*Niamh O’Dea. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
CLARE’S SENIOR camogie side welcome Cork to Ennis this weekend and their chances of progressing to the knockout stages lay firmly in their own hands.
With one win and one loss from two outings, John Carmody’s charges are in need of a second victory to advance to the quarter-finals.
Losing to Galway on a margin of 1-13 0-13 has given hope to the Clare camp that they are more than capable of matching Cork with the fact that it took extra time to separate the sides in last year’s Munster Final further evidence of the fine lines between the teams.
3pm is the throw-in time this Saturday in Cusack Park with the Clare side unlikely to show major chances from the starting fifteen which have been fielded in their encounters with Down and Galway.
Carmody is adamant there is very little between Clare and Cork. “Hopefully when Cork come with everything on the line we can get this crowd again. It’s a winner take all clash now against Cork and we need to look them in the eye and bring a performance. Galway beat Cork by three and beat us by three so there’s nothing between us”.
He added, “The last few years we’ve had to go to Cork so let’s welcome them to Ennis and have a right cut off them. There’s nothing to fear. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It would be massive progress if we can make it to the knockout stages”.
Within the Cork camp, much of the focus has been dominated by it being the second fixture clash within a fortnight experienced by their dual players.
The Cork senior camogie squad and the Cork senior ladies football squad have come together to issue a joint-statement regarding yet another fixture clash. Libby Coppinger, Hannah Looney, Orlaith Cahalane and Aoife Healy are part of the camogie and ladies football panels with the Rebelettes but with the camogie game on in Ennis at 3pm and the ladies footballers playing Tipperary in Clonakilty at 2pm they will be forced to pick a code, yet again.
