All-Ireland Champions open league campaign against Tipperary in Co. Kilkenny

It’s unusual to see National League games played at neutral venues, but this is going to be the case on Sunday afternoon as Waterford and Tipperary clash in the opening series of games in this year’s Lidl National Ladies Football Division Three League as the south east rivals clash at Piltown in Co. Kilkenny.

Waterford will go into this game with the favourites tag around their necks but Pat Sullivan’s All-Ireland Intermediate winning charges from 2015 will know that Tipperary are likely to be one of their main challengers to get out of this league.

Tipperary this year are under the guidance of former Dublin All-Ireland winning manager Gerry McGill who has welcomed back into the panel for the year ahead a host of players that may not have been in contention for a place in the team in recent years.

The Premier County have also experienced some good years on the colleges front and in addition to the experienced players in the panel they will be looking to bring forward some emerging talent that have lines out for the likes of Scoil Mhuire from Carrick-on-Suir, the Loreto School in Clonmel and Colaiste Dun Iascaigh from Cahir in their set up this year.

Waterford have reached the final of this competition in the last two years but lost out to Armagh in the 2014 decider and to Sligo last year both at Parnell Park in Dublin.

With Waterford having achieved their aim for 2015 and winning the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship beating Kildare at Croke Park, the main aim for Waterford this coming year will have to be to establish themselves in the senior grade once more and more importantly to get out of the third division of the league.

12 months ago Waterford used the league to try and establish some new exciting young prospects in the set up something that worked as some more established players were held in reserved and introduced with terrific effect often in the last quarter of the game when experience was most needed to see the side past the finish line.

This year Waterford are without some of the side that helped them to win the All-Ireland final but this will lead to chances for others in the league to establish themselves in the team for the championship and will take heart from what they saw happen 12 months ago.

The sides clashed twice last year.

In the league game between the two sides at Ardfinnan, Tipperary really put it up to Waterford in the first half and turned around at the break leading 2-4 to 0-6, the goals coming from Laura Dillon and Aoife Ryan and they continued to be the better side in the early exchanges of the second half as Aoife Ryan hit a third goal for the home side, but as the game wore on and Waterford introduced some of their more experienced side, experience won out as Lauren McGregor and Michelle Ryan crashed goals for Waterford to win 2-12 to 3-5.

When the sides clashed later in the year at Fraher Field in the Championship, things were far more clear cut as Waterford ran out 6-18 to 1-4 winners.

While both sides are likely to contain youth and experience in their set up at Piltown, Tipperary will be looking to the likes of Lauren Fitzpatrick, Teresa McGrath, Louise Cadell, Bernie Ryan, Laura Dillon, Gillian O’Brien, Aisling McCarthy, Shauna Ryan, Sheelagh Carew and Niamh Lonergan to provide big performances.

While Waterford will be short the services of some of last years All-Ireland winning side for this years league opener, Pat Sullivan will still be able to call on some fine young players as well as very experienced players for this and other games in this years competition.

The Murray, Wall, McGrath and Ryan sisters, Katie Hannon, Megan Dunford, Caoimhe McGrath, Mary Kate Morrissey, Nicola Fennell, Kate McGrath, Maria Delahunty, Hannah Landers and Grainne Kenneally are all likely to play big parts this year and also help settle in any new players into the set up for the year ahead.

Tipperary will feel that they have a very good chance of winning this years Munster Intermediate Championship after Waterford who won the last seven finals will not be standing in their way this year, while Waterford will as already stated be looking to establish themselves in the senior grade which they play in for the first time since 2008.

For both the league is going to be vital. The best way to go into the championship is off a good run in the league. Both sides will feel that they can win it this year. Waterford will however be the early favourites to win this division at the third attempt. It’s important that both sides get off to a great start therefore and built up momentum.

There can only be one winner, but you have to feel that with the experience Waterford picked up last year in winning the Intermediate Championship they should have enough in them to begin this year’s league with a win here.