“I’m not going to lie, it was extremely stressful.”
Cork are headed to the All-Ireland Camogie Final, early next month, after eventually outgunning Munster rivals, Waterford at Croke Park. Ashling Thompson was a late addition to the Cork panel, and she had a massive impact on the result.
Thompson was only cleared to play the semi-final, this afternoon, after her two-match suspension for a red card picked up against Tipperary was over-turned. She had been sent off for using ‘foul language’ towards referee Justin Heffernan, but the appeal was successful.
After her side’s 0-15 to 0-10 victory over Waterford, Thompson admitted to RTE that the wait to know if she was cleared to play was ‘extremely stressful, both mentally and physically’.
Cork trailed 0-4 to 0-0 after 24 minutes when Thompson was brought into the game as a sub. Within 60 seconds, Cork had broken their scoring duck. Following the game, Cork boss Matthew Twomey described Thompson as “just a monster of a player”.
WATCH: Fantastic tackle from Aisling Thompson sets Cork away on the counterattack and Fiona Keating puts the ball between the posts to put Cork within 2 points, 43 minutes gone. Watch live on RTE Two and RTE Player now: Live updates: https://t.co/egvXG7iBXn pic.twitter.com/M0Udv9Pqri
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 23, 2022
Ashling Thompson on doing herself justice
The 32-year-old, who has four previous All-Ireland triumphs with Cork, was not making any excuses for that red card against Tipperary, after her side’s victory.
“At the end of the day,” Ashling Thompson said, “I put myself in that position and I’m not going to make any excuses, you know.
“I’ve always owned up to every mistake that I’ve made, and I’ll do the same today. It’s about putting your emotions and feelings to one side, once you’ve crossed the white line. It’s about leaving everything on the pitch, and I felt I’ve done myself justice.”
“I felt I gave everything, and more,” Thompson added, “but I have to thank the management because they’ve had my back, throughout the three weeks [since the red card] and so have the team. I had absolutely no doubts, sitting on the sidelines, that they were going to bring it today.”
WATCH: Cork's Aisling Thompson spoke to @ValerieWheeler_ about her own suspension uncertainty and paid tribute to a battling Waterford team. Watch post-match reaction with @mariecrowe and the panel live now on RTE Two and the RTE Player. pic.twitter.com/evfGsmGCgq
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) July 23, 2022
The two-time All Star also paid credit to Waterford for ‘everything you’d want, and more, in a semi-final’. Cork were trailing by seven points, at one stage, but won comfortably in the end.
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