Camogie & Ladies Football appoint management

With uncertainty surrounding the resumption of games or even training, there’s very little to occupy the thoughts and minds. Restrictions are to continue until 5 March when hopefully, and the signs are good, the case numbers will have significantly drop.

Sadly there has been an increase in the number of people that have died as a result of this dreadful virus and sympathy to all that have suffered losses in recent weeks.

The GAA are due to meet on 29 January to make a decision on training and the fixture schedule for the season.

Late February was the date pencilled in for the start of the Allianz National Leagues, but that obviously will not happen.

A four-week run-in period is being given to counties to prepare for the start of the competition, and it’s proposed that free weekends be used to ensure they can be completed.

Intercounty activity can resume under Level 5, but the GAA took the right decision to defer the resumption of training and games while the case numbers were high.

Leagues could start in late March with the hurling format is likely to be altered to limit travel, as with the football, and that could reduce the number of games for each county.

As a consequence, the start date of the championships will also go back by a few weeks, and the All-Irelands which are currently scheduled for July, will be played in August.

The knock-on effects for the club championships is that they will not now be completed in the calendar year, January 2022 is the new date for the finals.

Of course, all this is dependent on the situation improving and at all times the GAA will be guided by the advice of the Government and health authorities.

Last week the third level Higher Education Committee cancelled the Sigerson and Fitzgibbon Cups along with all other competitions; the fate of second level competitions is now in doubt, and with schools still closed it is unlikely that among others the Corn Uí Mhuirí and Dr Harty Cups will be played.

As for club action, well let’s wait and see.

Camogie

Paudie Murray’s re-appointment as senior manager was ratified by the Board last Monday night; it will be his tenth season at the helm, during which the O‘Duffy Cup was won four times, but in the last two seasons Cork have exited at the semi-final stage.

There are a number of changes to his backroom team with Paudie’s brother Kevin returning as coach while also re-joining are the Douglas duo of Teddy O’Donovan and Matthew Twomey, while Kevin Dunne will assume responsibility for strength and conditioning.

Paudie has indicated that the panel, which he accepts is in transition “will be reviewed as is always the case at the end of a season”.

He continued: “Last year we were denied the opportunity to give a number of our younger players an extended run in the team with the Covid situation, hopefully that will not be the case this year, but we will just have to wait and see.”

Interestingly Cork were one win away from appearing in the league final, which Tipperary reached, but weather forced their game with Clare off, and again an opportunity to further develop the team was lost.

Injuries were also a factor in the lead up to the All-Ireland semi-final. Gemma O’Connor, Libby Coppinger, Julia White and Saoirse McCarthy all lost valuable training time in the lead up to that loss to Kilkenny.

The shape of the season is like everything else, it will be dictated by other events, but as it stands the Camogie Association has opted against the split season, and under the circumstances that it is a strange move.

A draft fixture programme has been circulated based on the 2019 schedule, with the All-Ireland Finals fixed for September. A number of counties have voiced concern at this and a final decision is expected in the coming days, but like the GAA, the leagues won’t now start as planned.

The document allowed for very little room for the club championships and surely it makes more sense to opt for the split season under the current circumstances.

Mark McCarthy from Inniscarra has been appointed as manager of the intermediate team and let’s hope they actually get to play championship this year as last year, in a bizarre move, they were pulled from playing just 24 hours before their opening game against Kerry, on the basis that only the first teams of counties were classed elite.

This left just three counties standing in a championship that was seriously devalued.

Interestingly, in the draft document released to counties, all second teams have been placed in the same group, do they know something we don’t know I wonder?

Off the field, the Cork Camogie Board, in association with sponsors Black Bee and Jigsaw Cork, are organising a virtual 5K run walk on the weekend of the 26-28 February and all clubs and members are being asked to support this worthwhile venture.

Lord Mayor Cllr Joe Kavanagh officially launched the fundraiser and was fulsome in his praise for both the Camogie Board and Jigsaw Cork saying: “I want to compliment both organisations of this initiative in these challenging times and wish all involved the very best of luck and encourage everyone to support it.”

Recently elected Chairperson Mairead O’Donovan also backed the walk/run: “This is our first event of 2021, and while we are all apart in the current climate, we are still very much part of Cork Camogie and I look forward to it being a huge success and wish everyone that participates the very best of luck.”

Entry fee is €15 and this includes a Caman Corcaigh t-shirt. To participate go to the Cork Camogie Board website and click on the link ‘Caman Corcaigh’.

Ladies Football

It was also confirmed during the week that Ephie Fitzgerald will continue as manager of the Cork senior team for what will be his sixth year at the helm.

Ephie won the All-Ireland in his first year in charge but was on the losing side in last December’s final to four in-a-row winners Dublin.

Good also to see that Bríd Stack is recovering from the injury that threatened her participation with her new club in the WAFL in Australia. There still remains a doubt as to whether Bríd will get to play this season, but if she displays all the traits that made her such a key player for Cork over many years, she will play.

Take care and be safe.