Tipp aim to show their best in front of big crowd

CAMOGIE: Munster Senior Championship Quarter Final Preview

By Joe Scully

TIPPERARY v LIMERICK

FBD Semple Stadium

Sunday, 20th April

Throw-in @ 2.00pm (E.T.)

The Hurling and Camogie provisional championships get underway next Sunday and once again Munster GAA and Munster Camogie have combined to provide a double-header treat at FBD Semple Stadium as Tipperary and Limerick clash in both codes.

First up is the clash of Tipperary and Limerick in the quarter final of the Munster Senior Camogie Championship.

Both sides come into the game after mixed fortunes in both their respective league campaigns. Tipperary finished third in Division 1A after losing their last two games and just missing out on a place in the final, while for Limerick they finished fourth in Division 1B.

Tipperary will start the game as firm favourites but will have to guard against complacency against a Limerick side who have been making progress particularly in the underage ranks in recent years.

Tipperary manager Denis Kelly is looking forward to the task ahead and is hopeful of his side giving a good account of themselves in Munster and will be taking the competition serious ahead of the All-Ireland championship.

“We would like to give it a proper go,” admitted the Toomevara native.

“We have had a few weeks off now after the league and have had a good chance to get a decent bit of training, which can be hard during the league, because it’s match on match.

“We are happy with the way things have gone, and the girls are raring to go for the Munster championship and the quarter final next Sunday.”

They come into the game with no real injury worries apart from Mairead Eviston but Kelly excepts her to be ok.

“We should have a full panel to pick from, although Mairead Eviston took a bit of a knock, a dead leg, and sometimes they can be slow coming back, but we hope she will be ok, she’s the only doubt we have, with everyone else fit and raring to go.”

The Borris-Ileigh clubman is also delighted to have star players Karen Kennedy and Karin Blair back in the mix and says both will play Sunday after both making their first appearances of the year in the last league game against Waterford.

“We will definitely have to give them gametime,” Kelly added.

“We’re trying to give them as much game time as we can coming into the championship, they did well the last day and hope they can continue to do well.”

The chance to play at Semple Stadium is something the whole team and management are really looking forward to and Kelly thinks it will be a special occasion for his side to play in front of a big crowd.

“It’s not often we get to play there as most of our home games are in the camogie grounds, but there’s nothing like playing in Semple Stadium, and the girls would have dreamed of playing there growing up no doubt,” Kelly said.

Sunday should be a real spectacle, and the atmosphere promises to be electric, so everyone should get in early and watch what should be a very entertaining game of camogie.