Galway camogie boss Cathal Murray expecting big battle with Cork in All-Ireland Championship
GALWAY manager Cathal Murray is expecting nothing easy when Cork come to Athenry on Saturday for a repeat of last year’s epic All-Ireland Final.
Although the Tribeswomen secured the National League title in April, Murray still feels that the eight week gap between league and championship is far from ideal for his players.
‘‘It’s always very hard when you have no competitive games for that length of time,’’ he said. ‘‘Other counties play in provincials in the meantime, whereas we have to manage a seven or eight week gap. Honestly, we won’t really know where we’re at until Saturday.’
‘‘At the same time, training has gone well since the league final, and we won’t be looking for any excuses. We know Cork will be throwing everything at us, especially after the [All-Ireland] final last year.’’
While the early season silverware was a positive boost for the Tribeswomen in April, Murray’s sole focus is now firmly on making a positive start to the championship.
‘‘Winning the league was great, but it’s all about the championship now for us. Your year is always defined by how you perform in the championship, and the girls are well aware of that.’’
‘‘It’s a new [championship] format this year; it might seem like there’s a lack of jeopardy [in group 1] but we’re expecting three very tough group games. We’ll be taking it one game at a time, no one in our camp is thinking about winning two [All-Irelands] in a row. This is a new championship, and we won’t be looking past Cork on Saturday,’’ he added.