BY SEÁN HOLLAND
CORK camogie manager Ger Manley will be hoping that four weeks without a competitive game won’t have any ill-effects on his side as they prepare to take on Dublin in the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie semi-final in UPMC Nowlan Park on Saturday, 27th July (1.15pm).
The Rebels’ last outing was a 2-16 to 1-7 victory over Galway on June 28th, which clinched top spot in their group and allowed Cork to automatically advance to the semi-final stage.
The extended break of a month has presented both challenges and opportunities for Manley and his team.
‘The break of a month is a big change’, the Cork boss said.
‘Last year, playing in the quarter-final probably suited us as we got another tough game. This year we beat Galway, which put us top of the group, which we were going all out to win. It was a difficult stretch, so we gave them a couple of days off. We came back at it and they're training well, but I suppose we just don't have that game intensity.
‘It's a big change for us, coming off a break of four weeks, where before that we were out every week, really. We had six games in seven weekends. But in fairness, they’ve prepared well. The girls are well up for it. The thing now is to perform’.
As the season reaches the business end, there’s no chance for Manley to arrange challenge games against other counties to help match that championship intensity, so the Cork boss has focused on internal preparation.
‘The games have just been between ourselves,’ he explained.
‘We were able to play Kilkenny earlier in the year before the Munster championship, which was great. There are only a couple of teams left so we can’t get challenge games. We have had a couple of in-house games, and they were good. There's competition for places, which is great. We had a good game last Saturday. We've just lightened the load then in training this week coming up to the game.’
Having beaten Dublin quite easily, 4-22 to 0-5, in the group stage, Manley was asked how he aims to prepare his team mentally ahead of a game where they’ll be red-hot favourites.
‘It's a knockout now and that's the big question ahead for us,’ he said.
‘The league stage gave a backdoor if we were beaten. For us, it was great to win earlier in the year, but at the end of the day it meant nothing. This is the real championship now. The league championship gives you the opportunity to get games into players. But this is the real deal. The good old days where you play championship, and if you're beaten you’re out. This is it, this is knockout.’
Manley was on site to see Dublin overcome Kilkenny in Croke Park and was quite impressed by the manner of their victory. The Cork boss knows his side will need to match Dublin’s energy and intensity on Saturday if they are to progress.
‘We need a high-tempo performance,’ he said.
‘I was up at the game and I thought Dublin were very good against Kilkenny. I know Kilkenny lost a lot of players, but Dublin's had a huge intensity and willingness to work. They got a great couple of scores coming towards the end, which is a good sign for any team. We're under no illusions. It’s an All-Ireland semi-final, we have to perform. If you don't perform, you're out. But I think if we play to our ability we'll have a great chance’.
Reflecting on the season, Manley emphasises his team’s progression and their goal to get back to the All-Ireland final.
‘We came back to training late this year. The league, we were hoping to do well, we didn't do great. But look, as we went on we’ve progressed,’ Manley explained.
‘We won the All-Ireland last year and we want to repeat the trick. It's about getting back there in August. It's been the focus all year, really. The championship has been our focus. It’s everybody's goal to get to the final, and we're 60 minutes away from it, so we just need a performance’.
In terms of team news, St Colum’s Libby Coppinger is still out with a hamstring injury, but there is positive news regarding Meabh Cahalane.
‘Libby (Coppinger) is out. Meabh (Cahalane) is back training. So she'll do the warm-up now and hopefully, at some stage, she'll get a bit of time on Saturday. She's just back in the last two weeks having been out for five or six weeks, but she’s doing everything in her power to get ready.’
