Cork's Ger Manley was named as the PwC camogie manager of the year at the PwC All-Stars in Croke Park on Friday night.
Manley took Cork to All-Ireland glory in his first year in the job, with his side defeating Galway in a thrilling All-Ireland final back in early August.
It was a successful night for Cork at the PwC Camogie All-Stars, with eight on the senior team of the year as half back Laura Hayes won the top gong, senior player of the year.
But speaking to Balls.ie on the night, Manley was keen to stress that individual accolades aren't the motivator for this team.
"We've plenty of girls at home as well. One thing about the girls, there's no egos. We try to keep that below in Cork," he said.
11 August 2024; Laura Hayes, centre, celebrates with the O'Duffy Cup alongside her team-mates after their side's victory in the Glen Dimplex Camogie All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship final between Cork and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Manley said achieving consistency was a big focus for his side at the beginning of the year as they ramped up through the gears after the League and into the Munster championship. He described the final as a brilliant advertisement for camogie.
"The one thing we sat out at the start of the year was to get back to Croke Park. The one thing we lacked the year before was a bit of consistency, it's what we looked for this year and I think we got it," he said.
"Once we got into the Munster championship, we got a few good games in that and we just picked up a level then, every game then we improved.
The final was phenomenal, it could have went either way but 'twas phenomenal, two great teams, and we were happy to get out on the right side of it."
He said the PwC All-Stars were a great celebration of camogie, giving players and managers the chance to mingle, hailing the sponsors for their role.
Your PwC Camogie All-Star team for 2024 plus manager of the year Ger Manley. 👏@PwCIreland @OfficialCamogie #PwCCamogieAllStars pic.twitter.com/MEM6LvgH0u
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 16, 2024
"I couldn't believe the crowd . It's nice to get a night like this because you get to meet people you don't meet during the year, the other managers, spoke to a few of the players from Galway as well.
"Look the sponsors are very important, I think the camogie game is gone very elite, we need these sponsors, people like PwC are pushing it on.
"Everybody needs to push it because it is a great game. I think this year's All-Ireland final is as good an advert as you would get and I know every other county is pushing the boat out as well.
"It isn't too often you get an accolade like this," he said as he collected the award for manager of the year.
"I have a huge team, and I take it for everybody. But yeah, it's nice to get rewarded. The girls did all the work, we did a bit of the backroom work."
