Five Waterford clubs in Munster club action this weekend.

This coming weekend is the first of a number of big weekends for Waterford clubs.

While the County Senior Football Final is to be decided this weekend, the majority of the county finals have already been played and some of the winners this weekend make their entry in the Munster Club Championships.

Ballinameela’s Intermediate footballers make their provincial championship debut at Cappoquin this Sunday afternoon when they take on Limerick champions Passasgreen.

The fact that Ballinameela are Waterford’s representatives is hardly a surprise. They won the county intermediate football championship in 2009 beating Ballyduff Lower in the final. In their first season in the senior grade after a number of years playing in the lower grades, they reached the county semi final which they were unlucky to loose.

In their second year playing senior, they took the foot of the pedal somewhat and were caught out, and at the end of 2011 they were relegated back down to the intermediate championship but they proved too strong for everyone this year and have made the step back up at the first attempt after beating De La Salle in the recent county final by a narrow margin.

Little is known of Pallasgreen in this county. However they are expected to provide stiff opposition. Football in Limerick has come on a lot in recent years, and they will travel to the ‘Cornerstone’ venue in a confident mood.

The Cappoquin venue is one that Ballinameela is one that know well. The fact that Ballinameela played senior for two years prior to this year should stand to them.

Ballinameela have a few things going for them in this fixture and therefore should have a slightly better than 50/50 chance of advancing to the semi final of this years championship.

An Rinn are also involved in Munster Club championship this weekend. The county intermediate hurling champions make the drip to North Tipperary to play Silvermines at Dolla.

An Rinn’s recent county final win was their second in this grade since 2008.

They played senior hurling for one year after winning their previous title. They played well after moving up but ‘Lady Luck’ was not with them.

Since then they have played in the Intermediate grades and were unlucky not to have moved back up to the senior grade sooner than they did.

In recent weeks they have brought Peter Power into the club to help out and it is clear to see in their county final win that he is setting his seal on the team.

Silvermines have some good players. Some information has been passed to the An Rinn Club and no doubt they will have had the Tipperary club watched in last weekends quarter final win over the Clare champions.

If An Rinn can act on what they have seen and heard, then just like Ballinameela, they have a very good chance of advancing to a Munster Final.

This weekend is not all about the men. Two of our Camogie Clubs are also involved in Munster Finals.

St. Anne’s take on Kilmaley in the Intermediate final at the Latin-Cullen grounds outside Tipperary Town on Saturday afternoon.

In recent weeks that have been involved in a number of games, recording wins over Gaultier in a County semi final and then Lismore in the final before recording a win over Moycarky-Borris in the Munster semi final recently.

An Rinn are in the Junior Munster Final on Sunday against the Clare champions Traugh/Clonlara at Templederry.

It was hoped that this game would be played on the same day and venue as the St. Anne’s game so that the two clubs could support each other but common sense prevailed, with the An Rinn hurlers playing on Sunday, it was agreed to let the Hurlers and the Camogie Players play on the one day, sparing the supporters from travelling two days running.

The Camogie game has a 12-15pm start and as soon as the game is over, its less than a ten minute drive up the road for everyone to support the hurlers.

Some of the St. Anne’s players will need no introduction to Camogie supporters. Players like Karen Kelly, Jennie Simpson, Niamh Rockett, Charlotte Raher and Zoe O’Donoghue are players of the highest level and will be looked too to lead their club to the best of their ability.

An Rinn too have some fine players. Aoife Landers, Deirdre Fahey, Fiona Morrissey, Laura Kelly, Fiona Kiely and Mary O’Donnell will be some of the players that they will be pinning their hopes upon.

In Ladies Football, Ballymacarbry are involved in a Munster senior Ladies Football ‘B’ Final on Saturday evening. They take on Clare side, Banner Ladies Football Club from Ennis the Starkers Club near Kilmallock .

The Ballymacarbry Club are one of the strongest in the country, winning successive county finals that date back now to the early 1980’s. They will have a number of the Waterford side that were beaten in the All-Ireland Final last month in their panel to choose from and will make the journey to the Treaty County in a confident mood. The game on Sunday evening has a 6-30pm throw in.

How many of the Waterford clubs involved in Munster Club Championship action this weekend will advance to the next phase of the competition is anybody’s guess. If all five were to advance it would be nice, but lets take one game at a time and hope for the best.