CORK CAMOGIE BOSS Matthew Twomey says it’s unfortunate that female players have been forced to engage in protests in order to improve standards in their game.
However, he also feels there is some lip service attached to the discourse, saying that people are “tweeting and retweeting but they don’t back it up by going to matches.”
Ladies Football and camogie squads have been staging sit-down protests and wearing #United For Equality t-shirts before matches in recent weeks in an effort to improve standards for player welfare. On Sunday, Cork and Kilkenny players engaged with the protest before their All-Ireland quarter-final clash in Croke Park where Cork prevailed with a dramatic one-point win.
“It’s sad that it has to come to this,” Twomey begins, “and I’ve a mixed thing with it. We’re lucky down here, we have great sponsors with Keary’s and our county board. We have the majority of stuff in place for the players but you can see how it is in other places. I’ve said it before that I don’t know where the money is going to come from with camogie.
”If we played that game in Croke Park [on our own], we’d be lucky to get 400 or 500 people at the game. There’s a lot of people tweeting and retweeting but they don’t back it up by going to matches and supporting the players. The players have to be looked after but a lot of people who talk about it don’t support it. It does my head in.
“Our players are looked after but you have players like Libby [Coppinger] coming from Kealkill coming for training for ladies football and camogie. She’s definitely out of pocket. Ashling Thompson is coming from Limerick and she’s out of pocket. They need help on that.”
There was some confusion around the Cork-Kilkenny protest on Sunday. Similar to the events of recent demonstrations, the Cork team returned to their dressing rooms to swap their t-shirts for their jerseys while the Kilkenny remained on the pitch to do the same.
Some onlookers misinterpreted the actions of Brian Dowling’s team, prompting the GPA to clarify that Kilkenny did not break from the protest by deciding to stay on the pitch.
“I know there was a bit of a hoo-ha on Twitter yesterday about Kilkenny,” Twomey explains, “but the GPA made it clear to us if we wanted to go back into the dressing room or change the jerseys on the side of the field. They stood together united 100%. It was just people misinformed on social media.”
Cork booked their place in the All-Ireland semi-final after a battle with Kilkenny where momentum swung in the direction of both teams at different times of the game. The defending All-Ireland champions made the better start and were five points clear after 15 minutes.
Cork captain Amy O’Connor dragged her side back into the contest with a goal and Twomey’s side were leading by two points at the break. Cork built up a five-point lead in the second half but Denise Gaule gave an exhibition to bring her side on a late charge for victory. Her 1-10 wasn’t enough however as Cork held on.
The content has now been removed.@KilkennyCamogie #UnitedForEquality pic.twitter.com/C1EW0XgRoA
— GPA (@gaelicplayers) July 10, 2023
Their victory was all the more impressive given they encountered travel disruptions on their way up to the game. A fatal incident took place between Thurles and Portlaoise Station which forced the Cork team to make other arrangements to get to Croke Park.
“We were travelling away up and the next thing the train stopped shy of Thurles for about 20 minutes. We had to wait another 15 or 20 minutes to get a bus. We were scheduled to be in Dublin for 10.50 and this was 10.55 so we just decided that this is what we have. The girls got a bit of a novelty out of it. We got a police escort from Kill into Croke Park.
“In fairness, they pushed the game back by 15 minutes and that made a massive difference.
“We were very lacklustre in the first quarter. We dominated the second quarter and the third up to about the 50th minute. And then Denise Gaule put on her own show.We missed two goals and there was a tackle on Saoirse McCarthy and I couldn’t believe [there was no penalty]. Blatant penalties and I don’t like criticising referees because I will never referee a game but it’s their job to do.”
Cork’s bench played an influential role as experienced stars Orla Cronin, Laura Hayes and Ashling Thompson were all introduced in the second half. Twomey explains that his side has been crippled by injury this year, but that the squad is in great shape as they prepare for another tough assignment against Galway in the semi-final.
“We had a training session where there was 16 training and 16 watching with injuries. There were four cruciates, two fractures and the players are just coming back now when we really need them. They were a big boost.
“It’s a healthy situation and it puts pressure on the starting 15 to perform, and it puts pressure on people to make the first 20. I haven’t had an experience like this with Cork camogie since 2014 so there’s a great atmosphere.”
In addition to injuries, Twomey’s side has also been struck by three fixture clashes this year which have affected four of their dual players [Hannah Looney, Libby Coppinger, Orlaith Cahalane, and Aoife Healy]. The most recent one prompted the Cork ladies and camogie squads to release a joint statement, pleading with the respective associations to resolve the matter and allow players to fulfil both fixtures.
“It’s very unfair on them,” says Twomey. “I have a good relationship with Shane Ronayne and we talk about trying to keep players fresh and not over working them, and then you get to a situation like this. It’s very tense because you have to make a decision. There was one time we almost had to flip a coin to see who got who.
”It’s 2023 and this is still going on. It’s crazy.”
An All-Ireland semi-final against Galway awaits Cork on 22 July in Nowlan Park. Another of the big three camogie teams will fall that day while emerging sides Waterford and Tipperary battle it out in the other final-four tie.
“It’s going to be a big game,” Twomey explains. “They’re after beating us three times this year. But we only have to beat them once. They won’t fear us and every game is going to be tough for different reasons.
“Waterford and Tipperary are the coming teams and that’s going to be a titanic battle as well.”
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