Can chasing pack deny Sarsfield a back-to-back?

CAMOGIE: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Championship Preview

By Joe Scully

With the inter-county season now over, it’s time for the clubs to take centre stage, and this weekend the Tipperary Senior Camogie Championship gets underway with ten teams setting out for what they hope will be a successful campaign.

At the start of any championship campaign, all teams will feel like they have a chance of winning silverware, but as the year goes on for most of teams the dream will fade.

Once again, there are two groups of five, but unlike last year, only three teams will come out of each group, with the top team in both groups qualifying straight to the semi-finals, while the second and third placed teams go into the quarter finals. The fourth and fifth in the groups will go into the relegation playoffs.

Group 1

Thurles Sarsfields

Defending champions Thurles Sarsfields are favourites to go back-to-back, who according to last year’s captain Emer Kennedy, won’t be feeling any extra pressure despite coming in as defending champions.

“It’s a clean slate this year as far as we’re concerned, we will just be taking it game by game, and week by week,” she said at the launch of the County Championship recently.

“We are in a tough group but at the same time both groups are tough and there will be no easy games.”

She also said the team have been really putting in the work since the end of the league and are looking forward to the start of the championship.

Burgess/Duharra

The former seven in-a-row champions will be looking to win a first title since 2018 but will have to do so without their star player Caoimhe Maher who will be out for the year after rupturing her ACL while playing for Tipperary in the All-Ireland senior quarter final last month.

They will be looking to the likes of Jenny Grace, if around, as she was travelling in South America earlier in the year, as well as Iris Grace, Malwina Dziewiatkia and Kaitlin O’Halloran if they are to bring the glory days back to the club and go further than a quarter final as they did last year.

Cashel King Cormacs

will be led by Karin Blair, off the back of another excellent season for Tipperary, and will be hoping to do a lot better this year after been involved in the relegation final in the last campaign, having only been minutes away from qualifying for the final in 2024.

The former two-time All-Ireland club champions have been up and down the last four years, having also been in relegation battle in 2023, after been beaten in the semifinal in 2022 so they will be hoping that something similar happens again this year.

Moneygall

now in their second-year senior will be looking to maybe push on from a quarter final last year and will be looking to the likes of Mairead Teehan who excelled for Offaly this year as well as Edwina King, Mary Ryan and Orlaith Treacy if they are to have an impact this year.

Moycarkey/Borris

having finally won the intermediate title last year will be confident of retaining their status as a senior club and with the likes of Kate Ralph in their ranks will cause problems for a lot of teams.

Group 2

Clonoulty/Rossmore

come in looking to avenge last year’s final defeat and regain the title they won the previous year after years of heartbreak.

They will be boosted by the return of Clodagh Quirke after missing all last year through injury, and with the likes of Eimear Loughman, Casey Hennessy Sarah Fryday, Kate Ferncombe and of course Cait Devane in the squad they will go very close once again.

Drom & Inch

will be chomping at the bith after a couple of disappointing years, and for Ciara Cahill who was Tipperary minor captain this year and also an All-star winner, the aim is to get back to a final.

“The last two years have been very disappointing, and the aim for the year is to get back to a county final and win it again,” she said at the championship launch.

Eimear McGrath being back from the start of the championship this year after missing half of last year and being fully fit will be a huge boost for the former champions.

Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams

will be hoping their year doesn’t go the same way as previous semi-finalists, after Borris-Ileigh ended up, being relegated the year after being in a semi-final and Cashel who ended up in a relegation final a year later.

But, with the likes of Tipperary captain Caoimhe McCarthy and Eimear Heffernan they will be looking to build on the momentum of last year and get back to another semi-final.

Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill

County star Jean Kelly is hoping for another good year for the West side.

“We’re looking to push on again this year and looking to get out of the group stages again,” she said.

“Last year was a decent year, but unlucky with injuries we had a couple of girls pick up cruciate injuries and one with a bad shoulder injury, so hopefully we can stay injury free this year and have a real go at the championship.”

Silvermines

come in looking to build on last year and making the quarter finals, really showing a lot of promise and will fancy their chances yet again, and with the likes of Maeve & Niamh Cunneen, Sarah Madden and Miriam Murphy among their ranks they have plenty of young talent coming through anything is possible for the mountain side.

Overview

While Thurles Sarsfields and Clonoulty/Rossmore look like the teams to beat, the other eight sides will fancy their chances, with Drom & Inch and Knockavilla looking to go one step further than last year, or could we see a team come from nowhere and claim the glory?