Waterford must travel to Cork in first round of Camogie Championship

This coming weekend promises to be a big weekend for Camogie in Waterford as the counties Intermediate Team travel to Cork to take on the Rebels in the first round of this year’s championship.

Last year in their first year up in the Intermediate grade Waterford did remarkably well reaching the All-Ireland semi finals where they lost out to Galway by four points.

Over the winter Waterford manager Mark Cooney was able to add to the panel he had at his disposal in 2012 and meaning that Waterford would once again be one of the favourites to win the All-Ireland Championship from an early stage this year.

Waterford was expected to make a good stab at the league this year despite getting drawn in a tough group and they did not disappoint.

Earlier this year I read an amazing fact. Well if you think about it, it was not really that amazing.  

As will be seen further down Waterford this year reached the League semi final. In the run up to the game, the administrator of the @deisecamogie twitter account pointed out that when the players got home after the game, they would have clocked up about 1000 miles or 1700kms just travelling to and from games played in the National League this year.

By the time the league stages of the championship are complete Waterford will have racked up a similar number of miles just to attend competitive games.

I don’t know if it is possible, but you can’t but wonder when it comes to the league and championship could it be restructured in such a way that travelling is cut down some bit for the players.

I don’t imagine any County Camogie Board is bursting at the seams with money. I am sure that most are doing very well just to be keeping their heads above water and that expenses are cut to the limit.

One way of helping out might be to split the country North and South and that teams play each other geographically.

Waterford this year in the league was paired in a group along with Limerick, Meath, Galway, Antrim and Wexford.

Of Waterford’s five games, only one was played at a home venue for Waterford. The game against Antrim would normally be a home game for Waterford, but because in Camogie when teams are beyond a certain distance apart, common sense usually pervades and the game is played at what is seen as a half way venue to both. This year that meant that for the game between Waterford and Antrim, the two sides had to go to Dublin for the game, so its easy to see how the miles are racked up.

Another amazing fact that I learned recently was that for one away games, the players drove to the game themselves, saving the county board the expense of hiring a bus and hoping that money might be there later in the year if it was needed. You really have to admire the players for doing things like this and it shows what they are prepared to do to play in the game that they love to play.

Waterford’s first game in the league was an away game against Meath. The Leinster side went into this game after having a good 2012 which saw them lift some silverware at a national level.

Waterford had to travel to Dunganny near Ashbourne for the game and it was no surprise that the home side ran out winners on an 0-8 to 0-5 score line.

From here however, it was onwards and upwards for Waterford in the league section of the competition.

Another away game this time to Ballinasloe was next up for Waterford to play Galway. This proved to be a tight game which Waterford ran out winners 1-8 to 1-6.

Waterford’s only home game was against Wexford at Fraher Field. Here Waterford put in a very good display, running out winners on a 0-13 to 1-6 score line.

Waterford’s game with Limerick was played as part of a double header with the Limerick and Wexford National Hurling League game at the Gaelic Grounds. This is something that has happened a few times this year and hopefully is something that we will see more and more of in the future. It is a great way to promote the game. It is something that the Camogie Association are hoping that will happen following Liberty Assurance getting involved with the G.A.A. as a sponsor of the hurling championship and recently with the Camogie Association as its new championship sponsor. The numbers that might be in attendance for the start of a Camogie (I am assuming that it would be the curtain raiser) might not be anything bigger than normal, but by the time that the game was over a much bigger crowd would be watching the players to show what they can do and I am sure that most would be impressed.

The game in Limerick might not have been the highest scoring game that you will see. Waterford won’t mind. On the day conditions were terrible but Waterford won 0-5 to 0-4 to guarantee the county a place in the semi finals.

Waterford’s last league game was against Antrim and was played at O’Toole Park in Crumlin. This proved to be a contrast of Waterford’s previous games. Scores were plentiful and Waterford ran out winners 2-14 to 2-10.

In the semi finals, Waterford was paired with Kildare. This was a game that Waterford and everybody else found hard to promote, as a venue for the game was only confirmed late in the week.

