Deise girls one step from return to Croke Park.

Twelve months ago, Waterford’s Junior Camogie team after a number of near misses, won the All-Ireland Junior Final in Croke Park beating Down by a single point.

This weekend, Waterford intermediates team find themselves one step away from another visit to Croke Park, with Galway standing between then and a meeting with Derry in September.

Going into this year, it’s possibly fair to say that many would not have expected Waterford to be as good as they actually proved to be this year. A number of those that formed part of last years panel were not part of this year’s panel and questions are bound to have been asked, could replacements be found for the players not involved this year.

Credit Waterford manager Mark Cooney along with his selectors Rachel Aherne, Sham McCarthy and James Dooley, they set about replacing the players not available to them and replaced them they have.

In the National League Waterford were finished in second place in the group, collecting the full brace of points in four out of five of their games.

Waterford’s first game in the league was against Antrim who had beaten Waterford after a replay in the Junior All-Ireland Camogie Final in 2010. This game resulted in a comprehensive 4-10 to 2-7 win for Waterford and they followed this up with an 0-9 to 0-8 victory away to Wexford.

A visit to Ashbourne in County Meath followed where a strong Derry side provided the opposition. Waterford on the day had to settle for second best, going under 4-20 to 2-6 but got back to winning ways a week later when Waterford proved too strong for Limerick in Cappoquin winning on a 3-11 to 1-10 scoreline.

Waterford’s last game in the league was to have been against Galway in Walsh Park, but with both sides out of contention for a place in the final, the Tribes Ladies opted to concede a Walk Over to Waterford rather than to make the long trip Suir Side.

Waterford carried their good league form into the All-Ireland Championship. Split into two groups, this years intermediate championship in group one, teams consisted of second string selections of counties competing in the senior championship while teams in group two were counties main teams.

First up for Waterford was a meeting with Limerick in Martinstown and resulted in a 4-8 to 1-14 win for Mark Cooney’s charges.

Next up it was a second meeting this year with Antrim and just as was the case in the League game played some weeks previously, the result went in Waterford’s favour, winning 7-11 to 3-10.

Waterford’s final game in the league section of the championship was against Derry. With both sides already through to the semi finals, the game was in sorts a dead rubber game, with the only thing to be decided was which of the two would top the group.

Like the league meeting between the sides in the Spring, it was the Northern Side that came out on top, winning 3-12 to 2-5, but the Déise side if any believe in old sayings, will know that if they advance this weekend, and therefore get to meet Derry in the final after they overcame the challenge of Tipperary in last weekend’s semi final, that it has to be third time lucky for Waterford, and if they were to be told at the start of the year that they would meet Derry three times this year, then of the three games, this would be the one that they would want to win most.

Waterford will travel to the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick this Saturday in a confident mood. Failing to do so would be very defective. While short a number of players that helped them win last years Junior All-Ireland and to also reach the previous two finals where they lost out to Offaly in 2009 and Antrim in 2010, they have some terrific players involved in this team.

Nobody with an interest in Camogie will need to be told anything about Trish Jackman. At 21 she has achieved so much in the last few years and with age on her side, the world could be her oyster when it comes to collecting further honours in the years ahead.

Grainne Kenneally and Shona Curran are two duel stars. Both are involved with the Waterford ladies football team that are vying for a place in an All-Ireland Final in the coming weeks. Ruth Geoghegan and Nicola Morrissey are two members of the Lismore team that won the County League Final recently, beating Saint Anne’s at Fraher Field and Zoe O’Donoghue played an important role that night as well with Saint Anne’s.

Through in the likes of Jennie Simpson, Caitriona McGlone, Niamh Rockett and others, and Waterford have players of the highest order.

Galway will provide stiff opposition for Waterford in this game. Camogie is relatively strong in the Western County, but this is their second team. Waterford have what it takes to beat them, but it could be a tough one.