Maher turns focus to Cork clash

By Joe Scully

Tipperary centre-back and joint vice-captain Caoimhe Maher was bitterly disappointed after her sides loss to Waterford in the Munster semi-final on Sunday.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” she began.

“It was a tough battle out there, I feel the wind played a huge part in the outcome, particularly in the second half.

“I don’t know what we scored, but it was down a bit from what we got in the first half.

“We probably didn’t make enough of the possession we did have, I don’t think we performed too badly, but obviously coming away without the win is very disappointing, as that was our aim coming in and qualifying for a Munster final.”

Maher felt her side should have had a goal for a Karen Kennedy effort which seemed to hit the back of the net before bouncing back out but was not given.

“As far as I’m concerned it was a goal,” she said of the incident.

“I was well back the field, but the net shook, and it’s kind of hard to imagine how the net shook at the same time as the ball hit it without the ball being in it, but look we take it on the chin and move on.”

Tipp will now move onto the opening fixture of the All-Ireland series and a tough outing against the three in a row chasing Cork.

“It will be a tough one to start,” admitted Maher.

“I think we have four or five weeks before that game to prepare, so it will be four or five weeks of really hard training.

“Cork are obviously the standard bearers, and it’s going to be a big ask, but it’s a day we have had in mind for a while now and one we will be targeting most definitely.”