Ciara Hickey says winning League title would be important for Galway
GALWAY camogie star Ciara Hickey believes winning the league title would be a significant step forward for the team after falling short in the last two league finals.
The Tribeswomen last won the Division 1A title in 2023 but were narrowly beaten by Tipperary in 2024 and lost again in last year’s decider to Cork.
“I think it would be really important for us, the last two years we came up short (in the league final). We would be looking to get over the line, I think silverware would give us a bit more confidence going into the year,” said Ciara Hickey.
After early defeats to Kilkenny and Waterford, Galway recovered strongly with wins over Tipperary, Antrim and Cork to reach this year’s final.
The Galway defender welcomed the return of manager Cathal Murray and his backroom team for 2026. “The professionalism they bring is massive, everything is just there for us and everything is set up correctly.
With no provincial championship, Hickey stressed the importance of the league in preparing for the All-Ireland series.
“The league is very important to us, because we don’t have Munster or Leinster championships after this. We have a break and then it’s into the championship. We really want to get performances in all the games in the league, the league final will be no different.
Hickey also highlighted the influence of senior players in maintaining standards. "Dervla Higgins, Roisin Black, Aoife Donohue and Carrie Dolan they’ve been there for years and when January comes around they really set the standard. It’s fierce easy for the younger girls to row in behind them.”