Tipp aim to reach Munster Final in Pairc curtain-raiser
CAMOGIE: Munster Senior Championship Semi-Final Preview
By Thomas Conway
TIPPERARY v WATERFORD
Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork
Saturday, 6th May Throw-in @ 4.30pm (E.T.)
By Thomas Conway
Rarely has a Munster Senior Camogie Championship semi-final felt so consequential.
Make no mistake, from a Tipperary perspective, this game really matters. Deprived of the opportunity to contest a league final, Tipp are hurting. The pain of that late day defeat to Kilkenny in Piltown has yet to subside. Tipp lost by a whisker. They missed out again on a trip to Croke Park, missed out on a chance to compete for silverware. The memory of what happened that weekend will still be stinging. Now however, they have a chance to atone. But it won’t be easy.
Waterford are a team with serious firepower and considerable experience. They surprised Cork last Sunday in the quarter final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, defeating the Rebelettes with an eye-catching brand of off-the-cuff camogie which was both spontaneous and pre-planned in equal measure. They showed that they are capable of mixing it. They can play through the lines or go direct. Whatever suits, whichever works.
But Tipperary manager Denis Kelly had anticipated nothing less from the Déise. The Toomevara man felt that last Sunday’s result wasn’t all that surprising, even if Cork were the bookmakers’ favourites. Cork were understrength and Waterford were rearing to go. All the ingredients for an upset had fallen into place.
“I was actually expecting Waterford to come through last weekend because they had more or less a full outfit, whereas Cork were down a couple of players,” he felt.
“So, from our end, the result wasn’t overly surprising. We know how good Waterford are. They’re a formidable side and they looked impressive last Sunday. But we’re in a good place too. Training has been going well and the confidence levels are high. So we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
There are several possible scenarios which could play out next Saturday in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The first is relatively straightforward: Waterford’s momentum enables them to power past Tipp and into a Munster Final with minimum fuss. But that’s fairly unlikely. Tipp are too motivated and determined to allow themselves to be steamrolled.
Far more probable is a tight, tense affair, in which both sides attempt to outmanoeuvre the other with all kinds of tactical innovations. Waterford might have the advantage of a competitive game under their belts, but fatigue could become an issue. Tipp, on the other hand, will enter this fixture well-prepared. Kelly admits that his side have undergone an intense training regimen over the past several weeks, and his players are now craving competitive action.
“Not getting into that league final was obviously disappointing, but it was a little bit of a blessing in disguise in the sense that it gave us a block of three or four weeks of uninterrupted training, so we were able to get a good bit of work done during that period,” Kelly revealed.
“Now look, we would have loved to have been in a league final, but there was a bit of a silver lining to that cloud in hindsight. We went at it and trained really hard, and the players are really buzzing now. The temperature has been raised in training as well - you can feel that every night. So needless to say, the girls can’t wait to get out in Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Saturday evening.”
The occasion itself should be riveting. The Camogie Association and the GAA are increasingly collaborating to arrange such double-headers, which can only be regarded as a good thing. Cork’s battle with Tipperary in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship at 7.00pm might be the showpiece spectacle, but the curtain-raiser could prove just as exciting. Waterford and Tipperary are two teams with lofty ambitions and a burning desire to clasp some silverware. Get ready for a cracker.