It’s a big weekend for Waterford Camogie and Ladies Football Clubs

Big weekends for Camogie in Waterford have become a regular event in recent years.

The growth of the game has seen some big weekends in recent years on the club and inter county scene and this weekend is another one.

Two of Waterford’s clubs are involved in Munster Championship games on Saturday.

De La Salle take on Clare side Scarriff/Ogonnelloe in the Munster Junior Club Championship Final at Cashel, the game having a 2-30pm and at the same time Gailltir make the short journey to the WIT Sports Centre at Carriganore to play Cork side Blackrock in the Munster Intermediate Championship.

These last few years have seen the De La Salle Club flourish. They are only in their second season playing in the adult grades in the game and already have won Junior and Intermediate Championships as well as League titles.

This weekend in Scarriff/Ogonnelloe they face an experience side who come into this game on the back of an excellent 2-9 to 1-6 win over Clanmaurice from Kerry in the recent Munster semi-final.

They are expected to be the strongest outfit that the De La Salle Club have faced in their short history and will have the likes of Mairead Scanlan, Amy Barrett, Aisling Corbett, Aoife Power and Danielle Sheedy leading them on the field of play.

De La Salle come into this game also on the back of a very impressive result in their last game when they beat Limerick side Cappamore 3-15 to 2-8 at Gracedieu.

Most with an interest in the game of camogie at this stage will be aware of what Beth Carton can do on the field of play. At this point it is fair to say that she will in time go down as one of Waterford’s all-time greats in the game and will surely county amongst the greats of the game nationally as well in time.

But they are by no means a one woman team as right throughout the side there is players of quality in the likes of Brianna O’Regan, Rachel Butler, Niamh Murphy, Courtney Healy, Caoimhe Drohan, Aisling Madigan and Ciara Twomey to name but a few who we will no doubt hear a lot more about in the years ahead.

De La Salle may well go into this game a younger side than their opponents from Clare and less experienced at this level, but that will mean nothing in this game as this is a very good De La Salle team who have won a lot in the different grades with the club and county in recent years.

It is a hungry De La Salle team and one that is going to get better and better in the years ahead and will be more than a match for the more experienced sides that they will play.

Despite their youthfulness the hunger that the side will show on Saturday afternoon, could well see them win a first provincial title for the club.

While De La Salle are playing in Cashel Gailltir will be in action at the WIT Sports Campus.

The Barony Ladies have played their last few big games at this venue and will be well used to the superb facilities that are on offer there.

After beating Cappoquin in the county semi-weeks back at Carriganore they returned there recently to play Lismore in the County Senior Final which they won for the first time since 2008, breaking the dominance of Lismore and Saint Anne’s in the game at this level in the county in the years in between.

Blackrock played in the intermediate championship in Cork this year and travel to Waterford on Saturday afternoon fresh from a 3-13 to 1-8 win over Enniskeane in the County Final, where they produced a terrific second half performance to win.

Gailltir will have had their homework done on the Cork side ahead of this game and will know that Hayley Ryan is a player that they can afford to give little room to on the day as she hit 2-8 of her sides tally in the county final.

But they will also know that to keep a too close an eye on Hayley Ryan could allow the likes of Grace Mulqueen, Katelyn Hickey, Anne O’Farrell, Michelle Murphy and Róisín de Faoite to have big games.

Trish Jackman was top scorer for the Barony Ladies in their county final win over Lismore and heading to Carriganore, Blackrock will know all about her and will feel that if they are to win they have to keep her quite.

But just as if Gailltir put all their eggs in one basket to keep Hayley Ryan quite, if Blackrock were to do the same with the brilliant Trish Jackman, it could well allow others like Áine Lyng, Sinead Cunningham, Clara Hogan, Aileen Cummins, Róisín and Aisling Flood, Sinead Cunningham and Ciara Jackman to provide the good and secure the victory.

In the last few years, Lismore have performed remarkably well in this competition, reaching the last three Munster finals, winning two and appearing in two All-Ireland Finals, winning one and Gailltir will be looking to replicate what Lismore have done, but will look to do so taking one step at a time.

They will know that Blackrock are going to provide strong opposition but having beaten Lismore and knowing all they have achieved in recent years they will go into this game confident they can move on to this year’s Munster Final.

Meanwhile in Ladies football it is also a big weekend for two of the counties sides.

Abbeyside travel to Mallow to play the Munster Intermediate Final against Ballylanders from Limerick on Saturday afternoon.

In the Munster semi final recently at the same venue, Abbeyside had a 3-8 to 1-9 win over Cork side Bantry Blues.

Even though they ended the first half with a player short after inter county player Róisín Tobin was sinbinned on 22 minutes, Abbeyside proved to be the stronger of the two sides in the opening half and turned around leading 2-4 to 0-3 with Niamh Looby hitting both of the goals for her side.

Abbeyside hit their third goal that day through Maria Delahunty.

The Limerick side go into this game on the back of a good string of results against Saint Aibes 2-11 to 2-4 in the county final and then had a 3-19 to 0-5 win over Burren Gaels and a 4-13 to 1-6 win over Templemore.

To beat the Limerick side will not be easy but Abbeyside with players like Amy Jordan, Caoimhe McGrath, Maria Delahunty, Róisín Tobin and Niamh Looby to pick from they will feel confident.

At the same venue on Sunday Morning Comeragh Rangers will contest the Munster Senior Plate final against Fermoy.

Fermoy go into this game after beating Aherlow from Tipperary 3-11 to 0-8 in the semi finals

In their semifinal played recently Comeragh Rangers had an extra time 0-22 to 2-13 win over Kilmihil.

That result will give them plenty of confidence going into this weekend’s and they will know that if they can get the best out of the Dunphy’s, Murray’s and Aoife Dunne etc. then they have great chance of securing the title.

Meanwhile Ballymacarbry are also in action on Sunday as they take on Banner Ladies in the Munster ‘B’ Final at Sean Tracey Park in Tipperary Town with the winners going on to play Mourneabbey from Cork in the Munster ‘A’ Club Final.

Both sides will go into the final on the back of good semi-final wins.

Three goals in a nine minute spell from Grainne Nolan, Niamh O’Dea and Karen Roche gave the County Clare side a 4-6 to 1-7 lead over Southern Gaels at the break.

The Clare side in the second half hit a fifth goal through Orlaith Lynch but they were made work hard for their win a the Kerry side came storming back as the second half progressed, but the Clare side held out for a 5-12 to 4-11 victory.

Ballymacarbry recently won a thirty-fifth senior county title in a row and when they played Tipperary side Brian Borus recently in Clonmel recently, they were very impressive winning 2-18 to 0-5 with inter county players Karen McGrath, Michelle, Sinead and Louise Ryan, Treasa McGrath, Lauren Fitzpatrick (both Tipperary) as well as Aileen, Mairead and Linda Wall all having very impressive displays for their side.

Ballymacarbry will be the happier of their semi final wins and look set to complete a good weekend for ladies sports in Waterford this weekend.