Camogie focus shifts to Club Championship start

By Geraldine Kinane PRO

The dust has firmly settled on the inter-county camogie scene and attention now turns to the eagerly anticipated Tipperary Club Championships.

This is the third year of FBD Insurance’s sponsorship of the camogie club championship and since they have come on board it has really elevated the competitions to new levels as the interest and attendances at games has rocketed in recent years. As has the competition on the field which each grade keenly contested and producing classic encounters week in week out with 2023 expected to be no different.

Senior

The senior championship involves two groups of five with the top four teams in each group reaching quarter finals.

Group 1 – Drom & Inch, Burgess/Duharra, Nenagh Eire Og, Silvermines, Thurles Sarsfields

Group 2 – Clonoulty/Rossmore, Knockavilla Kickhams, Borris-Ileigh, Cashel King Cormacs, Eire Og Annacarty

Drom & Inch’s bid for five county titles in a row suffered a huge setback recently with the news that county goalkeeper Caoimhe Bourke suffered a cruciate ligament tear ruling her out for the season. One of Drom’s top players, her loss will be immense as she has produced some of the standout moments of the championship in recent years. They still have huge talent in the McGrath sisters Aoife & Eimear, Niamh Treacy and Mairead Eviston but whether they can cope with the loss of Bourke, along with keeping the hunger and drive going for another season remains to be seen.

Clonoulty/Rossmore have posed their biggest threat in recent years pushing them all the way in last year’s final. Younger players such as Kate Ferncombe and Lorna Ryan are improving with every season and along with the more experienced Cait Devane, Courtney Ryan, Clodagh Quirke and Eimer Loughman they will be hoping 2023 is the year they can finally make the breakthrough.

Eire Og Annacarty and Cashel King Cormacs both reached last year’s semi-final and boast plenty of county talent. Annacarty’s Ciannait Walsh and Jean Kelly in particular had great years with the Tipp juniors while for Cashel Karin Blair cemented her place in Denis the senior starting team. Cashel can also call on the experience and talents of Una O’Dwyer and Philly Fogarty but it’s whether Irish senior hockey talent Caoimhe Perdue is available that could be the difference ing going one step further and reaching a final in 2023.

Outside of last year’s top 4 are Thurles Sarsfields, Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams, Silvermines, Burgess/Duharra and Nenagh Eire Og – five teams more than capable of beating any team in the championship on a given day. Kickhams will be stronger with the return of Caoimhe McCarthy from injury, Sarsfields have arguably the best player in Tipp in Karen Kennedy while Silvermines had strong representation on the Tipperary junior panel this year.

The final team to key a watchful eye on is Borris-Ileigh who put down a serious marker by winning the league earlier in the year to continue their winning ways after Intermediate championship success in 2022. Julieanne Bourke, Tess Ryan, and Nicole Walsh are household names with Tipp seniors while Katie Fitzgerald was key to Tipperary Juniors great run to an All-Ireland final. A fascinating championship awaits.

Intermediate

Boherlahan-Dualla, Cahir, Kilruane MacDonaghs, Moneygall, Newport/Ballinahinch, Shannon Rovers, Toomevara

Seven teams will contest the Intermediate championship with the top four teams making the semi-finals.

Kilruane MacDonagh’s pushed winners Borris-Ileigh all the way in last year’s final, losing after extra time. Lisa Cahill will be key for them in defence while Laura Shinners was a huge goal getter last year.

Shannon Rovers have been runners-up in recent years and with Aine Slattery, Celine Guinan, Niamh Franks, Aoife McLoughney, and Laura Leenane they will be strong contenders again this year. They were beaten earlier in the year in the league final by a very impressive Toomevara who in Jill Anne Quirke and Gemma McCarthy have two of the top forwards in this year’s championship.

Moneygall will relish the opportunity to make a big impact in their first year back at intermediate level, and with Mary Ryan, Niamh Larkin, and Julie Kirwan, they have plenty of talent.

Newport/Ballinahinch were unlucky not to reach a final last year but have lost Keeley Lenihan to travels from last year’s starting fifteen while her sister Abbie continues to struggle with an ankle injury. They will look to Saoirse McGrath and Caroline Mullaney to lead their bid for glory.

Roisin Howard had an excellent year with Tipperary this year and will be key to Cahir’s chances. They put in some brilliant performances last year but lost out in some tight games.

Boherlahan-Dualla will also be hoping for a big impact this year having had a debut season last year. Clodagh Horgan impressed for the Tipp juniors this year while Paula Quirke, Danielle Ryan and Anna Murphy are other key players to look out for.

Junior ‘A’

Group 1 consists of Brian Borus, Kiladangan, Templemore, Drom & Inch and Lorrha while Ballina, St Rita’s Fethard, Moycarkey/Borris and Holycross/Ballycahill make up group 2.

Brian Borus, led by Tipperary junior player Eimer Myles, will be hoping they can go one step further this year but will also be well aware of the threat all the clubs in this grade pose.

Holycross/Ballycahill defeated Kiladangan in the league final, after a replay, and both are likely to do well in the championship. Moycarkey/Borris while only coming up from Junior ‘B’ have huge potential with lots of underage talent such as Amy Callanan, Kate Ralph, and Sarah Corcoran. Clodagh McIntrye will be Lorrha’s key player while Templemore, Drom & Inch and Ballina will be a handful for any opposition.

Junior ‘B’

With Moycarkey/Borris the standout team promoted to Junior ‘A’, the eight other clubs will be confident of doing really well while Clonoulty/Rossmore who won last year’s Junior ‘B2’ will also look to handle the step up well.

Having been beaten in last year’s final, Portroe set out their intentions early this year capturing the Junior ‘B’ league. Trish O’Halloran is their main player at centre back while Aisling Sheedy, Yasmin Madden and Grace Mulrooney are others who impressed last year. Gortnahoe/Glengoole, Carrick Swans, Ballingarry, Moyle Rovers, Silvermines, Cashel King Cormacs, and St Cronan’s make up the remaining teams.

Junior ‘B2’

Shannon Rovers were beaten finalists in 2023 and if they don’t lose too many players to their intermediate team, they will be serious contenders again this year. Others who have come close to winning this competition since its formation include Eire Og Annacarty and Toomevara. Borris-Ileigh have entered a team this year while Burgess/Duharra and Holycross/Ballycahill reached the league final, which Holycross won indicating the strength of both clubs. While Brian Borus who continue to grow from strength to strength also have a second adult team competing.

Junior ‘C’

Only three teams contest the newly formed Junior ‘C’ championship, namely Ballybacon/Grange, Rockwell Rovers and Slieve Felim Rapparees. It will be Rockwell Rovers and Slieve Felim’s first time ever competing in the Adult Championship having earlier competed in the league.

All three clubs have put in huge work since their formation and have enjoyed success at juvenile level so it’s no surprise that they have reached this stage. Ballybacon/Grange are a bit further down the road in their development and won the league earlier in the year but only after a close battle with Rockwell Rovers.

It should prove to be a another closely fought competition that will go right down to the wire.