BY SEÁN HOLLAND
CORK ladies football manager Shane Ronayne is wary of a Waterford team seeking revenge, as they prepare for their TG4 All-Ireland senior championship quarter-final this Saturday, July 6th at Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh (1.15pm throw-in)
Cork defeated the Déise in the Munster championship and Ronayne is well aware of the challenge that his side will be presented with.
‘We know that we're going to have to be ready for them because I'm sure they’ll be looking for a bit of revenge,’ the Cork manager said.
This will be the third meeting of the sides this season. Waterford won the Division 1 league tie comfortably, 2-12 to 1-6, in February. It was part of a league campaign to forget for Cork, but since then they have had a real uptake in form and results, of which included their 1-10 to 0-11 victory over Waterford in the provincial championship.
‘They are a familiar foe. In the championship we had a good win down there, but they beat us well in the league so we have to be mindful. They played very well against Donegal who were probably fancied to win the game so it's going to be a difficult game,’ Ronayne said.
‘The big thing is that we have them at home, so we're very happy with that. We beat them in the championship by two points in Dungarvan, so we've got to be very ready for them. But we feel we're progressing nicely.’
Cork managed to top their All-Ireland round-robin Group 3 after wins over Laois and Galway and the Cork boss spoke of the lift the win over the latter has given his squad.
‘There has been a great buzz around since that win,’ he said.
‘It was a fantastic dressing room after the Galway game, but everybody made it very clear that there was no point in topping our group and getting home quarter-final if we aren't going to kick on,’ the Cork boss stated.
‘Training has been excellent. We had a game among ourselves in Páirc Uí Rinn, and you can see that the girls are just chomping at the bit. They're looking forward to the quarter-final and there's a lot of competition for places. Players who missed out on the Galway game through injury or who weren't in the squad are really fighting to get back in there again. We got a great impact the last day off the sideline, so it's going to be a tough 26 to pick and an even harder 15 to pick for the next day.
‘The mood around the camp is very good. They're very positive and the good weather all helps with that as well. It feels like championship season, so we're really looking forward to it.’
Having topped their group, Cork have home advantage for the quarter-final clash and Ronayne was quick to highlight the benefit that will give his team ahead of their meeting with Waterford.
‘It’s a huge benefit. We had to travel to Armagh last year, and stay overnight. We just about got over the line against them because it is difficult to go and win away,’ he said.
‘It’s a good advantage to have that and hopefully we'll have a good Cork crowd there the next day. Unfortunately, the footballers are gone now and the underage teams are out too, so you might have a few extra fans that can come and support us.’
The TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-finals are as follows: Saturday, July 6th – 1.15pm, Cork v Waterford, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh; 5.15pm, Kerry v Meath, Austin Stack Park; 7.30pm, Dublin v Galway, Parnell Park. Sunday, July 7th – 5.45pm, Armagh v Mayo, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh. All quarter-finals will be shown live on TG4.
