BY SEÁN HOLLAND
CORK camogie boss Ger Manley is gearing up for a crucial All-Ireland Glen Dimplex Senior Championship Group 2 tie against Galway this Saturday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh (4pm), with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
The importance of the final group game is not lost on Manley, who is well aware that a win or draw would secure All-Ireland champions Cork’s progression directly to the semi-finals, and help avoid the quarter-final round the following week.
The Rebels are coming into this game off the back of a 4-22 to 0-5 demolition of Dublin of which Manley was very pleased with.
‘We were expecting a big test from Dublin coming down. They did well in the league and had a big win against Wexford so we were expecting a good game, but I thought we played very well in the first 20 minutes where we killed the game off. I think they found it hard to get back into it then,’ he explained.
While Cork won the last championship meeting against Galway in 2023, the Tribeswomen defeated the Rebels back in a Division 1 league game in March. Manley knows the threat Galway possess, but is also well aware that he has a squad at his disposal, if they perform to their abilities, are very tough to beat.
‘We're looking to win this and get straight through to the semi-finals,’ he explained.
‘We've had some great battles with Galway since I've been involved. It was a big game last year when we beat them in the semi-final. They were kind of our Achilles Heel up to that point since I was involved.
‘We're expecting a tough battle. Galway have been the consistent team for the last couple of years so we're just hoping that we can perform. If we perform, it will take a good team to beat us,’ admitted Manley.
Securing a win against Galway is not just about advancing into the semi-final for Cork, it's about maintaining peak performance and conserving energy for the crucial stages of the championship.
‘I think it's a very tough situation where the top two teams in a group have to meet in the last game. Where last year, we met Galway first, we were beaten in the group stage, and then we just built it up gradually after that. Whereas now, if you lose this, you'll be after a tough game, and you’d be out again in the All-Ireland quarter-final the following week. I think it's important to win this, and we're going all out to win on Saturday,’ Manley said.
