Brian Dowling desire for Kilkenny All-Ireland Camogie glory spurred by 'strange' 2020 experience

Motivation is never in short supply before a big final but for Kilkenny, there is a lot more riding on victory in Sunday's Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Camogie decider against Cork.

Two years ago, the Cats got their hands on the ultimate prize but the opportunity to revel in that glory was something they couldn't share as widely as they would have liked.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant Croke Park was devoid of the black and amber clad supporters and restrictions in place curtailed further prolonged celebrations.

It lives long in the memory for Kilkenny manager Brian Dowling, given it was his first championship in charge, as well as for his players as they aim to reclaim the O'Duffy Cup against a Cork side which beat them in the 2017 and 2018 finals.

"It is a lot different because we won in 2020 and the final was in December, then Covid hit again and I think we did not see the girls for four months after that because everything was in lockdown again," said Dowling, who acknowledged that the lack of a crowd possibly suited his side that December day against Galway.

"When we came back from 2020, it was very, very strange, we were All-Ireland champions but we never got to celebrate it properly.

"Last year was a challenge to be honest, I think we were flat for most of the year. We were very competitive, we only lost two games by a point to Galway and Cork but we just never really hit our top form."

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