Ashling Thompson has left the door wide open on her Cork camogie future, saying she will make a decision on whether to return when the winter comes around and she knows where her head is at.
The veteran midfielder had a tough 2024 campaign dealing with injuries throughout, but she ended the season on a high note with Cork, giving her plenty to think about heading into the off-season.
Speaking about what comes next, Thompson kept things refreshingly straightforward. If the hunger is there when winter arrives, she will be back. If it is not, then it will not be. No drama, no big announcement, just an honest take from one of the most experienced players in the game.
“If I am hungry for it again in the winter, it will be back on,” she said, summing up her approach in the most no-nonsense way possible.
It has been anything but a smooth road for Thompson this year. Injuries disrupted her rhythm and kept her off the pitch at various points during the season, which is never easy for a player of her calibre who is used to being right in the thick of things for Cork. Getting through those setbacks and still contributing when it mattered most says a lot about her character and her commitment to the Rebel County jersey.
The fact that Cork finished the campaign strongly will have done no harm to her thinking either. There is always more motivation to come back when things end on a positive note rather than a disappointing one, and Thompson will have felt that buzz of a good finish carrying her into the break.
At this stage of her career, Thompson has nothing left to prove to anyone. She has been one of the standout figures in Cork camogie for years and has given enormous service to the county. Any decision she makes about her future will be respected, whatever direction it goes in.
But the way she is talking, it sounds less like someone who is winding down and more like someone who still has the fire there, just waiting to see if it burns bright enough once the season fully settles into the past and the winter training calls start coming around.
For Cork supporters, the hope will be that the hunger does return. Thompson in the middle of the park brings experience, leadership and quality that is hard to replace, and having her available for another season would be a significant boost for the Rebel County as they plan for 2025.
For now though, she is taking it one step at a time, letting the body recover and giving herself the space to figure out what she wants. It is a sensible approach from someone who knows herself well enough to understand that forcing a decision right now would not serve anyone.
Winter will come soon enough, and when it does, Cork will be watching closely to see which way Thompson lands.