Premium Butcher County Camogie Leagues get underway this Sunday. Inter County teams also in action on Saturday

It’s a big weekend for Camogie in Waterford.

On Saturday the counties Intermediate and Under 16 teams are in action and on Sunday morning, the County Senior, Intermediate and Junior Leagues get underway.

Waterford are under new management this year at Intermediate level. Sean Fleming has come in and has shown that he is not afraid to make changes.

He has brought in some of the young players that have served the county so well in recent years at under age level and they have not let him and his fellow selectors down.

Waterford are having a great year up to now.

We may only be heading for mid April but the county has reached the semi finals of the league where they will play Kildare next weekend at a venue yet to be announced.

In reaching the semi finals Waterford have done so in some style, beating Tipperary, Cork, Meath and Kilkenny along the way and for their last league game they were spared the long journey to Down after the home side conceded to points.

This weekend in the Munster Championship, Waterford play Clare in the Preliminary Round at the Ragg near Thurles.

Clare in the League played in Division one, but their results proved to be in contrast to Waterford’s.

They lost to Cork by seven points, to Dublin by two points and to Kilkenny by seventeen points, and they beat Derry by fourteen points.

However while defeat was their lot in three of the four games it must be remembered that Clare were playing against first string teams while Waterford in Division two played the second string teams of three counties. Their players will have benefited from playing against stronger sides.

Clare has played in the Senior grade of the Championship in the last few years and playing against some of the finest players in the country will stand to them.

Last year they contested an All-Ireland quarter final which went to extra time but at the end of eighty minutes they had to give second best to a Galway side that won the All-Ireland Final the previous year.

They have some quality players in their team. Full back Laura McMahon was part of the UL team beaten in this years Ashbourne Cup final against WIT and was named on the competitions All-Star team. Another player on the same UL team to be named on the All-Star team was centre field player Niamh O’Dea while fellow centre field player Orlaith Duggan, centre back Maire McGrath, and full forward Chloe Morey are all fine players.

Claire and Helen McMahon, Deirdre Murphy, Eimear Considine and Naomi Carroll are also excellent players who did not play in the league but who will be looking to win a place in the team ahead of the championship and could well be given a run out in this game.

Camogie in Waterford has seen its profile grow in recent times. More and more people are taking an interest in what is happening and hopefully it will be a matter of time before attendances at games will swell.

Players like goalkeepers Deirdre Brennan and Brianna O’Regan, Claire Whyte at full back, Jennie Simpson at Centre back, Lorraine Bray and Trish Jackman in the middle of the field, Nicola Morrissey, Valerie O’Brien, Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett and Dawn Power have impressed to date this year and will be looking to do so again in this game.

Whether Sean Fleming and his selectors will give a run out to some of the players who are not far off a place in the starting team remains to be seen, but if they are, then they will be hoping to do enough to stake a claim in the team that will be selected to play Kildare next weekend.

The game against Clare at the Ragg has a 3pm throw-in and will go to extra time if the sides cannot be separated at the end of the hour.

Before the game, the same two counties will contest the Munster Under 16 C Final at 1pm.

Waterford could well be the favourites to win this game. Waterford have won the Cooper Under 14 All-Ireland Blitz in the last two years and the side will be picked mainly from players involved in these wins and could also feature some players that were involved in last years All-Ireland Under 16 B win.

On Sunday, The Premium Butcher Sponsored County leagues get under way.

Four sides are involved in the Senior and Intermediate leagues and five will take part in the Junior League.

For one Club it will be an important day. De La Salle this year have decided to field an Adult team in the Junior grade and with the standard of players they have produced in underage competitions in recent years, they could well be the team to watch.

In the senior competition newly promoted Cappoquin will take on Gailltir in Cappoquin while there is also a repeat of last years final in the first round of games as 2012 and 2013 champions take on last years winners Saint Anne’s in Lismore.

In the Intermediate grade Brickeys take on Roanmore at Bushy Park while An Rinn play Butlerstown at Ring.

In the Junior grade De La Salle have home advantage over Tallow and Clonea are at home to Ferrybank.

In all three grades games have an 11-30pm throw in, but before heading off to the games maybe check with the competing clubs at games you play plan to go an see that there is no change in time or venue for the game.