History will be created in Walsh Park on
Saturday evening when a team from the county will run onto a field anywhere in
Ireland to take part in an All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship game for the
first time.
2015 was a year to remember for Camogie in
Waterford with Sean Fleming’s side winning both the National Division Two
League Final against Laois at Dr Cullen Park and also won the All-Ireland
Intermediate Final against Kildare at Croke Park.
The spadework for these successes did not
happen over night. A great deal of work has taken place to develop camogie
within the county in the last few years with some of the highlights including
Waterford winning All-Ireland Under 14 blitz as well as Under 16 and minor All-Ireland
finals, while Lismore won a first ever Club All-Ireland Final after going so
close in previous years, while the likes of Saint Anne’s and Gailltir have also
contributed at senior level pushing Lismore hard, while all clubs have played a
massive part in developing players at underage level.
The past few months has seen changes in the
Waterford set up. Some players that were part of the set up last year are not
involved this year. Some new players have been added to the panel and some
players who played in the past but who were not involved last year are back in
the fold again for this year.
Off the field there has also been chances.
Sean Fleming who managed the side last year stood down after last years
All-Ireland Final and was replaced by Brother Philip Ryan who was in Sean
Fleming’s management team last year but he stood down ahead of the league
campaign on medical grounds and Sean Fleming came back in charge for the league
campaign till a new full time manager was named.
After the league was completed it was
confirmed that Don McMahon would be that new manager and has worked with the
likes of Shane Ahearne, Joey Carton, Maurice Cahillane, Chris Dempsey and Nicky
Mackey in the last few weeks preparing the team for this weekend.
Waterford could not have wished for tougher
opponents in their Championship owner, as they face reigning All-Ireland senior
Champions Cork.
And even after this weekends game Waterford
will not have it much easier as they will face Wexford, Limerick, Offaly and
Clare in the coming weeks.
Nobody in the Waterford set up will need
telling that there is a big step up from the Intermediate to Senior Grades, but
Waterford will take great heart from the fact that other teams that have moved
up in recent years have more than held their own and will be hoping that they
too can repeat this.
While Waterford won just one game in the
league, that being their last game against Derry, they were competitive in
their three other games, loosing by nine points to Kilkenny and Limerick in the
first two rounds and then a twelve point loss away to this weekends opponents
Cork in the third round of games.
Waterford will have learned a lot from these
games and if they can learn and put what they learned in action during the
championship then the side will have nothing to fear.
Just as there has been changes to the
management team since last years All-Ireland final win, there is changes to the
playing panel as well. Experienced players like Shona Curran, Nicola Morrissey
and Vikki Falconer have opted out of the panel this year and their absence is
going to be a loss. Last years goalkeeper Deirdre Brennan who played in some of
the league games this year, is not named on the panel released recently.
While these are losses to the panel there is
still a nice blend of youth and experience in the panel.
The goalkeeping position is a fight out
between De La Salle’s Brianna O’Regan and Cappoquin’s Tracey Kiely. Many will
be expecting the De La Salle player to get the nod to start.
In defence Fiona Morrissey, Mairead Power,
Charlotte Raher, Claire Whyte would be expected to be amongst the six players
to start against Cork this weekend, while the centre of the field pairing could
well see Trish Jackman and Lorraine Bray could feature.
In attack it is almost certain that Beth
Carton will start with the likes of Niamh Rockett, Aisling Power, Caithriona
McGlone and possibly Jenny Simpson set to start.
Cork warmed up for this game by beating
Limerick recently in the Munster Final. They will have some household names in
their panel like Aisling Thompson, Aoife Murray, Gemma O’Connor, Orla Cotter,
Rena Buckley and Briege Corkery in their set up. But with the Cork Ladies
Footballers also in action this weekend it remains to be seen what part the
latter two will play in this game.
When Waterford played Kildare last year in
the All-Ireland Final at Croke Park the support on the day was tremendous. With
no adult games taking place in the county this weekend because of Féile na
nGael, those who regularly attend games each weekend and who want to get their
fill of games this weekend could do worse than to head to Walsh Park for a
5-15pm Start on Saturday evening and become a sixteenth player for Waterford in
a clash between last years Senior and Intermediate Camogie All-Ireland Finals.
Waterford
Senior Camogie Panel:
|
Aisling Power
|
Cappoquin
|
|
Aoife Landers
|
An Rinn
|
|
Aoife Shanahan
|
Butlerstown
|
|
Becky Kavanagh
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Beth Carton
|
De La Salle
|
|
Brianna O’Regan
|
De La Salle
|
|
Caithriona McGlone
|
Lismore
|
|
Charlotte Raher
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Claire Murphy
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Claire Whyte
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Fiona Morrissey
|
An Rinn
|
|
Iona Heffernan
|
Ferrybank
|
|
Jenny McCarthy
|
Cappoquin
|
|
Jennie Simpson
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Kate McMahon
|
Butlerstown
|
|
Lorraine Bray
|
Cappoquin
|
|
Mairead Power
|
Piltown (Co. Kilkenny)
|
|
Niamh Ahearne
|
Ferrybank
|
|
Niamh Murphy
|
De La Salle
|
|
Niamh Rockett
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Saoirse Bonnar
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Shona Kiernan
|
Lismore
|
|
Shona Prendergast
|
Lismore
|
|
Sibeal Harney
|
Saint Annes
|
|
Tracey Kiely
|
Cappoquin
|
|
Trish Jackman
|
Gailltir
|
*apologies to anyone left out.
Panel is as I have seen.
