Camogie - A look back on 2012

In the coming weeks when the Waterford County Camogie Board sit down to review the year just ended and look forward to the year ahead. They can do so with a degree of great pleasure.

It was a year that so much was achieved and the seeds for much work in the future were sown.

When it came to the presentation of silverware in the various county championships there was a nice spread of winners, but in truth while only one name can be engraved on a winner’s trophy every year, all that took part in the competitions in what ever way they did, they are winners. This goes for players, trainers, coaches, selectors, referees, drivers for young players to different venues, jersey washers or any other roll that they filled.

Great strides have been made in recent years within the county, but I am sure most would agree that there still remains so much to be done. For anyone to sit down and think that because something is working now it will mean it will into the future would be very foolish. To rest on your laurels when things are going well means that one thing is certain, a down turn in fortunes is on the horizon. When things are going well that is the time to attempt to take another step up the ladder and bring things in the future.

The Waterford County Board are lucky to have some fine officials. It’s often wrong to start naming names as doing so could easily mean that someone who is doing valuable work often very much in the back ground is omitted, but I feel compelled to name two people.

I have to admit that I do not attend as many Camogie games as I would like to. Other events which clash with games prevent me from attending, but I feel I am well informed as to what is happening, and this is due in no small part to the county PRO Mary Russell.

A good PRO is vital to any group. When things are going well it’s often the chairperson that gets all the praise but often this should be directed towards the Secretary and PRO. Anybody that reads the local papers or even check on certain websites on the net are only too well aware of what is happening, thanks to Mary’s hard work.

Unfortunately, Mary told me recently that she is standing down this year. She will be a hard act to follow but I am confident that whoever replaces her will continue the work carried out by Mary and that we will be all as informed as we are now on what is happening going into the future.

The second person I feel compelled to name is the county chairperson Trish McCarthy. Anybody that has heard Trish talk about Camogie on the radio in the last few years knows only too well how passionate she is when it comes to spreading the Gospel about the game.

Going into the future, communication is vital. As clubs hold their AGM it’s vital that they put serious consideration into appointing a PRO that would be active. The local papers are only too willing to help them by printing their club notes and for major events by contacting WLR they will also help out in getting the message out.

Communications is vital. The more people that can hear about games like Camogie and Ladies Football the better it is for the game.

To spread the Gospel is easier now that it was a few years back as there is so much extra ways of communicating with people. Once we had just the local papers or local newsletters. Then local radio came along and in recent years with the internet and mobile phones available to most, what is happening and what has been happening through text messages, websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

My email address and my phone number is available to many and if is any use to them, I am willing to help out in communications in any way I can including the use of this blog and through others that I write for.  

The County Board in the year just ending ran competitions from under 12 up for which they should be congratulated.

In under 12 there was three different competitions. Gaultier were the ‘A’ winners, Saint Anne’s were the ‘B’ winners and Tramore were the ‘C’ winners.

In under 14 there was five different competitions. De La Salle won the ‘A’ competition and they also won the County Féile Final, Dungarvan won the ‘B’ Competition, Tramore won the ‘C’ final and Brickeys won the Féile Shield final.

In under 16 there was three competitions. Brickeys won the ’A’ final, the ‘B’ final was won by Cappoquin and the ‘C’ final was won by De La Salle.

In minor there was two competitions. Cappoquin won the ‘A’ final while Brickeys won the ‘B’ final.

Just as in under 14, there was five competitions held at adult level. Cappoquin won the Junior League while Lismore won a brilliant senior final, beating Saint Anne’s at Fraher Field.

In the Championship, Lismore won the junior final while An Rinn won the Intermediate final. The senior final was a repeat of the league final but this time around the rolls were reversed as Saint Anne’s accounted for Lismore in Ardmore.

Two Waterford clubs went on to represent the county in the provincial championship. An Rinn competed in the Junior Championship where after beating Limerick representatives Adare they took on Clare side Truagh-Clonlara but had to settle for second best on the day.

In the Intermediate Championship Saint Anne’s beat Moycarky Borris from Tipperary in the semi finals where they came out on top to set up a place in the Munster final against Clare side Kilmaley but like An Rinn had to settle for second best on the day.

On the Inter county scene 2012 was another fantastic year for Waterford.

The Intermediate team reached the All-Ireland semi final where they were beaten by Galway by four points. In the league, Waterford narrowly missed out on a place in the final, having finished second in their group of the league.

I have no doubt that heading into 2013 if the players were to show the same hunger for success and the selectors were able to add some players to the panel to create extra competition for places which is a good thing, 2013 could be a memorable year for Waterford.

At minor level, there was no joy for Waterford in the ‘A’ Championship, but in the Munster ‘B’ Championship Waterford reached the final against Kerry in Cork and ran out very worthy winners.

At under 16 level there was no joy for Waterford, but at under 14 level, there was some success. The final of an All-Ireland blitz was reached in Dublin where Waterford reached the final which they narrowly lost. An under 14 blitz was also staged in the county and a primary schools team contested a tournament in Cahir and did well.

The setting up of a Camogie Academy during the year is also a welcome move for the game in Waterford and should achieve results going into the future.

Of course no year would be complete now without Trish Jackman taking part in the annual ‘puc fada’ Long Puck in the Cooley mountains and for the fourth year in a row, the winner’s trophy crossed the Bridge into Waterford.

Mentioned above are some of the highlights of the year. I have no doubt I have left out some events. I would hope that I have my information correct. Sometimes trolling the net and records for information can be tough going, and sometimes misprints can happen, but I am confident I have everything correct. If mistakes do occur, please forgive me this time.

As 2013 approaches, I would love to see further growth in the game of Camogie in Waterford. There is area’s of the county where the game once prospered but for some reason it is no longer played. Wouldn’t it be great to see the game revived in these areas? If it was nobody would expect results over night, nor should they.

It would also be fantastic to see the game played in new areas of the county. If clubs were to be formed or reformed, I have every confidence having worked with county board officers in the past when I tried to form a club that they are only too willing to help out in any way that they can to help out in every way they can.

It would be great to see the G.A.A. Clubs in the county get involved and try and promote Camogie. It would be nice to think that when a club is asked to allow a game to be played on their premises that they would allow it to happen, and it would be equally as nice to see clubs contacting the county board and telling them that there grounds are there for them if they are looking for venues for events.

2012 was a good year indeed for Camogie in Waterford. Hopefully 2013 will be even better.