved in the game but full credit to Antrim they deserved their win on the day. That loss hurt Cork and they bounced back with a win away to Kilkenny a few weeks later, a win that was vital in ensuring they stayed in the top flight next season.

A draw with Tipperary was followed by a heavy loss to Galway, with Kilkenny’s win over Antrim the result that kept Cork up and see northern side go down.

Roll on a few weeks and Cork were defeated again, this time by Tipperary in the Munster championship, who went on to win the title.

At this point players, management and many others were questioning were Cork were at and would it be a season of despair.

With 14 or so players gone from the squad there was a massive turnover and at this stage it wasn’t looking good for the Rebels.

But this squad are a proud bunch, and the experienced players took it on the chin and instead of sulking got down to work.

Injured players started to return; others started to get their form back and along with a huge win a small light started to appear at the end of the tunnel.

Under the guidance of Jerry Wallace Cork won the All-Ireland U23 championship. For the likes of Ava Fitzgerald, Meabh Murphy and Millie Condon, amongst others, it gave them a confidence boost they needed.

Reboot

Meanwhile, senior manager Ger Manley and his selectors were working on their strategy for the All-Ireland championship.

Manley was the first to say that few expected them to reach the final this year, and at times they questioned it themselves. Again, the response was nothing less than you would expect from great players and management.

They headed back to Galway for the first round robin game in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship. Heading up the road most were hoping Cork wouldn’t lose too heavily, but Manley, his coaches and players had been working hard quietly away from the attention of the public.

What ensued was a reminder to all that Cork weren’t gone away and that if you think the loss of 14 players was going to see them roll over, you were mistaken.

Yes, Galway were missing a few players, so were Cork, but the 0-18 to 1-8 win was just a reminder to all that the Rebels weren’t gone away and if they were going to be beaten, they would go down fighting. Tipp and Waterford were swept aside, before they faced the former again in the semi-final.

This was their third clash with Tipp at FBD Semple Stadium, and the Rebels silenced the home crowd with a stunning display to go through to their sixth final in a row.

All the hurt of those league defeats and Munster championship loss was bottled into that game and the sheer joy at the end showed just how much it meant to all involved.

Reaching the final was an achievement, given the loss of players such as Laura Treacy, Hannah Looney, Aoife Healy, Katrina and Pamela Mackey.

But all of that doesn’t matter now. All that early-season heartache is long forgotten as the O’Duffy Cup is on its way back to Leeside for the 31st time. This was a battle from start to finish, with both sides enjoying their spells of dominance.

In the end, it came down to the two goals, both coming from long restarts from Cork.

Amy Lee played a one-two with Libby Coppinger on both occasions before launching the ball up the pitch The first goal came from a superb catch by Saoirse McCarthy, who turned took on the Galway defence and buried the ball in the back of the net.

The second was a superb flick-on by Sorcha McCartan to Orlaith Cahalane.

The Rebels needed them and more to defeat what is a magnificent Galway team.

A win that feels extra special, a win that came from a season where not a lot went their way. But on the day that it mattered the most the Rebels rose to the challenge, just like they did all season when the odds were stacked against them to win the title.

It’s a win that will be talked about for a long time and one these players will savour.

Roll on 2027 and don’t rule out these two meeting in the decider again.