IT’S ANOTHER BUSY weekend for Cork dual stars Briege Corkery and Rena Buckley.
The multi All-Ireland medallists in both codes will line out for the Rebelettes in tomorrow evening’s crunch TG4 All-Ireland ladies senior football quarter-final against Galway in Limerick (6pm), before turning their attentions to Sunday’s All-Ireland camogie semi-final against Kilkenny (4pm).
And ladies football boss Eamonn Ryan has had his say, describing the prospect of two games in two days for Corkery and Buckley as “appalling.”
Although the potential for two games in the same day was avoided when the Camogie Association moved Cork’s semi-final to Sunday, it still gives Corkery and Buckley little time to recover from their exertions at the Gaelic Grounds.
“While I’m not involved with the camogie, it’s appalling that they have to play 24 hours later,” said Ryan.
“It just makes no sense. It’s very hard to comprehend how two players can be treated this way.
“There are plenty of solutions but it’s not my job to make them.”
Ryan also feels sorry for Cork’s other 13 starters in Sunday’s camogie clash, insisting that Corkery and Buckley’s involvement tomorrow puts them at a disadvantage.
“There are 13 camogie players who will be playing on Sunday and have no connection with Saturday.
“It’s unfair that two of their colleagues have to play on Sunday. That’s outside of the unfairness on the two that have to play. It’s very unfair.
“There was just one (senior) county this year that had dual players and it should be possible that that county (Cork) shouldn’t be playing two games on the one day, or the one weekend.”
Cork suffered already this year when the Munster camogie final and the Tesco Ladies National Football League final were fixed for the same day, with Buckley and Corkery involved in both.
And the matter came to a head again last month when a dual championship clash arose.
Cork played Offaly at Páirc Uí Rinn in the camogie championship before Corkery and Buckley high-tailed it to Mallow for the TG4 Munster final against Kerry later that evening, a game that ended in defeat.
“I’ll be glued to the TV on Saturday,” Cork camogie boss Paudie Murray admitted.
“Fingers crossed it will be an easy win for the Cork (footballers) but that’s obviously not going to be the case.
“If it was, you could afford to take the girls off early but a lot of people would have called Galway and Cork in the final before they were drawn at this stage.
“We’ll just have to wait and see and make the most of it.”
Cork and Galway’s football clash pits two counties who contested two fine games in the Tesco Division 1 League final.
Cork won the replay but Galway are dangerous opposition for the Leesiders, who are chasing a tenth TG4 All-Ireland senior title in 11 seasons.
“Huge,” Ryan admitted. “Galway are the coming team, along with Kerry. They have been very strong this year and there’s a huge challenge ahead of us. The question is can we withstand the challenge? It boils down to that.”
Cork recovered from their Munster final defeat to hammer Meath by 40 points in the qualifiers but are now facing a major test of their credentials against Galway at the Gaelic Grounds.
