Big Night Ahead For Waterford Camogie All-Star Nominees

As we all know by this stage this year’s hurling and football All-Stars were presented at a function in the capital this evening. Going into the event we knew for the first year in a number of years that there would be no Waterford involvement on the night, apart from the presence of a small amount of people from the county at the function.

The same cannot be said of the 15^th Annual Camogie All-Star Banquet at the City West Hotel in Dublin on Saturday evening.

While Kilkenny and Cork lead the way when it comes to nominations, Kilkenny who were beaten in this year’s All-Ireland Final have 14 nominations while this year’s All-Ireland winners Cork strangely have just 12 nominations.

 The two sides beaten in the semi finals Tipperary and Galway have 5 nominations each, while Waterford have a very creditable four nominations, ahead of Dublin with 3 nominations and Offaly with 2.

For Waterford 2018 was a brilliant year for Waterford’s senior Camogie team even if team captain Shauna Kiernan or the teams vice captain Niamh Rockett got to raise aloft any silverware at the end of any of the three competitions which they were entered.

Waterford this year had Donal ‘Duck’ O’Rourke in charge and to say that the panel that he assembled responded to his methods would be an understatement.

From the off it was clear to a blind man that without any disrespect to those that came before him since coming up to the senior grade for the first time in 2018 that the panel bought into what the management team were trying to do with them and they did not fail to deliver.

Yes, the team finished empty handed, but it must be remembered that only one team can win any given competition, but this present Waterford panel which I for one hopes will be around for some time with some of the exciting young prospects coming through added to it in the next couple of years creating extra competition for the starting 15 places on the team.

In the league Waterford narrowly missed out on a place in the knockout stages of the National League finishing level on points with Limerick but losing out on a semi final spot on score difference as the two sides drew the head to head between the two counties.

In the Munster Championship Waterford played absolutely brilliant against the now All-Ireland Champions Cork in Modeligo. On the day certain calls went against the Waterford side and on another day you have to wonder what might have happened.

In the All-Ireland Championship after losing their first two games against Galway and Kilkenny, Waterford beat Limerick and Clare to secure third place in the table and so won a place in the All-Ireland quarter finals where they put it up to a more experienced Tipperary side at Pairc Ui Chaoimh and narrowly missed out on a win on the day.

The experience of the past twelve months going so near will surly spur on the panel next year to go that step further.

Camogie in Waterford is a game on the up and it is only fitting that after going close in 2018 that the side receives recognition and it does in the four All-Star nominations, and maybe it could be argued that Waterford were unlucky not to get even more nominations, but for now four nominations is something that Waterford will accept.

So who are the four Waterford nominations?

Gailltir club player Áine Lyng is nominated in the half back line. Áine it could be said is a veteran of the game having been around now for a number of years for both club and county with a break in the middle of her long service to both.

She helped Waterford reach the Junior All-Ireland Finals in 2009 and 2010 claiming a Soaring Star for her performances in both years. In total she has been nominated for five All-Stars. She missed out on Waterford winning the Junior All-Ireland Final in 2011 and the Intermediate Final in 2015 but since coming back into the fold she has added something different to the side.

Áine will be hoping to win a Munster Intermediate Final next weekend with Gailltir when they take on Cork side Éire Óg in the final at Cashel.

 Nominated in the middle of the field is 22 year old Lorraine Bray. Lorraine who is a member of the Cappoquin club is around the Waterford panel with the last number of year’s coming onto the scene between Waterford winning the Junior and Intermediate All-Ireland’s and has proved to be a very versatile player who has got better and better each year in the white and blue shirt.

Lorraine is someone that many will know about with some time having won a Minor All-Ireland in 2014 and an Intermediate final the following year. This is her first nomination for an All Star. To stress First is important as key observers of the game think very highly of the young lady for Melleray and are quick to point out that she is very much a player for the future.

Having seen my share of games this year I can’t think of too many players that have impressed more than Saint Anne’s Club player Niamh Rockett.

Niamh was the sides vice captain this year and lead by example in each and every game that she played in the white and blue and again in the green and red of her club. Like Lorraine Bray, Niamh is nominated for an All-Star for the first time this year, but is a player that is around now for a number of years having helped Waterford win Junior and Intermediate All-Ireland Finals in 2011 and 2015. Niamh is someone that fought against injuries that could have forced others to give up playing the game they love sometimes back, but hopefully her body allows here to continue for some time to come and that she will end up winning many more awards in the game for Club and County.

          One of the most prolific attacking players in the game with the past number of years is De La Salle club player Beth Carton. Beth burst onto the scene a few years back with a then newly formed De La Salle Club and quickly was invited onto the different underage Waterford teams, and in 2015 was part of the Waterford team that won a National League (Division 2) and Intermediate Championship double and since then has impressed in the senior grade.

           Beth is someone that has achieved so much in the game in recent years and sometimes it is hard to remember that she is just 20 years old. Beth won a Soaring Star (the All-Stars presented to those that play in the Intermediate and Junior grades at inter county level) back in 2015 and this is her second nomination for an All-Star.

Camogie All-Stars Awards 2018 sponsored by Liberty Insurance, nominees list:

Goalkeepers: Emma Kavanagh (Kilkenny), Aoife Murray (Cork), Sarah Healy (Galway).

Full-Back Line: Mary Ryan (Tipperary), Laura Treacy (Cork), Grace Walsh (Kilkenny), Shauna Healy (Galway), Catherine Foley (Kilkenny), Edwina Keane (Kilkenny), Sarah Dervan (Galway), Pamela Mackey (Cork), Colette Dormer (Kilkenny).

          Half-Back Line: Karen Kennedy (Tipperary), Hannah Looney (Cork), Hannah Hegarty (Dublin), Claire Phelan (Kilkenny), Róisín Egan (Offaly), Anne Dalton (Kilkenny), Davina Tobin (Kilkenny), Áine Lyng (Waterford), Chloe Sigerson (Cork).

Centre Field: Niamh Kilkenny (Galway), Gemma O’ Connor (Cork), Lorraine Bray (Waterford), Meighan Farrell (Kilkenny), Julia White (Cork), Libby Coppinger (Cork).

Half-Forward Line: Orla Cotter (Cork), Orla O’ Dwyer (Tipperary), Siobhán Flannery (Offaly), Katie Power (Kilkenny), Orla Cronin (Cork), Denise Gaule (Kilkenny), Amy O’ Connor (Cork), Anna Farrell (Kilkenny), Niamh Rockett (Waterford).

Full-Forward Line: Orla Beagan (Dublin), Carrie Dolan (Galway), Cáit Devane (Tipperary), Shelly Farrell (Kilkenny), Katrina Mackey (Cork), Michelle Quilty (Kilkenny), Beth Carton (Waterford), Grace O’ Brien (Tipperary), Siobhán Kehoe (Dublin).