All-Ireland finalists deserve holiday contribution - Murray

GALWAY manager Cathal Murray has called on the Camogie Association to contribute funds towards All-Ireland senior finalists' team holidays.

Speaking in the aftermath of Sunday's one-point decider loss to Cork at Croke Park, the Sarsfields clubman called on the game's governing body to make a €20,000 - €25,000 grant available to counties who contest the O'Duffy Cup final each season.

“I think Cork and Galway have been unbelievable for the last three years, and they've brought camogie to a different level,” Murray stated. “Them girls, when we won the All-Ireland last year, we were out fundraising. The same when we won the All-Ireland in 2019, going around to club matches with buckets, asking people for fivers, asking people for tenners, asking people for change.”

A disappointed Murray was gracious in defeat following his side's 2-14 to 0-19 defeat in front of a record 33,419 camogie final attendance and finished his post-match press conference by highlighting the level of fundraising county teams do to finance their own holidays.

“I think it was 1993 when [Kilkenny hurling captain] Eddie O'Connor spoke in the Hogan Stand here - that's nearly 35 years ago now - about the GAA providing money for a holiday. I know the GAA are looked after, €150,000.

“I think these girls deserve and don't need to go collecting money in the next few weeks to go on a holiday. We talk about integration, we talk about closing the gap. It was brilliant to hear Brian Molloy [Camogie Association President] that he loves canvassing for these players and I think that needs to be done now.

“I think that camogie deserves some money to put into a fund for a holiday for them players, and not to have them go out raising money over the next few weeks. Because Cork were the same way in 2024, we were that way last year.

“The two teams have done so much for camogie, and so much for promotion of that sport, that there should be some financial thing there for them, and some money put in. You're not looking for an awful lot of money. €20,000 or €25,000 would do so much for us.

“We wouldn't have got out last year to New York only for Galway GAA, and I couldn't thank them enough for providing us with €100 tickets, but we still had to go and sell them tickets. I think the day is coming now where, if we want to close the gap, that's something that we can look at going forward.”