Early in the week Waterford appeared to understand that they would be heading to a venue in Wicklow for the game, but ended up going to Mountmellick in Laois.

Waterford travelled to the Laois venue in a confident mood but on the day things did not work out as planed.

Playing conditions were far from perfect on the day. Heavy rain had fallen and the pitch was holding water in places, which meant that underfoot conditions were not ideal. A strong breeze also blew which Kildare had first use of.

Waterford started the game brightly, just three minutes into the game had a chance of hitting a major score but the ball came off the upright.

With the wind at their backs, the Lilly-whites pushed Waterford all the way. Susie O’Carroll put over three frees in the first ten minutes of the game before Trish Jackman pulled one back for Waterford from a free.

Unfortunately for Waterford, this was to be the side’s only score in the opening thirty minutes. Kildare however had Susie O’Carroll in terrific form. She hit five further scores for the Leinster side in the first half, three of which were from frees to give them a 0-8 to 0-1 lead at the turn around.

Although Waterford trailed by seven at the break, Waterford was expected to make a game of it in the second half and they did not disappoint.

Shona Curran hit an early point for Waterford but Angela Lyons responded for Kildare. Waterford responded with three points in a row, two coming from the Trish Jackman frees, the third from play hit by Jennie Simpson.

Points from Caroline Forde and Susie O’Carroll steadied the ship somewhat for Kildare with ten minutes to go.

Waterford upped the game in the closing minutes. Trish Jackman hit three frees to leave four between the sides, but the goal that Waterford needed to rattle the Kildare defence never came. Kildare ran out winners 0-12 to 0-8.

Although Waterford’s league campaign ended in somewhat of a disappointing note, 2013 can still be a year to remember for Waterford.

Since the game with Kildare, Waterford has continued to work hard, putting in the hours of hard work needed to prepare for the championship;

They have already played this weekend’s opponents in the last few weeks, beating them 4-14 to 1-11 in the Munster Championship Semi Final at Tallow to set up a Munster Final against Tipperary towards the end of July.

Waterford has a very settled look to the team which looks well leading into the championship.

Deirdre Brennan is likely to start in goal but could be challenged hard for the number one shirt by Aisling O’Brien.

A full back line of Emma Hannon, Fiona Morrissey and Vicky Falconer is one that seems to be favoured by the management team. Marie Russell and Charlotte Raher could well start at five and six with the number seven position likely to be fought out between Claire Whyte and Jenny McCarthy.

If Clare Whyte is selected at seven, Jenny McCarthy will be in contention for one of the Centre field positions along with Jennie Simpson and Shona Curran.

Trish Jackman and Nicola Morrissey could well start in the half forward line with Mairead Murphy most likely to be the third member of this line of attack.

A number of players are also in contention to start in the inside forward line. Karen Kelly is a good bet to start at full forward and along side her Zoe O’Donoghue, Valerie O’Brien and Lorraine Bray are amongst those most likely to be in contention for places.

Just as in Hurling, Camogie is by no means a sixteen or seventeen woman game any longer and Waterford are able to call upon a number of quality players if needed that have not already got a mention. These include Ciara Keogh, Claire Murphy, Deirdre Nugent, Johanna Houlihan, Labhaoise Dunbar, Laura Buckley, Nicola Fitzgerald, Orla O’Neill, Sara Judge and Sarah Coughlan.

Waterford play Cork at 1pm on Saturday at the Glen Rovers grounds in the city and on Sunday Waterford have to make a return to the Southern Capital where the Waterford u16 team will be hoping to build on last weeks brilliant win over Westmeath at Bushy Park as they take on Cork at the Cork Camogie Grounds at Mahon, with the game having a 3pm throw in.

For the record in the Intermediate championship Waterford have further games against Limerick (away) Kilkenny (home) and Antrim (half way) to play. The championship got under way last weekend. Waterford had a bye. In the other games, Limerick beat Kilkenny 1-12 to 1-8 at Urlingford while Cork and Antrim drew 2-12 a piece at Ashbourne.