
'We have a target on our back' - Cork primed for Déise battle in semi-finals
But neither the hurlers' second-half implosion to gift Tipp the title, nor talk or a potential three-in-a-row for the reigning camogie champions is going to let Saoirse McCarthy lose focus ahead of Saturday's vital semi-final against Waterford.
A Nowlan Park double-header sees the champions take on the Déise in the later game, which follows the meeting of Galway and Tipperary in the other semi-final.
Cork come into the game off the back of a flawless group phase, where they finished top of the table in the five-team round-robin, while they also proved victorious in the league earlier in the year.
They have contested the last four All-Ireland finals, winning both the 2023 and 2024 deciders, and are just one game away from making it back to Croke Park.
"You can't be preparing for something that you're not in yet, so definitely won't be looking past Waterford this weekend," said McCarthy, speaking to RTÉ Sport ahead of the weekend fixture.
"Semi-finals are there to be won and obviously we want to do that, but it's one game at a time."
Saturday's opponents finished second in their respective group behind Galway in what was a competitive collective, as Waterford got the better of Dublin and Kilkenny, before overcoming a tough Clare unit in the quarter-finals.
And McCarthy is expecting a tough battle against their neighbours, with the reward of a place in the final adding to the expected intensity.
"It's going to be some challenge," said McCarthy. "They're a great side and I think they're having a great year, so we definitely won't be looking past them.
"We know Waterford very well. We've played them multiple times most years.
"They're a brilliant side, they're very pacey and they like to run the ball. They have the likes of Beth Carton, Lorraine Bray, and Niamh Rockett is flying this year.
"We're under no illusions. They're going to come out of the traps. We know we have a target on our back and they're going to want to hunt us down.
"I think they're going to bring a lot of physicality and pace to the game.
"Hopefully, now we can stand up to that.
"Obviously, they're going to be sharp after playing the quarter-final and we haven't had a game in four weeks, so that will be something we'll have to manage as well.
"They're having a great year and Mike (Boland) has done a really good job with them as well. I think we're just excited to go out and play and see what they're going to produce too."
Cork have been idle for four weeks since winning the group and claiming an automatic place in the last-four, while Waterford have only had three weeks to fill since their quarter-final win over Clare.
But McCarthy said that the intensity and quality of training combined with the ever-increasing competition for places has kept the team sharp ahead of Saturday's trip to the Kilkenny venue.
She said: "I think it is a bit long, but obviously you have to play off the quarter-finals in that time as well and still give the other teams a chance to have a break.
"It's understandable at the same time. I think we managed it well. We were the same last year.
"We know what we need to do now as well to prepare ourselves correctly.
"The competition within our own squad is immense for places. The standard of training has been really good and hopefully we'll be ready now for Saturday."
And while McCarthy can look forward to remaining competitive and eyeing further glory this summer, she admitted the ache of watching her male counterparts losing out at Croker Park last Sunday.
"We were all behind the hurlers and I'm gutted for them," she said.
"They had a great year, and they don't become a bad team overnight, so hopefully they can lift themselves up and be proud of what they achieved this year.
"We're just trying to finish out our year now on a high and do our job."

