Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final: Waterford v Cork (Croke Park, Sunday 5pm)
WHAT a contrast there is between the senior pairing for Croke Park.
Waterford are appearing in the final for the first time in 78 years, and are still in search of their first title.
Cork surpassed Dublin’s record haul of 26 titles in 2017 and retained the O’Duffy Cup a year later. They have lost the last two finals by narrow margins – Galway in 2021 (three points) and Kilkenny last year (by a point).
You could also say that Cork have had the tougher journey to Croke Park, beating champions Kilkenny in the quarter-final and then avenging a league final defeat to Galway in the semi-finals, while Waterford had to beat Offaly, Limerick and Antrim in the group stages and then Tipperary in the semi-final – the latter the only genuine top-four contender.
Back in 2011, Waterford’s first team were playing in the Junior championship and beat Down in the final by 2-12 to 1-13.
It then took them four seasons to reach the top in the Intermediate grade, beating Kildare by 2-9 to 1-5 in the 2015 final and there was further heartache before they reached the senior semi-finals for the first time last year.
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Niamh Rockett has been there for the full journey and scored in both the Junior and Intermediate final successes. Beth Carton and Lorraine Bray joined Rockett in the winning Intermediate team and they also contributed to the scoreboard that day with Carton firing home 1-2 and Bray 0-3.
Carton is in flying form this season and hit eight points in the historic 1-12 to 1-11 win over Tipperary a fortnight ago. Her returns in all her games this year have been of a similar standard – 2-57 from six league games and 3-41 so far in four championship games. She is very much a contender for Player of the Year.
Although neither Bray nor Rockett scored in the last championship game, they are central to Waterford’s attacking plan and Rockett hit 1-2 against Antrim in the last group game with Bray also on the score-board.
Waterford’s management have also impressed this year and the team has been able to adapt to different formats, probably best illustrated on the last day out with the selection of Máiréad Power, a natural defender, at centre-forward to negate the impact of Karen Kennedy. The fact that Power scored their goal just before the break was a bonus.
Waterford also beat Cork in the first round of the Munster championship, their first senior victory over the Rebelettes in recent times. They might have fallen to Tipperary in the semi-final, but they have since bounced back to beat Tipp. The win over Cork will have done their confidence no harm at all in preparing for the final showdown.
Cork though will be a formidable presence in Croke Park. The last time they were there was a month ago in the semi-final against Kilkenny when they started very slowly, but took the lead and were more convincing winners than the 2-14 to 2-13 score-line suggests.
They also dominated the semi-final against Galway, showing great resolve to come back from three defeats in succession a couple of months ago to the same opposition.
A key element in Cork’s armoury has been the strength of their bench this year, and the impact those players have been making when introduced.
Laura Hayes, Cliona Healy, Orla Cronin, Ashling Thompson and Orlaith Cahalane all came off the bench in the second half of the semi-final to see Cork home.
They will be difficult enough to break down at the back with Libby Coppinger, the Mackeys and Hannah Looney in great form. Cork’s stand-out player has been Saoirse McCarthy and she will be very much in the thoughts of the Waterford team as they approach this final.
There is, of course, Ulster interest here with former Down forward Sorcha McCartan starting all season up front for Cork. Her two points were key to getting Cork going in the quarter-final against Kilkenny while her physicality is also a plus at this level.
It would be great to see her win a senior medal to add to the Intermediate one she garnered three years ago when scoring two points in the final against Antrim in Kingspan Breffni.
Verdict: I think all neutrals will cheer for a Waterford victory. However the cold facts suggest that a team that has lost the last two finals should have enough in the tank to beat first time finalists, particularly after taking a surprise beating by them in the Munster championship.
