For a team that has suffered more than its fair share of heartache in the biggest game in the camogie calendar, Galway will be primed to reach another decider this year and etch their name into the history books.
No side has a win/loss record quite like the Tribes. With just one O’Duffy Cup victory before the turn of the century, they have added four more in the last 13 years.
Yet disappointment has been the more common feeling. Aside from Cork – who have played in 32 more finals – no side has lost as often, with 17 defeats on the big day.
In the last decade they have broken even – three wins, three defeats – as they, along with Cork, have been the standard bearers. Last year’s success means their quest for a first ever back-to-back remains very much alive.
Standing in their way is a Kilkenny side that has reeled off half a dozen championship wins, with the first game of a semi-final double header in Thurles on Saturday (live on RTÉ 2) throwing in at 4pm, with Cork and Tipperary renewing rivalries at 6pm.
Having opened their Group 1 campaign with a home defeat to Cork, Cathal Murray’s side sealed a semi-final spot with wins over Waterford and Tipperary.
Carrie Dolan will be central to her side’s hopes of glory again, and she told RTÉ Sport that the team are on an upward curve since the seven-point defeat to the Rebels last month.
“It’s been an up-and-down championship,” she told RTÉ Sport. “We lost the first round and got back on track for the next two.
“Cork were probably a bit further ahead than us. We needed to get up to the pitch of that. Maybe that was to do with their Munster championship. Our work-rate was really down that day.”
Dolan will be a key figure in Galway’s push for a second successive All-Ireland title
The win against Tipp, to seal a semi-final spot, was a shot in the arm for their All-Ireland ambitions. Playing into a strong breeze in Athenry, they led at the break and never looked in danger of losing, with Dolan finishing the game with four points.
“It was an improvement from the Cork game, but still not where we wanted to be. We had poor results at home in the league, so we put a massive emphasis on that (against Tipp). We played well, but there is still more in the group.”
Facing them at FBD Semple Stadium will be a Kilkenny time desperate to find their way back to final day for the first time since 2022.
Group 2 afforded them a path to string positive performances together. Five from five and with a points difference of +53, a quarter-final against Waterford was the litmus test for the Cats.
Having bowed out at the quarter-final stage last year in extra-time at the hands of Tipperary, this time around they prevailed when deadlocked after normal time.
Goalkeeper Aoife Norris told RTÉ Sport the manner of the win was especially pleasing.
“The hurt definitely stood to us,” she said.
“Waterford are a top team, they were league finalists and Munster finalists, so we knew it was going to be a massive test. They pushed us all the way and threw everything at us.”
Similar to Galway, the Cats too have experienced no shortage of setbacks in recent years.
Since landing their 12th All-Ireland title in 1994, they have appeared in a dozen finals, winning three.
Addressing that can wait another day, but it’s four years since they last reached Croke Park for the final game of the championship. After some disappointing campaigns, Norris is hopeful there is more to come from the team.
“The last three years have been disappointing,” she said. “We are delighted to get the monkey off the back and into a semi-final, but in saying that, you don’t start out at the start of the year to get to a semi-final, you want to go all the way.”
Watch the All-Ireland Camogie Championship semi-finals, Galway v Kilkenny and Cork v Tipperary, on Saturday from 3.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on both matches on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on RTÉ Radio 1