AS she prepares herself for some tricky challenges in the TG4 All-Ireland senior championship, Lisgoold’s Dara Kiniry has said there is an onus on the younger players within the Cork ladies football squad to stand up and be counted.

Although she saw plenty of game time in 2023, the absence of Eimear Meaney (travelling) and Roisin Phelan (retired) has led to Kiniry taking on greater responsibility this year in Cork’s full-back line.

Long-time servants Ciara and Doireann O’Sullivan have also brought the curtain down on their illustrious inter-county careers, while their sister Meabh, namesake Brid and Laura Fitzgerald are others from last year’s panel to have stepped away for the time being at least.

Yet with the start of the All-Ireland series just around the corner, Kiniry (now in her third year on the panel) is excited by the potential of a youthful Cork side.

“We had a couple retiring and leaving out of the full-back line last year. I was after getting to learn from them for the last two years.

“They’re great players, but it’s great to be able to follow in the footsteps of the likes of them as well,” Kiniry remarked at last week’s championship launch in Croke Park.

“It’s a great time for people to stand up for themselves now and be counted.

“The girls have been winning minor All-Irelands for the last few years, so this is where we’ll start to reap the rewards of that work underage.”

Since the completion of their Munster senior football championship campaign with a final defeat to Kerry in Mallow on May 18, Cork have been focused on an All-Ireland SFC Group Three opener away to Laois this Sunday.

This will be followed six days later by a home encounter against Galway who – like Cork – suffered relegation from Division One of the National Football League earlier this year.

“We always have a great match with Galway. Even in the league, we played in awful conditions down in Bishopstown, but it was still a good match.

“We played them last year in the championship. We seem to play Galway every year somehow, but it will always be a good match.

“We’ve been training hard now for the last few weeks. We had a good run at the Munster championship and we’re definitely positive going into the Laois match.”

Should they manage to secure top spot in Group Three over the coming weeks, the Leesiders will get an opportunity to play a second home game at the quarter-final stage of the All-Ireland championship.

However, regardless of where they happen to be playing, Kiniry is confident the people of Cork will continue to get behind the team.

“The supporters are great. I know there’s loads of little girls out there that will support us no matter what and that’s great to see as well.

“You’d love to do a bit of winning for them, a big day out for them or something. To be fair in Cork, they’re always very good for supporting us. We’re very lucky.”