Galway star hugely aware of Kilkenny threat ahead of camogie semi-final
The last four affair is live on RTE 2 on Saturday afternoon at 4pm
Galway go into this Saturday’s Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie semi-final with a lot of positives behind their name, as they look to qualify for a sixth championship decider in the last eight years.
The Tribeswomen are the reigning champions having defeated Cork in Croke Park last August and they were captained on that occasion by Carrie Dolan.
The Clarinbridge star has been a big player in all of the recent wins for the Galway team but she knows they can’t take anything for granted when meeting Kilkenny in Thurles on Saturday.
"The two teams are no stranger to each other over the last few years and we know that Kilkenny are coming into the game with a bit of momentum after having won six games on the trot over the course of the championship, so we’ll have it all to do at the weekend.
"There’s a lot of players that we have came up against before but there’s a couple of new faces aswell that have played well throughout the season.
"I’ve seen them in a good few games and I was up at the quarter-final against Waterford and they were absolutley excellent so we know it’ll be a big task but we’re up for it and we can’t wait for it".
The season has gone pretty swimmingly for Galway thus far with a league title victory over Waterford in Nowlan Park backing up last year’s O’Duffy Cup win over the Rebels and the 26 year-old attacker feels there is still more to come from her teammates.
"Things are going alright for us so far but the games we want to be playing are knockout and it’s only there where we’ll see where we stand so we are looking forward to meeting Kilkenny on Saturday.
"We lost to Cork in our first game before grabbing wins against Waterford and Tipperary which we needed to go through to the All-Ireland semi-final. We are happy with that but we know that there is still more in this group and hopefully we’ll see more of that at the weekend," Dolan continued.
After leading her county to a fifth senior crown 12 months ago, the ace free-taker doesn’t feel any different this season as the team takes success in their stride.
"I’m approaching this year the same I would have last and being captain in 2025 was probably one of the easier jobs as we have so many leaders in that dressing room. And you know the pressure is not solely on you as there are a number of players who can step up on any given day", she said.
Galway have never won back to back All-Ireland senior titles and while that is sure to be a big ambition among the squad long-term, for the timebeing they are just concentrating on what is ahead of them and take the first step in advancing to a final with a number of new players involved.
"It’s no different to this time last really, as we weren’t All-Ireland champions then, and we treat 2026 as a whole new year. We are chasing that All-Ireland title in the same way as anyone else.
"We’ve lost a couple of players from last year alright but there’s a lot of youth in the squad and they’ve come in and adapted to the surroundings and done very well".
On the back of Galway’s All-Ireland Hurling Final loss to Limerick last weekend, the senior camogie side will be the first inter-county team from the county back in action.
With so much goodwill and support on offer over the last few weeks, Dolan is hoping her team can benefit in some way when they take to the field on Saturday as they try and build on the hurlers Leinster success and final appearance.
"It was a disappointing result for the hurlers but overall it was a very positive year for them and they got great support with loads of flags up around the county. It would be great if we could get some of that support for our game this weekend".
The Camogs aren’t the only team from Galway still remaining in the championship with their Ladies Football counterparts preparing for an All-Ireland Senior Final against Kerry in Croke Park on Sunday week and the success of the two squads is something they take great pride in as they remain in contention for a most unique cross-code double.
"It’s absolutley brilliant having the Ladies footballers going so well at the same time as us . We train with them in the Gym in Oranmore and they are an absolute brilliant bunch who are really dedicated. It’s great for the county and the two codes to have them both going so well", the Galway star finished.