Tough Championship schedule for Tipp Seniors
By Shane Brophy
Tipperary have been handed a tough schedule to the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship.
With the start of the Very National League still just over a week away on February 15, it is all building to the All-Ireland Championship which begins in May.
A change to the format this year sees the ten senior teams split into a group of six (Kilkenny, Limerick, Offaly, Wexford, Clare & Dublin) and a group of four (Galway, Cork, Waterford & Tipperary) last years All-Ireland semi-finalists.
Tipperary will begin their All-Ireland campaign on 6-7 June away to arch nemesis Waterford. A week later, they host Munster rivals Cork, before concluding away to All-Ireland champions Galway.
The group of six will play a round-robin of five games beginning on 23/24 May with the top two teams progressing to the quarter finals, along with the teams that finish third and fourth in the group of 4, with the top two teams in that section progressing straight to the semi-finals.
The quarter finals will be played on the same bill as the All-Ireland senior hurling semi-finals on July 4th & 5th with the semi-finals on Saturday, 25th July with the All-Ireland Final at Croke Park on Sunday, 9th August.
Before that, the National League will get underway on 14-15 February with Tipperary in division 1, away to Antrim. A week later, Tipp will be on the road again, this time with a much shorter trip to Kilkenny. A two week break follows before they resume on 7-8 March when they host All-Ireland champions Galway, before a week later they travel to defending league champions Cork. The group stage will conclude on 21/22 March when Tipp host Waterford. The top two teams will progress to the league final which will be played on the weekend of 11-12 April.
The straight knockout Munster Championship sees Tipperary start off with a quarter final against Cork at FBD Semple Stadium on Sunday, 19th April, as curtain-raiser to the Munster senior hurling championship opener between the same counties.