Galway camogie is bidding for a fourth All-Ireland title on Sunday when they face old rivals Cork in the Glen Dimplex All Ireland Intermediate Championsiphip in Croke Park (2pm ).
Galway, unbeaten to date, will look to maintain this record on Sunday, but will face stiff competition from an impressive Cork outfit.
The sides met earlier in the year in the Littlewoods Ireland division two league quarter-final when Cork came out victorious on the day. However, since that fixture in March, Galway have gained some valuable additions from the minor team that advanced to the All-Ireland final earlier in the year.
Galway came through their group campaign easily, overcoming Laois, Carlow, Dublin, Kerry and 2019 All-Ireland Intermediate champions Westmeath along the way.
Having topped their group, the women received a bye straight into the semi-final where they met Meath. This was Galway’s toughest challenge to date and should have provided the team with valuable experience. Having conceded a goal inside the opening few minutes, Galway rallied throughout the contest and grinded out the victory in the final few minutes of the game.
Manager Cathal Murray says the Meath outing was a valuable challenge for his Galway ladies.
"Meath and Cork - the two best - so it was a huge sign of character. I am delighted we had that experience because we know we will be under pressure. Cork beat us in the league by six points, they are top of the group and have a lot of players from 2018, so we will be up against it.
"We have a really good blend of players, and regardless of the result there will be a lot of girls who go on to play senior which is what you want," Murray says.
Galway is a youthful side with the average age of the team being only 20 years of age. The experience comes from Ballindereen's Lisa Casserly, Mullagh's Ciara Donoghue, and Portumna's Tara Ruttledge, who played in the 2019 final.
This experienced Cork outfit will be favourites, but Galway have shown us throughout the year that the future for Galway camogie is bright.
Tickets for the game can be purchased online on Ticketmaster and must be purchased before the game. The team has an iDonate page set up to help support their training fund with the following link: https://galwaycamogie.ie/galway-intermediate-team-training-fund/
