An emphatic winning margin for the challengers but maybe not all that surprising. After a first-round defeat, they regrouped and restored their confidence with a few victories which culminated in a final appearance against a Milford side who had lost some of last year’s panel through injury.
Inniscarra’s dual star Rena Buckley explains the burgeoning confidence that was developing within the club in the build-up to the final.
“Milford were overwhelming favourites going into the Cork county final,” she says. “I suppose they beat everybody comprehensively in the last number of years. Some people haven’t even come close to them, let alone beat them. It was a huge victory for us.”
We were quietly confident going into it,” she adds, “but at the same time because Milford had such comprehensive wins over us in the past number of years, we were always worried that might happen again. We were just absolutely thrilled to win the game.”
There was a poignant moment after the game where the match referee was presented with a commemorative award in honour of Inniscarra clubman Peter Downey who passed away last year.
“He’d be an uncle to one of the girls on our team,” says Buckley. “It was a very unfortunate accident that he died in so it was a nice touch at the final that a cup was given out.”
A Munster semi-final clash against Clare champions Inagh-Kilnamona was the reward for their feat. The brisk three-day break between games was an inconvenience but Inniscarra were just grateful to still be competing for a shot at more silverware. After all, this is their first county title since 2010, a season which resulted in an All-Ireland final appearance.
And after spending the intervening years in barren land, this is still a moment that deserved to be savoured.
“Ah yeah, we got a couple of nights out. It was just such a huge victory for us to win the county final so we said we had to celebrate that. Look, thankfully we got over the line on Monday. We were delighted to be still involved. There’s a great buzz around the parish and even about camogie at the moment.”
The perennial All-Ireland winner across both codes practices as a physio in her home county. With many sports teams entering the quiet season – if such a thing exists anymore – her profession is under less pressure compared to the summer months of the year.
Rena Buckley lifts the O'Duffy cup after Cork's win in the 2015 All-Ireland final. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
“This can be kind of a nice time of the year for a physio because people aren’t rushing and racing to get back for matches so you can actually get some proper rehabilitation done so we’d have a few lads coming in and getting themselves sorted out for next year.”
Buckley’s individual accomplishments are well celebrated, and deservedly as well, but her thirst for more success is still prominent. Five-time Tipperary champions Burgess-Duharra provide the opposition for Inniscarra in today’s Munster final. The teams previously collided during Inniscarra’s run in 2010 and Milford needed extra-time to dispatch them last year.
Inniscarra vs Killimor in the 2011 All Ireland Senior Camogie Club Championship Final. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
It could be perceived that the Tipperary side might feel intimidated by the prospect of facing the team who prevailed against Milford when they could not. But Buckley refutes that notion and will approach the game like all the other battles she’s encountered along the way.
“The exact opposite, they’ll see it as an opportunity. We’re very aware of how good they are.
“It’ll just take its course like any other match. You have to win the match on its own merit. We just have to prepare as well as we can and hopefully things will go well for us on the day.”
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Dual star Rena Buckley chasing first Munster club camogie title in six years
THE CLUB CAMOGIE landscape in Cork and beyond was shaken recently when Inniscarra stunned All-Ireland champions Milford in the county final.
Undisputed county champions over recent years, Milford’s three All-Ireland senior titles in the last four years illustrates their dominance on the camogie circuit, but their hold was broken by a 4-10 to 2-13 defeat at the hands of Inniscarra.
An emphatic winning margin for the challengers but maybe not all that surprising. After a first-round defeat, they regrouped and restored their confidence with a few victories which culminated in a final appearance against a Milford side who had lost some of last year’s panel through injury.
Inniscarra’s dual star Rena Buckley explains the burgeoning confidence that was developing within the club in the build-up to the final.
“Milford were overwhelming favourites going into the Cork county final,” she says. “I suppose they beat everybody comprehensively in the last number of years. Some people haven’t even come close to them, let alone beat them. It was a huge victory for us.”
There was a poignant moment after the game where the match referee was presented with a commemorative award in honour of Inniscarra clubman Peter Downey who passed away last year.
“He’d be an uncle to one of the girls on our team,” says Buckley. “It was a very unfortunate accident that he died in so it was a nice touch at the final that a cup was given out.”
A Munster semi-final clash against Clare champions Inagh-Kilnamona was the reward for their feat. The brisk three-day break between games was an inconvenience but Inniscarra were just grateful to still be competing for a shot at more silverware. After all, this is their first county title since 2010, a season which resulted in an All-Ireland final appearance.
And after spending the intervening years in barren land, this is still a moment that deserved to be savoured.
“Ah yeah, we got a couple of nights out. It was just such a huge victory for us to win the county final so we said we had to celebrate that. Look, thankfully we got over the line on Monday. We were delighted to be still involved. There’s a great buzz around the parish and even about camogie at the moment.”
The perennial All-Ireland winner across both codes practices as a physio in her home county. With many sports teams entering the quiet season – if such a thing exists anymore – her profession is under less pressure compared to the summer months of the year.
“This can be kind of a nice time of the year for a physio because people aren’t rushing and racing to get back for matches so you can actually get some proper rehabilitation done so we’d have a few lads coming in and getting themselves sorted out for next year.”
Buckley’s individual accomplishments are well celebrated, and deservedly as well, but her thirst for more success is still prominent. Five-time Tipperary champions Burgess-Duharra provide the opposition for Inniscarra in today’s Munster final. The teams previously collided during Inniscarra’s run in 2010 and Milford needed extra-time to dispatch them last year.
It could be perceived that the Tipperary side might feel intimidated by the prospect of facing the team who prevailed against Milford when they could not. But Buckley refutes that notion and will approach the game like all the other battles she’s encountered along the way.
“The exact opposite, they’ll see it as an opportunity. We’re very aware of how good they are.
“It’ll just take its course like any other match. You have to win the match on its own merit. We just have to prepare as well as we can and hopefully things will go well for us on the day.”
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