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Extra.ie
26 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
How Donegal's defence can cope with David Clifford
There was a moment of levity during Jim McGuinness's press conference ahead of the All-Ireland final. The Donegal manager was asked when he knew that Finnbarr Roarty, the fresh-faced teenage defender who has been one of the revelations of this summer, was ready for senior inter-county football. 'I would say about a year ago I thought he might have been good enough, but I was a day out on my calculation!' McGuinness smiled, a reference to how he handed Roarty his senior debut in a McKenna Cup game, despite him still being a minor, which was against GAA rules and resulted in Donegal getting a slap on the wrists. But it did show how long the youngster, a clubmate of the manager in Naomh Conaill, has been on the radar. One of the big questions that surrounded Donegal ahead of this season was how McGuinness would adjust his team's defensive structure and shape to the new rules. While much of how they defend remains based on a system — and how they like to set up zonally just inside the arc — they have adapted it to the new game. Even with 11 v 11, he has trusted his team's shape. Finnbarr Roarty has been one of the revelations of this summer. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie 'That is probably the one thing that has surprised me about Donegal this season,' says Eamon McGee, the All-Ireland-winning corner-back in 2012. 'McGuinness came back last year and loved his defensive shape, and I wondered if he would remain true to that there or is he going more to a hybrid approach where he is getting out and putting the pressure on. 'But he's stayed true to that. I'm surprised that he's able to work it out, and they've been very brave, in fairness to Donegal, how they defended those zones and how they're leaving that third zone, nearly man-free. There's one man keeping an eye on it, but they're getting across so quick. From a defensive perspective, I'm surprised that they're able to manage it as well as they have.' McGuinness has been able to make it work because of the quality of defenders they have, and the speed at which they can move into a zone if they sense danger. Tyrone's decision to go man-on-man against Kerry resulted in David Clifford filling his boots on Padraig Hampsey, scoring 1-9 and probably leaving another couple of goals out on Croke Park. It was clear from early on that Hampsey was left too isolated, especially given how wide open his team were down the central channel where Joe O'Connor had a field day and roughly half of Kerry's 10 goalscoring opportunities originated. That is one area Kerry may find clogged upon Sunday, particularly if Caolan McGonagle returns to centre half-back. David Clifford has been in red-hot form for Kerry. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Ulster champions are wedded to the zonal system, defenders are still required to win their individual battles. One-on-one defending still matters. Roarty's ability to strip the ball from an opponent — most clearly seen in dispossessing Meath's Keith Curtis in the semi-final to start the move that led to Ciaran Moore's goal — is reminiscent of Karl Lacey in his pomp, as both McGuinness and McGee have pointed out. 'He punches above his weight in many respects and doesn't fear anybody,' McGuinness said of Roarty. 'There's an innocence to that but a courageousness as well. He's a brilliant tackler. I can see him taking the ball off Aidan O'Shea in Roscommon that day, that's not an easy task. Karl Lacey in his pomp. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile 'When he gets you in that grip, a bit like Karl Lacey, he can get the hand in and the hand out. It's clean and it's crisp and it's strong. He's fair. He's been brilliant, the Donegal people love him. They absolutely love him. When he gets a turnover now, I think it's as big a cheer as you're going to get for a point because he is so honest. ' McGee agreed with those sentiments. 'He is so good at sniffing danger and getting to the danger. His ability to rob a man reminds me of Lacey, who was like a boxer with quick hands and able to get the ball without getting the foul on. You watch Finbarr when he gets near the man. How many times we've seen it this summer, where Finbarr's getting the hand in, gets it away. 'He's brought so much to that defensive unit. And remember, Finbarr's coming from an era where he's been brought up in blanket defences, so a lot of those defensive skills were neglected, they weren't coached, it about getting everybody back, and the group, rather than the individual. For him to come out, and in the manner that he has, it's a testament to his club and his coaches and to himself.' Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football and asked to limit the damage that Clifford does in the final. There has been some speculation that Donegal may remain true to their zonal system elsewhere and McCole will be the only one tasked with a specific man-marking role, although the manner in which Ryan McHugh curtailed Rory Grugan's influence in the Ulster final suggests he may be the player to tag Paudie Clifford. Brendan McCole will likely be assigned the most difficult job in Gaelic football. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes But all eyes will be on McCole and how he handles Clifford. In his understated way, the Mountcharles native has grown into arguably the most consistent full-back in the country over the past couple of years and his ability to read the game and sense danger are two of his most impressive attributes, both of which he will need in spades on Sunday. His policing of Matthew Costello in the semi-final underlined his ability. 'McCole has been tasked with the danger man in every game, and he keeps an eye on his man while reading the game,' McGee says. 'If you look at the players who are dubbed man-markers most of them aren't able to do that, they are just focused on their direct opponent. But McCole is able to read the game, he's always aware of where his man is and when to stand off. He's hands-on at times, but he doesn't bring any of the sledging or verbals nonsense.' McGuinness has re-designed parts of his defensive shape to fit into the new game, but he still trusts his players in their individual battle. McCole has the hardest job of all on Sunday, but if his teammates sense trouble, their system means they can move at speed to help — and how they try to nullify the Kerry threats is just one of the reasons Sunday's game is so intriguing.


The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Kerry vs Donegal: Start time, FREE live stream, TV channel for huge GAA All-Ireland football final
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The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
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