Twins Pamela and Katrina Mackey are both nominated for PwC camogie All-Stars having won a second All-Ireland title in a row with Cork this year.
Corner forward Katrina made a decisive contribution in the final, scoring the match-winning goal while Pamela was part of the Cork defence that kept Galway at bay.
The pair grew up playing alongside each other for Douglas but they prefer not to mark each other in training, as Katrina told us recently.
“Pamela was always left half back, I was always left half forward,” she says.
“So we were never competing for the same position. We usually try to avoid (marking each other in training), that just doesn’t end well,” she laughs.
27 July 2024; Pamela Mackey and Laura Treacy of Cork after their side's victory in the Glen Dimplex Camogie All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final match between Cork and Dublin at UPMC Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
“Last year, it could have been the last session before the final, somehow I ended up marking Pamela in some sort of game, one-on-one inside.
“After a while, I just demanded ‘I’m not marking her’ because we just start arguing or get dirty, it doesn’t end well.”
Two fiercely competitive individuals, they say it leads to a healthy dynamic between them.
“It was always a healthy competitiveness,” Pamela says, “If I saw Katrina doing well, it would have motivated me to do something better. It was always healthy.”
They train together regularly during the off-season, whether it’s running or going to the gym.
“The two of us train on a regular basis,” Pamela says. “We’re people that like to stay fit and strong all year round. I’m playing soccer, we might do some Thai boxing."
The twins say that winning back-to-back All-Irelands was a huge target for them at the beginning of last season, leading to great satisfaction that they could achieve it.
“It’s very difficult to do back to back because teams are obviously analysing you and trying to pick out your weaknesses so you have to evolve your game. There was great satisfaction in that,” Katrina says.
With a combined 11 Camogie All-Star Awards between them, Cork's Pamela and Katrina Mackey define what it means to be leaders on the field.
Nominated again this year for the PwC Camogie All-Star Awards, we talked to the sisters ahead of the awards to find out what it would mean… pic.twitter.com/DKCK8UZAVF
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 12, 2024
Scoring the winning goal in the final gives this triumph an added dimension for her, although she admits it was controversial.
“There were three points in it in the end. I wouldn’t say it was the prettiest of finishes, there was a bit of controversy around it but it was nice to score that goal.
“I came off injured and I definitely enjoyed that feeling that there were three points in it, and I scored that winning goal.”
The pair say the camaraderie in the Cork panel is one of the factors that makes them a successful team, praising their team-mates for bringing great energy to the group.
“There’s a good mix of young and older more experienced players.
“There’s lots of different personalities. Hannah (Looney), Sorcha (MacCartan), they’re unique, they always have a positive impact and influence on the team, and there’s a great sense of camaraderie between us.
“We all get on really well and that pays off,” Pamela says.
“Sorcha, Laura Hayes and Saoirse (McCarthy) - they’ve so much energy, every day at training, no matter what you’re doing. Never too serious, they’re just a great laugh.” - Katrina adds.
Both twins are looking forward to the PwC All-Stars this Friday night, describing it as an opportunity to mingle with players from other counties, as well as celebrating with your own.
“These occasions are unique in that you get to celebrate the year of camogie with players from other counties,” Pamela says.
“You obviously don’t get to interact with other players from other counties on a social, outside of playing against them. Myself and Katrina would have played with some of them in UCC for example. So it’s nice from that perspective, as well as celebrating with your team-mates,” she continues.
“They’re your rivals throughout the year, but it’s a celebration of camogie at the end of the year so it’s nice from that point of view,” adds Katrina.
