Aisling Shannon: St Finbarr's are ready for Munster challenge

St Finbarr's camogie attention has firmly switched from county champions to defending provincial champions as they take on the Clare champions, Truagh-Clonlara, in the Munster Senior Club Camogie Championship quarter-final on Sunday at 1.30pm at MTU.

It promises to be a busy day for the Togher club, with their senior footballers also facing Nemo Rangers in the Cork senior football final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh at 4pm.

The Barrs had sought to have the camogie fixture moved to Saturday but Truagh-Clonlara were unable to accommodate the request. 

A subsequent attempt to bring Sunday’s throw-in forward by half an hour, to 1pm, was also unsuccessful.

The game therefore remains at 1.30pm and, for midfielder Aisling Shannon and her team-mates, the approach now is straightforward: get on with the job in front of them and, hopefully, make the dash to Páirc Uí Chaoimh afterwards with a Munster semi-final place secured.

“Absolutely, and I suppose we do want to support the lads as well, and they’ve been great to support us,” said Aisling.

“I think we just need to drive on now and hopefully get the win, and then we can go down and support the lads at the Páirc afterwards.”

First, however, comes a difficult clash against the Clare champions.

The Barrs have had little opportunity to catch their breath following their county championship victory over Blackrock. 

In contrast to last season, when they had three weeks to prepare for Munster, this time the turnaround is under two weeks, but in reality a week.

After their Cork success they didn’t return to training until last Friday so in effect they have had a week to prepare for this game.

It is a challenge Aisling believes they are better equipped to handle following their experiences over the past two campaigns.

The club's first Munster adventure ended early, but last year they went all the way to provincial glory before eventually losing the All-Ireland final to Athenry after a replay.

“Last year we had a bit more time to sit back and get training for three weeks, but now that we’ve only had a week turnover, we’ve definitely learned a lot,” said Aisling.

“I suppose even the first year we didn’t know what to expect. It was nearly a bonus to win that county, our second ever county, and go into Munster.

“But I feel like this year now, because we are the defending champions, that’s what we want to do again. We want to get that Munster championship title again and hopefully push on even further.”

That provincial crown inevitably means the Barrs enter this campaign with a target on their backs, but they have accumulated plenty of big-game experience over the past two seasons.

“There’s definitely a target there, but I think we’ve learned a lot,” Aisling said.

“I think we all know how to deal with pressure and be under pressure. As a team, we just need to focus on what we can do and what we can bring on the day.”

They will certainly need to be tuned in from the opening whistle against a Truagh-Clonlara side who have travelled a similar road on the national stage.

The Clare outfit reached the 2024 All-Ireland senior club final, where they were beaten by Galway giants Sarsfields, and they reclaimed the Clare championship earlier this month with a 0-16 to 1-8 victory over Kilmaley.

Róisín Begley was particularly influential in that county final, contributing seven points, while Michelle Powell provided a strong presence at full-back.

Truagh-Clonlara also have considerable inter-county pedigree to call upon, with the likes of Áine O’Loughlin, Begley, Powell, Sophie Cullen, Michelle Caulfield, Aoibhín Marren, Sinéad Hogg and Eimear Begley involved with Clare panels.

Aisling is under no illusions about what awaits the Cork champions.

“They obviously won their county championship for a reason,” she said.

“But I think we just need to go out there and do our own game, play the way we’ve been playing, and hopefully there’ll be no stopping us then.”

While St Finbarr’s Cork contingent naturally attracts plenty of attention, their strength goes considerably deeper.

Aisling has struck up an impressive midfield partnership with 18-year-old Liz O’Donovan, while the return of the vastly experienced Gemma O’Connor has added another dimension to their defence.

“It’s great to have Gemma back. I looked up to her as a kid, so to have her behind me at centre-back has been unbelievable this year,” Aisling said.

“And then playing with Liz in midfield, she’s only 18, and just to have the composure that she has on the pitch this year is amazing.

“I really think Kate Cahalane stood out in our county final as well. Outside of all our Cork players, we have such a strong panel, which is great.”

That depth was tested considerably before the Barrs reached the county decider.

Their semi-final battle with Sarsfields developed into a point-for-point struggle, a game Aisling feels could prove particularly valuable as the stakes rise again.

“A lot of people were saying to us, ‘Oh, that was the final’, and we kind of wanted to push that aside.

“I feel like after that match, there was really a sense of relief. It felt like a final, and ourselves and Sars have always had that kind of battle between us over the last couple of years.

“It was point for point the whole way, so I’d say my heart rate was through the roof. It was great to get that win in a semi-final. A good match leading into a final is always a good thing.”

Their county final against Blackrock brought a very different test, with miserable weather conditions forcing the Barrs to adapt.

Again, that was nothing new.

Aisling recalls last year's Munster encounter in Newcastle West, where conditions were so difficult that changing jerseys and drying off at the interval became part of the half-time routine.

“The Newcastle West game really stands out last year. I remember that day was absolutely miserable, changing jerseys at half-time, going into the dressing room with the towels, wiping the legs and everything.

“But I feel like we just know how to play in those type of conditions. It is a factor, but you have to put that to the side as well and play the way we normally play.”

Home advantage could now prove significant, particularly given the support which followed Finbarr’s breakthrough Munster and All-Ireland journey last season.

“Having home advantage as well, being able to play in Cork, is great,” said Aisling.

“The support that we’ve had over the last couple of years has been unbelievable, so we’re looking forward to next Sunday.”