BY DARAGH Ó CONCHÚIR
WHEN the Cork hurling team cruised to victory in the national league final against Tipperary last Sunday, it was the county’s first success in that competition since 1998.
By comparison, the famine for their camogie camp has been nowhere near as severe, but given that they have sat atop or near the top of their sport since that last triumph in 2013, it feels like even more of an anomaly.
Two members of the Fr O’Neill’s club in the Imokilly division of East Cork were involved with the hurlers – Deccie Dalton and Ger Millerick. They are idols and valuable role models for an outfit that draws on a tiny population around Ladysbridge and Ballymacoda, on the outskirts of Killeagh and Castlemartyr.
They have a camogie totem now too, helping the Rebel drive to bridge the dozen-year gap since the last Very League Division 1A title, as they play Galway at FBD Semple Stadium in Thurles tomorrow (2.15pm throw-in -live on RTÉ2).
Cork's Laura Hayes and Galway's Carrie Dolan pictured in advance of the Very Camogie League Division 1A final this Sunday at 2.15pm in Semple Stadium, Thurles. (Photo: INPHO/Dan Sheridan)
Clodagh Finn has carried on the form that made her a key contributor off the bench last year, as Cork retained their All-Ireland crown.
Finn was introduced in the second half of the final against Galway with the game in the melting pot, and scored a soaring point after the sweetest of side-steps, as one of three late minors that secured a three-point victory.
The 22-year-old (since January) excelled as UCC got to the Ashbourne Cup final earlier on this year but not for the first time, the Skull and Crossbones were denied by UL. Finn’s consistent scoring threat and creativity earned her a berth at left corner-forward in the third level team of the year.
Ger Manley and his coaching staff have a flood of talent available to them but they have given Finn more starting opportunities this term and she has rewarded that faith.
'It was one of my goals this year to try get on that 15 or stay on the five subs coming on,' Finn explains, encapsulating the challenge in such a rarefied, high-calibre environment.
'If that's coming on, well, we've such a competitive panel. Nobody's safe. Everyone pushes each other training and you have to do everything you can to try and make that 15 or try and make that five.'
So far, so good. It is all the more impressive for the fact that Finn is approaching her final exams after four years of graft in pursuit of a process and chemical engineering degree. Yet she finds that the camogie complements her studies and is a welcome change of pace and mindset.
It certainly did her no harm in secondary school, as she scored a goal and eight points in the All-Ireland minor final victory over Clare in 2019.
'It’s just a nice break from the study. We’ve training this evening now, so it'll be a nice to get out in the sunshine and forget about the books for a while. It gives you a kind of break. And you can blow off a bit of steam as well.'
The memories of last August remain vivid, as they should. And it’s the feelings as much as the actions and celebrations. Because she has no idea what was going through her head when she tip-toed around the onrushing Galway defender before letting fly from more than 40m out on the Cusack Stand side towards the Hill 16 posts.
'It’s everyone's dream to play in Croke Park in an All-Ireland final. We were just so grateful to win. And you have to enjoy every minute of it. Playing that day, it was unreal. And the crowd and the support we had throughout the year was class, so to do it for them as well, and to do for our families, was great.
'When that final whistle blew, it was such a relief. Galway are such a tough, tough side.
'Looking back after, I can't even remember what was going through my mind (for the point). Even after I did it, I was actually like, ‘Oh my God.’ I never did that before. You’re so full of adrenaline and you just want to do everything you can to help the team and thankfully it worked out.'
It is, of course, the result of many years of training at home first, then the various development and underage county squads and then at senior level in development squads and then county teams. Learning skills, honing talents. Those 10,000 hours make things you learned become instinctive.
'Afterwards, you think of your younger self, and you're going, ‘I want to make her proud.’ It’s what every young girl who plays camogie dreams of.'
It started with Fr O’Neill’s and when Finn speaks of the support, seeing the familiar faces of family and friends has a high value. She would love to emulate Dalton and Millerick.
'We're a small club below in Ballymacoda and it's a great honour to represent them. They've been amazing and a huge support to Ger, myself and Deccie. They're just top class and, yeah, we just want to do them proud. The lads got the victory... And I hope that will drive us on to do the same.'
Make no mistake, given that only Ashling Thompson and the Mackey twins, Katrina and Pamela, have League medals from the 2013 success, winning the League was a target this year.
It’s a rematch of last year’s All-Ireland decider and though Cork were already qualified and Galway needed to win to be sure of making this shootout when the clashed in the final round of the group stages a fortnight ago, the Maroons coming away from SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh with the points by inflicting a first defeat on the Leesiders in 12 months in the process, did not go down well.
'We set out our goals at the start of the year and we wanted to drive on for the League, to give us a good foundation for the Munster Championship and then the All-Ireland Championship. Every trophy is worth winning and we really wanted to go for it, so we're just happy to be back in the final.
'Galway are such a great side. It’s gonna be a good game. We just have to bring that aggression and go back to what we know, and really work together and try to get over line. It’s never an easy day against Galway and we saw that (the last day again)… we reflected on the positives and negatives from the game. We want to win every game, so it's just about producing the goods now and hopefully getting over the line.'
