Tipp driven to take Galway scalp
CAMOGIE: Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 1 Round 3 Preview
By Shane Brophy
GALWAY v TIPPERARY
Kenny Park, Athenry
Sunday, 27th June
Throw-in @ 3.30pm
Referee: Barry Nea (Westmeath)
Tipperary might be sitting bottom of the group going into the final round of games in phase one of the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship but it wouldn’t take much for the Premier to rise to a position of progressing directly to the semi-finals should they get the better of Galway on Sunday.
This year’s new format sees all four teams in group 1, made of up of last year’s semi-finalists, with all guaranteed progression to the knockout stages. The top two teams will progress directly to the semi-finals which will be played at FBD Semple Stadium on Saturday, 25th July so is a great carrot for Tipp to go after.
Despite three point defeats to Waterford and Cork in their first two games, James Heffernan’s charges hopes of finishing in the top two spots remain realistic, needing to start with a win away to defending All-Ireland champions Galway, but also requires Cork to defeat Waterford and while Tipp make up six points on the Deise in the process.
The only thing Tipperary can control is their own game and they will be searching for a win to take into a quarter final, if that is their route, but that has its own carrot with it being in Croke Park as curtain-raiser to one of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling semi-finals on July 4th & 5th, against either Kilkenny or Clare who are leading the way in the group 2 standings.
Tipperary’s hopes of getting the win will be boosted by the return of Caoimhe Stakelum who sat out the first two championship games due to the Leaving Cert exams.
However, captain Caoimhe McCarthy (broken finger) and Karen Kennedy (calf injury) remain doubts and with this game not the be-all and end-all for Tipp’s championship hopes, it would be a risk ahead of a possible quarter final six or seven days on.
All three players were missing for the defeat to Cork, where Tipp played very well but came up against a more dominant Rebellette attack, and certainly that level of performance is something manager James Heffernan will hope to match or likely improve on if they are to claim a big away win.