ADMITTING Cork’s recent league loss to Waterford was a ‘horror show’ and a ‘system malfunction’, Rebels boss Shane Ronayne is expecting a response when they host Mayo in a must-win tie this Saturday.
The 2-12 to 1-6 defeat to a previous win-less Waterford has left Cork second from bottom in Division 1 in the Lidl National Football League and in a relegation scrap. With two teams to go down, and Cork facing away games against All-Ireland champions Dublin and then Meath following this weekend’s home tie in Mallow (2.30pm throw-in), the need for a positive result against Mayo is huge.
The rocking Rebels have lost their last three league games (Armagh, Kerry and Waterford) and have also lost their top scorer Katie Quirke to an injury (fractured patella) that will sideline her until at least the All-Ireland series.
Ronayne knows the importance of this Saturday’s game against a Mayo team just one point ahead of Cork in the table.
‘Based on how we have trained and the meetings we have had since the Waterford game, I am expecting a big response,’ the Cork boss told The Southern Star.
‘Whether it gets us the win, I don't know.
‘Mayo are a formidable outfit, had a good result against Kerry in their last game, and they aren’t out of the woods regarding relegation either.
‘There is a lot on the line for both, and we are expecting that big response because these players know how important the game is.’
Ronayne also knows that the Rebels can’t afford another no-show like against Waterford – Cork need a performance to have any chance of surviving the drop. He has been pleased with the reaction from the group since the loss to the Déise, but acknowledges they need to perform on the pitch now.
‘That was a bad day all around. There was a system malfunction. Players didn’t perform to the level they wanted to or were expected to,’ he said.
‘There was a very open and frank discussion afterwards between everyone – the management and the players, and between the players themselves. We have seen a very good response from the players since that game, we have had three excellent football sessions and have got a lot of work done.
‘Everyone needs to step it up. We know that. The management included, we have looked at ourselves and we are not blameless either, we have looked at how we have set up the team, can we play to our strengths. It’s been a difficult few weeks, but if the girls show the desire and work-rate they have in training against Mayo on Saturday, we’ll be in a much better place.
‘What we are looking for is a higher work-rate and a better execution of the skills.’
It’s been a tough campaign to date for a team that lost so much experience before a ball was kicked in 2024– Doireann O’Sullivan has stepped away for the season, Ciara O’Sullivan and Roisin Phelan are taking a break from the league, Laura Fitzgerald is not involved this year, and Meabh O’Sullivan and Eimear Meaney have taken a break, too. Add in long-term injuries to Rachel Leahy and Eimear Kiely (both ACLs) and now Katie Quirke, and Ronayne is missing half his team from last year. This has presented the chance for fringe players and young guns to step up, but it’s been a baptism of fire so far.
Injured Katie Quirke will miss the rest of the league.
‘It was unfortunate to lose so many experienced players at the one time. In last year’s league campaign we lost our top scorer in Eimear Kiely, and the same has happened this year with Katie. To lose those players, you are missing five or six of our best forwards from the last few years, and that’s a big blow for any county to suffer,’ Ronayne said.
‘This is a steep learning curve for our young players. It has been a hard year, but I do believe that with time and with patience, they have the talent to make it. The last day was a horror show, we know that and they know that, and we all know we need to do better, starting on Saturday.’
