All new for Tipp in Under 23 Camogie start
CAMOGIE: All-Ireland Under 23 Championship Preview
By Joe Scully
GALWAY v TIPPERARY
Kenny Park, Athenry
Saturday, 24th May
Throw-in @ 2.00pm
Tipperary travel to Athenry to take on Galway in the opening round of the inaugural All-Ireland Under 23 Camogie Championship this Saturday.
With second teams not allowed to take part in intermediate and junior championships any more, this new competition allows counties to develop more players.
Having lost the Munster Final to Cork after extra-time, a few weeks ago, Saturday is an opportunity for the Premier Ladies to get back up and running, in what promises to be a very competitive All-Ireland competition, which also includes Kilkenny, Cork, and Waterford.
Tipperary manager Bill Mullaney is looking forward to the competition, which he feels will be of huge benefit to the players, even if the announcement of the competition at the start of the year came as a bit of a surprise to all involved.
“Look, it came as a bit of a surprise to us all in a way, like we had won the Junior last year, and were excepting to go up to Intermediate this year,” he began.
“The competition was kind of landed on us, but look it’s new, and the principle is to develop players and getting them prepared for Senior level, and it should be a good platform from that perspective.
“I would have issues, however, with the timing of the competition, because if your developing players between the ages of 18 and 23, and it’s on in May and June, like 18 and 19-year-olds are preparing for the Leaving Cert in June, and the older girls all will have college exams this time of year, so maybe the adaption of the competition could have been better.
“Another small gripe I would have, and it would only be a small one, is how the Camogie Association don’t seem to be pushing the competition either. It’s the second-tier level for Division 1 counties and you would think they would be advertising it a lot more.”
On Saturday’s game against Galway, Mullaney knows it will be a tough one for his side, but is also feels it’s hard to know where any team stands ahead of championship.
“There’s a bit of the unknown about the competition, but there will be no easy games throughout,” he added.
“They are all Division 1 sides, and no matter who we will be meeting it will be a tough ask.
“As I said it’s a new competition, and we’re all learning from day one, to see where we’re all at.
“We would have a decent record over Galway over the years, but we know it will be hard, but look we wouldn’t want it any other way, it’s all about development, and seeing where we are at this level. The girls are really looking forward to and getting going, and they know it will be tough, but they are up for the challenge ahead.”
The Newport/Ballinahinch clubman is hoping lessons will be learned from the Munster Final defeat and hopes the work put in since then will help, particularly the challenge games played, in the hope the players will have got more experience.
“One of the big lessons we took from the Cork game was we needed to give more time and experience to the panel,” Mullaney revealed.
“We are a very young panel, we have a lot of players only 18 and 19, so we went back and were thinking about it after the Cork game, and we did well to get Cork to extra time, we just felt like we were very young and lacked a bit of experience, particularly when we had chances, and we didn’t take them or took the wrong option.
“But we went away and played a few challenges to get as much game time into the girls as possible before the championship starts.”
Tipperary panel: Paula Quirke (Boherlahan-Dualla); Ava Bevans, Aoife Fitzgerald, Emma Kelly (Borris-Ileigh); Hannah Butler, Anna Fahie, Lily Fahie, Grace Moloney (Cashel King Cormacs); Katie Ferncombe, Lorna Ryan (Clonoulty/Rossmore); Maria Connolly (Drom & Inch); Jennifer Heffernan, Aoife Dwyer, Orla O’Brien, Eva O’Dwyer (Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill); Ciara Gleeson (Gortnahoe/Glengoole); Aoife Gleeson (Kiladangan); Ali O’Kelly (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Caoimhe McCormack (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams); Ciara Shelly (Moycarkey/Borris); Eabha Dolan (Moyle Rovers); Aoife Mellerick (Newport/Ballinahinch); Eimear Fogarty, Niamh Franks, Aine Slattery (Shannon Rovers); Miriam Murphy (Silvermines); Shona McBride (Templemore)
Management: Bill Mullaney (Newport/Ballinahinch); Grainne O’Leary & Bobby Carrigan (Ballybacon/Grange); Jordan Donovan (Roscrea), Carmel Bradshaw (Ballina); Bridget Bourke (Drom & Inch); Colette Murray (Thurles Sarsfields)