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36 | SUMMER 2021 | www.ladiesgaelic.ie TG4 SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Waterford are the Munster teams who will compete in the 2021 TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship. Which team has the capability to go furthest in the competition? Cork will inevitably be favourites to top their group and advance the furthest in the 2021 Championship. On the back of their 2020 form, and recent League performances, they are still leading the pack chasing Dublin. Tipperary find themselves in the same group as Cork and Meath but due to lack of form and player availability it is very difficult to see them advance beyond the group stages, as Meath have been very impressive to date. While Waterford are well used to playing Dublin at this stage, they will inevitably be targeting the Tyrone game as a key fixture and it is well within their reach to advance to a quarter-final. Kerry won't have had long to transition from a disappointing Lidl NFL Division 2 League final performance to arguably the most difficult group fixtures of the 2021 championship. The Kingdom will FORMER WATERFORD STAR MICHELLE RYAN REPRESENTED HER COUNTY FOR 19 SEASONS AT SENIOR LEVEL – AND IS NOW A TG4 ANALYST. HERE, THE BALLYMACARBRY STAR RUNS THE RULE OVER THE MUNSTER TEAMS IN ACTION IN THE 2021 TG4 ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP Waterford: Laura Mulcahy - Despite only joining the panel in 2020, she has already been a great addition to the Waterford team and established herself as a strong, commanding defender throughout the 2021 League season. Kerry: Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh - always leading by example and has been the most consistent and threatening forward for Kerry for a number of years. Both Cork and Kerry lost their respective Lidl National League Finals recently. Will that have an impact on them as they prepare for Championship – or will they shrug those defeats off quickly as thoughts turn to Championship? Any loss in a national Final is very disappointing and so, both teams will be eager to put those defeats behind them as quickly as possible. Thankfully, with the current format, there's not much time for players and management to dwell too much on that disappointment. Management teams have been consistent in their message that championship preparation and game-time has always been the primary focus throughout the League campaign. Management play a key role during these two weeks as their decisions on the areas to focus on following the League final defeats will set the tone for the championship campaign. No doubt they will recognise that the short turnaround time is more conducive to building on positives, instilling confidence and making a few manageable adjustments rather than any form of tactical overhaul. For Cork, that means building on the pace and direct play in their attack which they employed for the majority of the League campaign and reaped the benefits of – but also taking more care not to concede goals and not to resort to a lateral style of play. Kerry can take heart from the strength and resilience that got them over the line in their semi- final battle with Monaghan but based on their League final performance, they will also know that more scoring opportunities need to be created and more urgency needs to be injected into their play. have to produce something very special to deny Galway or Donegal a place in the last eight. When assessing the four teams in the hunt for glory, who are the key players we should be looking out for? Cork: Sadhbh O'Leary - has brought fantastic speed and dynamic movement to the Cork attack and is a constant goal- threat. Tipperary: Caitlin Kennedy - a very strong presence in the Tipperary back-line who provides plenty of support to those around her, as well as posing a powerful threat when moving up the field. MICHELLE RYAN LAURA MULCAHY LOUISE NÍ MHUIRCHEARTAIGH AISHLING MOLONEY SADHBH O'LEARY CAITLIN KENNEDY LOUISE GALVIN