Pressure on Galway to finally deliver

Date Published: 10-Aug-2010

Eoghan Cormican

GALWAY make their bid for a place in the All Ireland senior camogie final when they face reigning champions Cork in what promises to be a riveting semi-final contest at Nowlan Park Kilkenny, on Saturday (2pm).

Boasting a clean bill of health ahead of the tie, quite simply there can be no excuses from the Galway camp if they fall short in their endeavours on Saturday afternoon. For it is high time this group of players deliver when the occasion demands.

Galway, under new management this year, will be anxious to atone for last year’s demoralising 1-13 to 1-11 defeat to Kilkenny at this stage of the competition when they threw away a winning hand at Nowlan Park.

Twelve months on, the Tribeswomen are back in a semi-final aiming to correct the wrongs of last year and while progress was clearly evident in the group stage outings, it will count for nothing if a win is not manufactured against the Rebelettes.

Since their defeat to Kilkenny at the semi-final stage of the League, Galway have suffered the loss of Sinead Cahalan, Molly Dunne and Niamh McGrath (all through injury), and the departure of Paula Kenny from the panel.

On the better news front, manager Noel Finn is hopeful that former All Star Jessica Gill will play some part on Saturday. “She’s getting there, but it takes a good bit of time. She only had the operation on her cruciate back in January. She’s back training, but unfortunately time isn’t on her side. We might get ten minutes out of her, but it depends on how the match is going”.