Galway aim to lay down early marker in quest to retain title

By Eanna O’Reilly

DEFENDING All-Ireland camogie champions Galway begin their quest for two in a row against Wexford in Bellefield, Enniscorthy on Sunday (2:00pm).

The long-awaited return of the inter-county season is an exciting one for camogie fans nationwide, with no competitive action having taken place since the National League reached its premature conclusion in March.

Over 13 months have now passed since Sarah Dervan lifted the O’Duffy Cup on a glorious Sunday afternoon at Croke Park. As with so many aspects of life in Ireland, the traditional camogie calendar fell by the wayside in light of the Covid pandemic. The revised inter-county season sees an Autumn/Winter championship for 2020, in which Galway will attempt to make history by retaining the All-Ireland title for the first time.

In attempting to break new ground this season, Cathal Murray and his management team certainly have the raw materials to achieve an unprecedented two in a row. The 2020 Galway panel has had no retirements since last year, has no long-term injury concerns and has a panel with a healthy blend of youth and experience.

Thus, expectations are huge for this Galway side to reach the same level of achievement as last year. Galway got a monkey off their back in 2019 by winning the All-Ireland title, after so many years of coming up short against their perennial conquerors; Kilkenny and Cork. In beating both of those counties on the way to glory last year, the Tribeswomen overcame a significant psychological barrier. This year, neither Kilkenny nor Cork will have that psychological edge over Galway which comes with being All-Ireland winners.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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