MÁIRE O’Callaghan is one of a handful of Cork footballers with a Division 1 winner’s medal and could add to that haul this weekend, but she is also mindful of the bigger picture.

The Mourneabbey stalwart started on the last Cork team to win this title in 2019 – ironically also against Galway, who the current crop face in Saturday’s Division 1 decider at the Gaelic Grounds (5pm, live on TG4).

It has been slim pickings on a national stage since. The Rebels lost the 2020 All-Ireland final to Dublin and the 2021 Division 1 final to the same opposition – their only appearances in major finals since 2019. There was the Division 2 final defeat to Galway last season, but the Rebels have higher ambitions than that.

Cork’s return to a showpiece final is, therefore, an important step for a team that played Division 2 football last year but has made a significant impact on its return to the top flight.

‘Once you’ve qualified for a final, you’re going to put everything into trying to win it. But we do recognise we’re in bonus territory as well, so we want to go out, express ourselves and maybe take a bit of pressure off,’ O’Callaghan told The Southern Star.

‘It’s a national final at the end of the day, a big occasion, and these are the days you train for. We’ll absolutely be going out to win it, but at the same time, if it doesn’t go our way, there’s still a lot to be positive about heading into the Munster championship.’

That’s the bigger picture. Exposure to Division 1 football this season should better prepare Cork for championship compared to last year, when they were not as battle-hardened coming out of Division 2.

‘I think that’s something we probably missed last year,’ O’Callaghan explains.

‘It was great to have a high-standard final against Galway, but the Munster championship probably hit us a bit harder than we were prepared for. Hopefully it’s the opposite this year.

‘We’ve had competitive games, we’ve been grinding out results, and that momentum should carry into the Munster championship.’

There has also been a boost in belief and confidence after Cork won five of their seven league games, including victories over Galway, Kerry, Waterford, Armagh and Meath.

Considering manager Joe Carroll had targeted survival in Division 1, Cork’s run to the final represents an added bonus.

‘You could say we surprised ourselves in one way, but at the same time we backed ourselves to give a good account of ourselves and be there or thereabouts,’ O’Callaghan adds.

‘We were disappointed to be relegated previously, and Division 1 is where we feel we belong, so that’s always been the standard we set.

‘Last year we were very intentional about getting out of Division 2, and if you’re in Division 1, you want to be competing. So we’re happy that we’ve surpassed expectations. The minimum was to stay up, and we’ve done that and a lot more, which is a big bonus.’

A former Cork captain who first joined the panel in 2013, O’Callaghan is a link to the county’s recent golden era, and part of the drive to bring Cork back into contention for major honours.

From the 2019 league-winning team, Melissa Duggan and Shauna Kelly are the only other current players who featured that day, along with Áine Terry O’Sullivan. That experience remains a key ingredient as Cork look to push on.

‘We’ve a really, really good group of players and it’s a group I genuinely enjoy being part of,’ O’Callaghan says.

‘The standard at training is incredibly high and the attitude is brilliant. It’s just a really good environment. There might be a few of us bringing the average age up slightly, but we’re still as eager as ever to keep coming back for more.’

And while league success this Saturday would mark further progress, it would represent just one step on a longer journey.