Cork's Hannah Looney says more respect must be shown to dual players

BreakingNews.ie

20-06-2025

Cork footballer and camogie player Hannah Looney says she fears dual players will not continue in the game, as fixture scheduling continues to impact those playing both codes.
As the Cork camogie side prepares to take on Clare on Saturday at 2 pm, the ladies footballers face Mayo in Castlebar in a must-win game in the All-Ireland group stages.
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Not the only player forced to make a decision ahead of this weekend, Looney will line out with the footballers alongside Aoife Healy, while Libby Coppinger will play with the camogie side.
This is not a new problem for Looney, who has always played both codes. She says more must be done to highlight the challenges facing dual players.
'There was a lot more respect for the dual player. If you look at ten years ago, everything has evolved so much and keeps evolving.
'When I first started, there were male players dabbling in and out of dual, but now it has totally gone out of the men's game, and it seems to be going that way for us too, unfortunately.
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'It's fine for me — I'm at the latter end of my career — but I do see it's going to be harder. In Cork at the moment, if you had a 17- or 18-year-old breaking into the senior set-ups, I can't see how they could start out on a dual journey the way things are going.'
In years gone by, some players have been forced to play two games in one day. Looney says she is disappointed more has not been done about ongoing fixture clashes.
'The bottom line is I feel there's less interest, less respect, and less value, unfortunately.
'Even the fixture clash this weekend — a couple of years ago, there would have been huge uproar about this. You would have had the backing of the media, and you might have had the support of the county boards and managers to try to make a change. But it has just been fail after fail after fail.
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'Myself and Aoife will play football this Saturday — it's a knockout game for us against Mayo. Libby will be lining out with camogie. Libby is on her way back from injury and is working really hard to get camogie minutes, but she's going to be an absolutely huge loss for us in football.
'It's really frustrating. It's got to the stage where you don't even bother trying anymore.'
In camogie, Cork and Looney are chasing history as they aim for a third All-Ireland title in a row.
This season, it has all gone to plan for Cork so far, with a league title secured and two wins from two in the All-Ireland championship.
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Having come close before, Looney knows how hard it is to achieve such success.
'The goal is the three-in-a-row, but you've got to get through each training session first before you can even think of anything else.
'You look at Cork camogie teams of the past and the legacies they've left — the inspiration they've given.
'This is an opportunity for us to leave our own legacy because there are huge legacies left before us. The three-in-a-row hasn't been done in recent times, and it's a chance for us to do that.
'I've tried to do it twice before — losing in '16 and losing in '17 — and it took us so long to get back up the Hogan steps.
'If I'm being honest, it's a huge driver for me — the three-in-a-row. It's something I haven't achieved before. If you chat to other players — Ashling Thompson, for example — she'll say it's just the next All-Ireland for her.'