CASS HAS THAT TRIBES PIZZAZZ
GALWAY may have reached Sunday’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland intermediate camogie final (2pm, RTÉ2) by winning every game, unlike opponents Cork, but it has still come as bit of a surprise.
After a massive squad overhaul this year, they showed a lot of character to edge out a hardened Meath unit in the semi-final at UPMC Nowlan Park last Saturday week.
Now captain Lisa Casserly may be just an hour away from leading her young side to the Jack McGrath Cup.
“We’ve had a lot of turnover of players from last year, so our main goal was to just get the minors in, try and get a structure in place, and we just took it one game at the time then from that,” says Casserly.
Olwen Rabbitte, Clara Hickey, Ally Hesnan and Niamh McInerney were on the team that lost to Cork in the All-Ireland minor final in March.
They have added energy and belief to the squad and after a firsthalf wobble, they fashioned a 3-9 to 2-8 triumph after secondhalf goals from Laura Kelly and Rabbitte.
Casserly has been on the intermediate panel since 2017 and was called up to the senior squad two years later, garnering two AllIrelands as a sub.
She, Ciara Donohue and Tara Ruttledge are the only survivors from the two-point loss to Westmeath in the 2019 All-Ireland intermediate final, though the longserving Ruttledge is ruled out through injury.
“We’ve been able to ground the girls as well and give them the perspective of being on the other side, in 2019.
“It’s not the side you want to be on. Definitely for the older girls we just have that hunger to try get over the line this year for sure.”
Ruttledge’s absence due to a cruciate ligament injury is a blow but Casserly is more cognisant of the Portumna player’s personal disappointment.
“She’ll be a big loss but I just feel for her, as she’s given so much.
“She’s going to puck every ball. If you watched the match against Meath, she was up and down the sideline, cruciate or no cruciate.”
Manager Cathal
Murray has transformed the westerners from being viewed as consistent only in their inconsistency, to being the most regular winners of national titles (four from seven) in the Sarsfields man’s four seasons at the helm.
As well as two AllIrelands and two Leagues at senior level, Murray has also steered the intermediates to two All-Ireland finals.
Unit
“We are one unit in Galway and Cathal has had that since he came in. Galway Camogie is Galway Camogie, senior or intermediate,” says Casserly.
“Cathal has brought Galway Camogie to the next level. His professionalism, the way he carries himself and with two teams, it’s unbelievable.”
Casserly hasn’t taken the conventional path to Croke Park.
She wasn’t an underage prodigy, focusing instead on soccer.
She was on the national squad that reached the European Championships U19 semi-final in 2014, alongside Cork star
Amy O’Connor.
Ireland and Arsenal hero Katie McCabe was another colleague.
She also played camogie for Ballinderreen and after taking time out from soccer, her grandfather asked her to give camogie a real go for one year.
The 26-year-old hasn’t regretted it for a second.