Galway vice-captain Aoife Donohue believes than an injection of new blood in the Tribeswomen's camogie squad has given them an extra dimension this season.
Donohue and her team-mates are back in familiar territory as they head to Croke Park for the All-Ireland senior final on Sunday.
Galway stand in the way of Cork, who are chasing their third consecutive title, having beaten out the Westerners by a goal in last year’s final.
Cork’s 1-16 to 0-16 victory last time out was aided by their strength from the bench in the dying stages of the game as the Rebels finished superbly with three points in a row to ensure the O'Duffy Cup remained on Leeside.
Galway appear to have taken lessons from that defeat and have added considerable depth to their squad this time out, with teenage stars like Caoimhe Kelly, Olwen Rabbitte and Ciara Hickey all making their mark.
Donohue feels that the added competition for places in the teams leaves the squad in a stronger position and she believes that the new players, coupled with the experience of losing a final, means Galway are better prepared this time out.
" I'd say we're a lot more mature," she said. "The younger girls that played their first senior All-Ireland last year, and they have that experience now.
"We’ve got even younger girls like Caoimhe Kelly coming into the team and they push us at training as well.
"There's a great mix there. Some of us are playing for Galway for quite a while now, and then the younger girls are just coming in and just starting their careers.
"We're a very tight as a group and I think we're more familiar with each other on the pitch now as well.
"There's huge competition for places and that's all healthy for the panel as well."
The final will be the third All-Ireland final between the two sides since 2021, with Galway winning that year and Cork last time out.
The sides have already met twice this year and both have a win apiece, and while there’s a big familiarity between the two teams, Donohue insists that Galway are only focusing on their own game heading into the final.
She said: "We're both very familiar with each other and we've played each other loads of times down through the years. We played them in the league final this year and obviously last year's All-Ireland final as well.
"We'll be very much focusing on our own group. Once you get back to Croke Park on All-Ireland final day, anything can happen.
" As I said, we're both very familiar with each other, we know each inside out, but it’s all down to what happens on the day.
" We're really looking forward to it. We're under no illusions as to the challenge that lies ahead of us, in Cork. They’re an excellent team and I don't think it'll come down to much."
Watch the All-Ireland Camogie Championship finals on Sunday from 12.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, including the senior final of Cork v Galway at 5.15pm. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1. Watch highlights on The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
