Cork punishment hands Tipp a tougher semi-final

CAMOGIE: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Under 23 Championship Semi-Final

By Joe Scully

CORK v TIPPERARY

Cork Camogie Grounds, Mahon

Saturday, 28th June

Throw-in @ 2.00pm (E.T.)

Referee: Brian Kearney (Kildare)

Tipperary and Cork will go head-to-head in the All-Ireland Under 23 Camogie Championship semi-final this Saturday.

In the inaugural year of the competition, it will be the third time the sides have meet this year with Cork coming out victorious on both previous occasions.

The sides first meeting came in the Munster Final in April, a game that was eventually decided after extra time, Cork’s fitness telling and they ended up winning by a ten-point margin.

The second meeting between the sides in the group stages of the All-Ireland Championship earlier this month was a lot different as Cork showed their class and extra experience, blowing Tipperary away, winning by a comprehensive twenty point margin.

Cork head into the game having won all four games in the group stage but incurred a three-point deduction in their victory over Kilkenny, after an alleged substitution infringement, and saw the three points awarded to Kilkenny, but still finish atop of the group.

That impacted Tipperary as it saw Kilkenny climb above the Premier in the table to set up a semi-final against Galway with Tipp having the tougher clash with the unbeaten Cork.

However, Tipperary come into this game on the back of two wins in a row following over Waterford, their best display of the competition, winning by a seventeen-point margin, and then a hard fought four-point win over Kilkenny in their final game of the group, after losing their opening two games to Galway and Cork.

Cork, who will have home advantage, go in as clear favourites and will fancy their chances of adding the first ever All-Ireland Under 23 title to the Munster title.

It will take some effort for any of the sides left in the competition to stop them, however, Tipperary can take some hope with the knowledge they brought this Cork team to extra time in the Munster Final, and while the game got away from them, they showed in the first hour that they can put it up to The Rebelettes.

It’s a Tipperary side that is very young with a lot of the squad just out of the minor grade, ten or so players still under the age of twenty, whereas the Cork side has a lot more experience to it.

If Tipperary are to win they will need big performances from the likes of goalkeeper Aine Slattery who has shown great form in goals behind full-back Maria Connolly, while further up the field the likes of top-scorer Aoife Dwyer will need to be on top form, and also Danielle Ryan who has been excellent throughout will need to bring her a game as well as her colleague in the full forward line in Hannah Butler, while they will also need a strong team performance.

One thing this Tipperary side is not short on is spirit and heart, and if they can show the spirit they have shown in most of their outings so far they will give Cork a fair game and who knows, and with former senior manager and All-Ireland Premier Junior winning manager Bill Mullaney at the helm, they won’t lack belief.