By Daragh Ó Conchúir
After Groups 1 and 3 got the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship under way last weekend, it’s the turn of the four Group 2 teams to get up and running.
SATURDAY, JUNE 10TH
GLEN DIMPLEX ALL-IRELAND SENIOR CAMOGIE CHAMPIONSHIP GROUP 2
Tipperary v Dublin, The Ragg, 5pm
Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)
An interesting encounter between a Tipperary team buoyed by securing a resounding victory in the Munster final over Clare last month, and a Dublin side that only failed narrowly to overcome All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the Leinster decider.
Both teams have new managers this season. Denis Kelly stepped up in Tipp having been part of long-serving Bill Mullaney’s coaching group. They had a largely positive League campaign that began with victory over subsequent champions Galway. They needed to beat Kilkenny to make the League final, which would have been their first national final since 2009, but fell narrowly short.
Gerry McQuaid was named originally as a selector, ironically to Tipp native Paul Kelly, but wound up taking up the mantle himself. Early preparations were far from ideal and Dublin suffered some heavy defeats in the League but by the time it concluded, they had improved significantly, even if it wasn’t enough to stave off relegation.
Their provincial form has continued that progress and with these outfits having a history of close encounters – they drew 12 months ago – we can expect a fierce battle.
Kilkenny v Wexford, UPMC Nowlan Park, 6pm
Referee: Andy Larkin (Cork)
Live on https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialCamogie/streams
Kilkenny never contended in the League after losing their first two games, but in beating Tipperary to deny their neighbours a place in the final, the All-Ireland champions illustrated their enduring class.
Player of the year, Miriam Walsh is a huge loss after suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury early in the season, while Mary O’Connell has gone travelling this year. However, the Doyle sisters, Kellyann and Aoife, who were stars of the 2020 All-Ireland success, are back after missing last year’s victorious campaign with their own cruciate injuries while Brian Dowling has introduced a number of young players to the panel.
Oulart-The Ballagh’s All-Ireland-winning supremo, Colin Sunderland is in his first season as Wexford manager and has overseen some change himself in the Yellowbelly ranks. They only found Waterford too strong for them in the Division 1B final of the League and in the likes of former All-Star Sarah O’Connor, Ciara Storey, Chloe Foxe and Anais Curran, possess more than enough talent to be a factor.
