Double vision an advantage for Cork

GAA Women's All-Ireland SFC: While no one expects it to surpass what went on in Croke Park the week before, Sunday's All-Ireland women's football final could end up making history twice in the same afternoon.

Cork are looking to win their first senior title, and if they do then several members of the team will achieve the first football-and-camogie double.

That's the kind of added pressure they could do without, especially as Galway, the team they have to beat, are the reigning All-Ireland champions.

Yet Cork's passage to Sunday's final certainly hasn't happened by accident, and the experience of the team members who helped the county camogie team beat Tipperary earlier this month could well prove decisive.

Those on the brink of making such history are Rena Buckley, Mary O'Connor, Briege Corkery, Angela Walsh and Caitríona Foley, the latter being a substitute on both panels. Buckley was in Croke Park yesterday for the pre-match photo call and, not surprisingly, tried to play down talk of the double.

"It's something you just can't think about beforehand," she said. "I just hope I can look back on it someday. But right now I'm just concentrating on the football match we're playing this Sunday."

Buckley's ability to juggle football with camogie is aided by the fact she plays at corner back on both teams, but, as with any dual player, the co-operation of the two managers is also essential.

"Yeah, we're lucky that there's a very good relationship between the two managements," she said. "In fact there's never been a decision put on me, whether I should train with the footballers or with the camogie team. The managers have been deciding that. But it's definitely helped that there's been five of us.

"And I've managed to play both games all the way up along. It's my third year on the football panel and second year on the camogie panel. But I suppose the camogie team is a lot more established and was harder to break into."

Along with winning the All-Ireland camogie title last Sunday week, she has also been adjusting to her first term at UCD. In beating a fancied Tipperary team (again without emphasising the potential double), Buckley admitted she had gained the invaluable experience of playing at Croke Park - something the non-camogie members of the Cork squad have yet to taste.

"That will be a help, because it is the first final for this football team. And I think the experience the five of us have had will be a big advantage, because it is very daunting coming to Croke Park.

"And Galway will have plenty of confidence. They've proven last year and this year again how good a team they are.

"We're going to have to produce a huge effort to beat them and have some luck on top of that."

Geraldine Giles, the president of the women's association, praised the efforts of both teams in reaching the decider, and also called on the public to attend what will be the last event at headquarters this year.

"It is our hope," she said, "that the support on Sunday will ensure that it is viable for us as an association to continue to host the biggest day in our calendar in this magnificent stadium."

The camogie final in Croke Park on September 18th drew a disappointing crowd of 14,350, while last year's women's final between Galway and Dublin drew 20,706, about 10,000 fewer than attended the 2003 final between Mayo and Dublin.

If attendances continue to drop it's possible the finals will go to smaller venues in the years ahead.