Sorcha McCartan not leaving Cork anytime soon after All-Ireland win

Michael Bolton

After All-Ireland final defeats for club and county, Cork's Sorcha McCartan had options available away from the game.

A one-point defeat to Galway last August was followed by the All-Ireland final defeat for St Finbarr's against Athenry.

At that time, McCartan's friends were travelling, and the idea of joining them was not off the table.

However, the Cork forward decided to stay, a decision that proved crucial to Cork winning their third All-Ireland in four years.

“When the club season finished, and after the club final went to a replay, I think, for myself anyways, I find it very hard to get myself going and to kind of find that drive to keep going.

“So it definitely took a bit longer to make my decision. But look, once I kind of decided I was staying in Cork, there was no way that I wasn’t going to play.

This Cork team is one that will be remembered for years to come, as they have become the standard to reach in Camogie.

With manager Ger Manley creating an atmosphere everyone wants to be part of, do not expect McCartan to be going anywhere anytime soon.

“I think sometimes a bit of perspective kicks in as well. I don’t know how much I’d love to be travelling and to be seeing what’s happening back at home.

"If I was travelling now and I’d seen the girls win the All-Ireland, I’d feel like I’d missed out on something. I think there’s plenty of years for travelling. I’ve changed my perspective a bit, for now anyway, so I’ll definitely be sticking around.”

It was a season where Cork had to dig deep and prove doubters wrong.

Their league campaign nearly saw them relegated to Division 1B, while a quarter-final defeat in Munster showed the extent of their problems.

Combined with several All-Ireland winners away from the panel, it came down to the brilliance of fringe and younger members of the squad, who took their opportunity with both hands.

First up in the group stages was Galway, with a victory showing Cork are still top contenders, in a game which the Rebels never looked back from.

The St Finbarr's woman praised those who have seen it all in a Cork jersey, while praising the younger members of the panel for taking their chances.

"It gave them a lot of confidence towards the end of the year. They knew they'd just as much work done if not more than the rest of us.

"I know Ashling (Thompson) got injured in the middle of the league, but we had Amy O'Connor, who was injured in the league, we'd Meabh Cahalane, who was only coming back in.

"The likes of myself, Laura Hayes, and Saoirse (McCarthy), we came in during the later stages. They had to really step up to be leaders before we were ready. They were well able, and their performances in the All-Ireland final showed that."