CORK take on reigning champions Kilkenny in a mouth-watering Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior championship quarter-final showdown this Sunday.
This is a rematch of the 2022 All-Ireland final that the Cats won, 1-13 to 1-12, and this weekend’s clash in Croke Park 1.30pm (live on RTÉ 2) will be the end of the road for one of these big guns.
The game will also act as the curtain-raiser to the All-Ireland SHC semi-final between Kilkenny and Clare.
Cork boss Matthew Twomey is relishing the chance to take on Kilkenny, knowing too it’s the hardest possible test his side could face at this stage.
‘We’re in the position now where we have to play the best teams and Kilkenny are All-Ireland champions,’ Twomey said.
‘I’d rather we got them now. If we played Antrim and won, we’d probably be hiding cracks. We want to be tested. We want to go toe to toe with the best teams and see how we go.’
The Cork manager believes that last year’s All-Ireland final will have no relevance to Sunday's game.
‘There’s only two or three of the management from last year left now. The game last year might be at the back of someone's head but there’s no such thing as revenge because if you have that, you’re only putting pressure on yourself. This is our next match now. We won’t be looking backwards, just forwards,’ Twomey said.
Cork find themselves in an All-Ireland quarter-final after finishing runners-up in Group 1, behind Galway. The Rebels recorded a resounding 3-19 to 0-8 victory over Clare at Cusack Park last Saturday that cemented their quarter-final qualification. Goals from Sorcha McCartan and a trademark Fiona Keating effort sent them in at the break leading by 2-6 to 0-6. Amy O’Connor raised a third green flag on her way to registering a tally of 1-9 and eight different players getting on the Cork scoresheet. It was the ideal warm-up before the trip to Croke Park on Sunday, which will see Kilkenny well supported as their hurlers are in action afterwards.
‘I don’t think it matters where we play. We played Kilkenny in the national league in Nowlan Park and beat them comfortably that day. The fans could be crucial, if a game is coming down the final hurdle,’ Cork boss Twomey said.
‘It is up to the players now, we talk an awful lot about their character and this is the biggest test so far this year. There’s nothing overdaunting about it, it’s a great opportunity. Neither team will be affected by the ground.’
Cork have won their last two games after a run of four losses in a row in all competitions. Not only that but they scored 3-19 for two games in a row against Down and Clare. The confidence is coming back at the right time.
‘We were under pressure going up to Ennis with all the stuff going on with dual players and strikes. We weren’t going too well before it. If we can continue along those lines of the last two games, it would be great,’ Twomey admitted.
‘It’s good for our confidence, especially in the forwards. We were creating lots of chances, not just converting. We’re more direct than a few weeks ago but there’s a lot of room for improvement. The way we won the last two games was great and it’s given us confidence. We trust the system, we trust the process. We have to implement that as best as we can for the Kilkenny game.’
A positive for the team is the availability of all four dual players – Libby Coppinger, Hannah Looney, Orlaith Cahalane (back from injury) and Aoife Helay – and there won’t be any more fixtures clashes this season.
‘It’s huge because we shouldn’t be in this position. It’s very unfair that you’re in All-Ireland series inter-county games and you’re down four players,’ Twomey argued. ‘Having the four together going to training and preparing for Sunday is great. We now have a full squad to pick from again.’
Brian Dowling’s Kilkenny drew their last game against Tipperary, 2-8 to 1-11, but are still unbeaten in this year’s championship. Twomey is fully aware of their threats.
‘They’ve gone through the All-Ireland series unbeaten. They’re All-Ireland champions and on top of that they’re going to have 10,000/15,000 on Sunday whereas (most) Cork fans aren’t going to travel to Dublin. Our backs are to the wall, there’s no doubt about that but the players look forward to this kind of game. I think we’re at our best when people doubt us,’ Twomey said.
‘They’re ferocious and tenacious. They’d want to make the pitch as small as possible and make it into a battle for us,’ he explained. ‘They have quality players who can win a game on their own like Denise Gaule and Katie Power. We have to have a plan for all those players too. You’re not going to be able to shut them out but performing to the best of our ability will be our goal.’
