Fit again Kennedy and Quirke driven to succeed

By Thomas Conway

It is always easy, perhaps even tempting, to dismiss the league as an irrelevancy. It is, after all, merely a side show - often an entertaining one, but a competition without any real competitive edge. Teams use it to test players, to experiment with formations, to develop a structural framework for down the line, when the real action begins. Notwithstanding all of that, this season’s league could tell us a lot about Tipperary.

Think about it. There’s a new managerial team in town, two new joint captains, and the panel has been refreshed to include a variety of emerging young talents. Tipp are a different force to what they were in 2022. At least it looks that way, from the outside.

But are they really? Only time will tell. Tipp’s two new joint captains, Clodagh Quirke and Karen Kennedy, certainly believe that this year’s incarnation of the Tipperary senior camogie team is a different prospect to last year’s side, in terms of both style and personnel.

Both players experienced injury setbacks in 2022, but they’ve bounced back to lead the 2023 squad and have every intention of hoisting silverware above their heads before the season is out.

Kennedy, in particular, feels that something has changed within the camp. Training is going well, she says. Now she would say that, wouldn’t she? But there’s a sense of sincerity to her answer. The Thurles Sarsfields club woman sounds convincing and enthusiastic.

“I think there’s a really good buzz around the panel this year,” Kennedy said.

“Everyone is looking forward to going to training each night, and really enjoying it as well. The sessions are very tough, but that’s what you want, you want that competitive edge to training. Everyone is just trying to get better and tough training sessions are the only way to do that.”

Training is one thing, matches are another. And when it comes to this year’s league campaign, Tipp’s fixture list is absolutely stacked. The Premier will open their account against Galway in The Ragg this Saturday, before an away trip to Dublin the following weekend, and a home bout against Cork a fortnight later.

The games will come thick and fast and it isn’t going to be easy. Galway will want to atone for last year’s semi-final loss, Dublin are always a tricky prospect at home, and Cork will still be stinging from last year’s All-Ireland final defeat to Kilkenny.

However, as Clodagh Quirke highlights, Tipp will only relish the challenges posed by such opposition. The Clonoulty/Rossmore club woman is craving competitive fixtures - a craving which will be nicely satisfied over the next several weeks.

“If you want to be the best and win, you have to play the best and beat them,” Quirke said.

“I think getting a good block of hard matches in during the league, and getting to try different girls in different positions, that will help us along that road. Tough games are exactly what we’re looking for at this point of the season.”

Tipp now have youth on their side. They’ve added an array of exciting young prospects to the panel, none of whom will be intimidated by such opposition either. The young guns have, in effect, refreshed the panel, as Quirke indicates.

“I think the younger players have brought a real freshness to the group,” Quirke added.

“Obviously, we still have a few older girls there, but the younger ones have really been driving us on. They have great pace, they have great energy, and they just create a really nice vibe amongst the squad.”

Whether that nice vibe translates into successful performances remains to be seen, but the next few weeks will reveal all. Tipp are priming themselves for the championship, but make no mistake, this league campaign is of serious importance to them. Watch this space.