Waterford has what it takes to complete a League and Championship double.

Its about two and a half years ago that I got talking to a member of the then Waterford Intermediate Camogie Panel in a series of private messages over and back on one of the social media forums.

I had seen the side play a few times in the league and told the player in question that I felt that there was something in the group of players that would make it a good year.

It was a good year for Camogie, but maybe a good as year as I thought it might be. Mark Cooney let his side to the semi finals of the league where they lost out to Kildare. He lead his side to a Munster Intermediate Final where they beat Tipperary at Cahir and he lead the side to an All-Ireland semi final where they lost out to Galway at The Ragg.

I’m sure many of those reading here will be familiar with the hit ‘Meatloaf’ had many years ago – Two out of three ain’t bad. Well I suppose you could argue that if you enter three competitions in a calendar year and you win one of them, then one out of three for Waterford Camogie in 2013 wasn’t bad either.

In fact if you take any year in the last few years for Waterford Camogie and look back at what was achieved it could well be argued that it was a good year.

In 2009, 2010 and 2011 Waterford played in the Junior All-Ireland Finals, winning the latter. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 the Intermediate team reached the semi final of the competitions. This in fact was an excellent finish to the year for Waterford even if defeat would be their lot as for a number of years when a team moves up a grade in any competition all that is expected of you is to survive for a year or two before moving to the next level.

Pick any other year and you can pick out some great progress with Camogie in Waterford, some of which might be over looked by some.

Waterford reached the last three under 16 ‘B’ All-Ireland Final’s, a Minor ‘B’ All-Ireland Final was won, Lismore won an Intermediate All-Ireland Club Final in 2014 and reached the final in 2015. Gailltir in the last three years won two All-Ireland ‘B’ Féile Finals and this year Regional Divisional One final playing against some of the strongest clubs in the country. De La Salle in the last few years have done well at Féile and of course Trish Jackman keeps the Waterford flag flying highest when she heads to the Cooley Mountains each August Bank Holiday weekend.

As you can see from the above which is just a fraction of what is happening with the game in the county, Camogie is alive and well in Waterford and with some very dedicated people leading the game both at Club and County levels I for one don’t see standards slip any time soon and would fully agree with sentiments made by County Camogie Chairperson Ita Murphy and Inter County player Aisling Power recently, that Camogie in Waterford can go from strength to strength and it is surly only a matter of time before the county is challenging for even bigger honours.

This weekend another step is being taken in the promotion and development of camogie in Waterford as the County Intermediate team take on Kildare in the All-Ireland Final in Croke Park at 2pm.

We all know of the year that Waterford Senior Hurlers had this year, winning the league, reaching the Munster Final and then the All-Ireland Semi Final’s and I’m sure that many will agree that what was achieved far surpasses what any of us expected.

I began this piece by saying that I thought 2013 was a good year and it was, but 2015 is proving to be an even better year.

This Sunday’s game is Waterford’s twelfth competitive game of the year. Waterford’s record in the games played would be wrong to describe as good. It is excellent.

The Division two league final was won without loosing a game. In the championship Waterford reached the All-Ireland Final not loosing a game. Waterford have not gone unbeaten this year as they lost out to Clare (who played Division one in the league and senior in the championship) by just three points, showing that they are more than capable with what is a very young team of holding their own with what some might call more experienced sides.

Waterford’s opponents this weekend Kildare are also having an excellent year.

Sunday is their twelfth game as well. There record is good as well.

However in their previous eleven games they have lost to their first competitive game of the year to Laois. They lost to Kilkenny in the Leinster Championship semi final. And the Lilly-White’s also to Waterford twice this year, firstly in the league semi finals and then in the last of the round robin games in the league section of the championship.

These defeats to Waterford this year will have the Kildare players hoping that some complacency will set in with the Waterford players. The hope will be with the Kildare players will be as Waterford have beaten then twice this year that the side will travel to Croke Park this weekend over confident that they can make it a hat-trick of wins over them this year.

Will Sean Fleming, Brother Philip Ryan and Chris Dempsey allow their charges in an over confident mood? I doubt it. The three-o will know that each game is a different game and what happened in the past is history. It’s as former Waterford Senior Hurling manager Michael Ryan says, every games starts of 0-0 to 0-0 on the scoreboard.

Waterford will know that although they beat Kildare twice this year, Kildare will be no pushover this Sunday.

Kildare will field a very strong side against Waterford. They are unlikely to show many changes in personal to the side that beat Cork recently in the semi finals, but the side could show some positional changes.

Roisin O’Connell will start between the posts. The full back line will consist of Clodagh Flanagan, Carol Nolan and Fiona Trant while Clodagh Farrell and Angela Lyons will fill the wing back positions with Louise Keatley and Regina Gorman fighting it out for a start at Centre back.

In the middle of the field last time out it was Caroline Forde and Hannah McDonnell but the likes of Noelle Earley and Emer Reilly could also come into the reckoning.

Should Emer Reilly not get the nod for a start in the middle of the field, expect her to do so at wing forward with which ever from Louise Keatley and Regina Gorman misses out at Centre back to start on the opposite wing with Siobhan Hurley in the middle.

The full forward line could well read Noelle Earley if not selected at centre field, the dangerous Susie O’Carroll at full forward and Melissa Lyons in the other corner.

And what of Waterford?

Well there could well be two lines of thinking. When a side win a big game such as the semi final win over Meath you often given a vote of confidence to the side that starts, but in that game players like Shona Curran and Valerie O’Brien having spent part of the summer in The States came in for the second half and put in big performances. So the question that management team will have to ask themselves do they include the pair from the start this time out.

At the back Waterford are unlikely to show much change from the win over Meath.

That means Deirdre Brennan will start again between the posts with the half back line made up of fellow Butlerstown player Kate McMahon, Claire Whyte from Saint Anne’s at full back with another Butlerstown player, WIT Ashbourne Cup winning tea Vikki Falconer in the other corner.

The Centre back spot could well be given to long serving Saint Anne’s player Jennie Simpson while fellow Saint Anne’s player Charlotte Raher will start on her right and Ferrybank’s Iona Heffernan on the left.

In the middle of the field the hard working pair of Trish Jackman and Lorraine Bray could well be given the nod, but from here on in, it’s anyone’s guess.

Beth Carton will start at number twelve but the rest of the forward line will be interesting.

Last time out the half forward line read Nicola Morrissey, Niamh Rockett and Beth Carton, but when Valerie O’Brien came in she did well and will be hoping to have done enough to earn a start this time out.

Against Meath the full forward line that started was Aisling Power, Caithriona McGlone and Dawn Power and they will be hoping to get the nod to start this time, but so too will Shona Curran who came in at the break and hit 1-1 in the second half and helped to get others involved as well, so she too will be looking for a starting spot this time out.

Both sides are going to set off for Croke Park this Sunday in a confident mood. Would there be any point in one or both sides travelling to GAA Headquarters not believing they can win and just to make up numbers.

Both sides go into the game on the back of good wins in the semi finals.

Kildare Waterford will find will play a bit like Meath in the semi finals, bringing players back behind the ball to try and curb the damage Waterford can do to them.

Having had the benefit of a game against a defensive side in Meath last time out when Waterford came from nine points down early in the second half to win by one, you can’t but feel that Waterford has it in them to win, with maybe the bench again playing a big part if the game is close.