Tipperary Might Be Favourites, But Expect Waterford Camogie Stars To Push Them All The Way.

The league is over. The All-Ireland Championship, the one that all the best teams want to win is some weeks off, but this Saturday afternoon Waterford’s Senior Camogie team are in Munster Championship action when they take on Tipperary at the WIT Arena in Carriganore with the game having a 2-30pm throw in.

The Munster Championship may well come after the All-Ireland Championship and the League in the pecking order for those that take part but it is still a competition that Waterford as well as the other sides taking part would still love to win.

For Waterford the side competed in the top flight of the league for the second year in a row, and while Waterford won just the one game, away to Dublin, it was still a very successful league, as they were in a very strong group alongside side Wexford, Cork and Kilkenny who have all won the O’Duffy Cup in recent years.

Waterford also played this Saturday’s opponents Tipperary in their final league game of the competition at the Ragg outside Thurles a game a strong home side won 1-18 to 0-9.

On that day, the home side won the toss and opted to play with the wind at their backs in the opening thirty minutes and turned around leading 1-9 to 4 points, with the goal coming from the very impressive Cait Devane, as Beth Carton hit three of her sides scores and Becky Kavanagh hitting Waterford’s other score.  

While neither Tipperary or Waterford had anything big to play for on that day as both could not reach the knockout stages of the competition, there is in fact something to play for this time around, as the winners on Saturday will play Limerick in the Munster Semi Finals with Cork playing Clare in the other semi-final.

A good run for any side in the Munster Championship could well see that side go into the All-Ireland Championship on somewhat a high. While the side will be training hard between now and then, and possibly playing a number of challenge games as well as that the players will be playing with their sides in the County League, nothing beats playing in ultra-competitive games which the Munster Championship offers.

Tipperary fared better than Waterford in the National League as they recorded three wins, beating Dublin and Wexford in addition to beating Waterford, but lost out to strong Cork and Kilkenny sides.

Tipperary will travel to the Carriganore venue as the clearest of favourites after their recent league victory over Waterford at The Ragg.

But Tipperary will also be travelling to Waterford expecting a very stern challenge from the home side, who hopefully will not be left wanting for support.

As in hurling, the Munster Camogie Championship is the most competitive and Waterford won’t want to go out after the first hurdle, and will see the competition as a major opportunity to stepping up preparations for the All-Ireland Championship which starts in June.

Tipperary might well travel to the WIT Arena as the favourites to advance to the semi-finals, but this is a good Waterford panel, one that is more than capable of pushing sides very hard. They did this for thirty minutes against Cork but in the second half against a very strong wind they found the going tough, and they pushed Kilkenny all the way again at the WIT Arena.

Waterford Panel: Tracey Kiely (Cappoquin), Áine Power (Piltown), Emma Hannon-Roche (Gailltir), Claire Whyte (Saint Anne’s), Aoife Landers (An Gaeltacht), Shona Kiernan (Lismore), Mairead Power (Piltown), Fiona Morrissey (An Gaeltacht), Lorraine Bray (Cappoquin), Niamh Rockett (Saint Annes), Iona Heffernan (Ferrybank), Kate McMahon (Butlerstown), Caithriona McGlone (Lismore), Beth Carton (De La Salle), Valerie O’Brien (De La Salle), Annie Glavey (Gailltir), Niamh Ahearne (Ferrybank), Jenny McCarthy (Cappoquin), Marie Russell (Lismore), Becky Kavanagh (Saint Anne’s), Sibeal Harney (Saint Anne’s), Ciara Twomey (De La Salle), Niamh Murphy (De La Salle), Ciara Jackman (Gailltir), Kate Lynch (Gailltir), Kaeisha Tobin (Dungarvan), Laura Murray (Cappoquin), Sadie Mai Roe (Butlerstown).

TIPPERARY PANEL: Andrea Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields), Anne Eviston (Drom & Inch), Aoife McGrath (Drom & Inch), Aoife Moloughney (Shannon Rovers), Bernie Larkin (Shannon Rovers), Cait Devane (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Caoimhe Bourke (Drom & Inch), Caoimhe Maher (Burgess-Duharra), Carol Casey (Cahir), Caroline Mullaney (Newport-Ballinahinch), Ciannait Walsh (Éire Óg Annacarty), Ciardha Maher (Burgess-Duharra), Clodagh Quirke (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Eimear Loughman (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Ereena Fryday (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Gemma Grace (Burgess-Duharra), Grace O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg), Jenny Grace (Burgess-Duharra), Jenny Logue (Tullaroan, Kilkenny), Julieann Bourke (Borrisoleigh), Karen Fox (Éire Óg Annacarty), Keely Lenihan (Newport-Ballinahinch), Laura Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields), Lisa Cahill (Kilruane MacDonagh’s), Lorna O’Dwyer (Holycross-Ballycahill), Mairéad Eviston (Drom & Inch), Mairéad Teehan (Moneygall), Mary Ryan (Moneygall), Megan Ryan (St Cronan’s), Micheala Graham (Moycarkey-Borris), Miriam Campion (Drom & Inch), Niamh Treacy (Drom & Inch), Nicole Walsh (Borrisoleigh), Orla McEniry (Cahir), Orla O’Dwyer (Cashel), Róisín Cahill (Kilruane MacDonagh’s), Róisín Howard (Cahir), Shauna Quirke (Éire Óg Annacarty), Teresa Ryan (Borrisoleigh), Sarah Fryday (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Sinéad Buckley (Éire Óg Annacarty).