By Daragh Ó Conchúir
After a scintillating opening to the Very Camogie League that saw Clare defeat All-Ireland champions Kilkenny by 2-7 to 0-11 at Cusack Park, less than 24 hours after Tipperary had beaten Division 1A titleholders Galway by 4-9 to 1-9, there is a considerable amount at stake when the Cats cross swords with the Tribeswomen at UPMC Nowlan Park in round two.
It has ten years since one or other of these teams has not taken the spring-time honours, with Cork, who strolled to a 3-17 to 0-5 victory over Dublin at MTU Cork last weekend, claimed their 16th title in 2013 and the 2020 competition falling foul of Covid-19 with an unfortunate Tipperary already booked for a final spot at the expense of Galway.
There is still, of course, a strong possibility of one of these superpowers still prevailing but it will certainly be a tough mountain to climb if there is a loser in Kilkenny, with three games remaining.
In contrast, Tipperary will want to back up their great start under new manager Denis Kelly against Dublin, who their new boss Gerry McQuaid will be looking to show some improvement at Parnell Park.
John Carmody is also on a first year but this is his second stint in charge of Clare and he will be delighted with the opportunity for his charges to further illustrate their improved readiness to be competitive at the highest level at Páirc Uí Rinn.
VERY CAMOGIE LEAGUE DIVISION 1A, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25TH
Dublin v Tipperary, Parnell Park, 2pm
Referee: Ray Kelly (Kildare)
It was a chastening opening for the Dubs as they conceded 2-7 before the scored in the first half against Cork. They were better in the second half, Aisling Maher providing leadership and the team generally playing with far greater intensity. They will need to pick it up because Tipp were not flattered to beat Galway, scoring four goals and conceding one from an individual error as it was from a long-distance free. They were able to leave Cáit Devane and Mary Ryan on the bench, with Devane making a second-half appearance, which is indicative of a healthy depth.
McQuaid will relish having more time with his players, having had to do without so many of them through club and college commitments, but Tipp are a lot further down the line having had a consistency of improvement and a consistency of management and messaging under previous boss Bill Mullaney.
Cork v Clare, Páirc Uí Rinn, 3pm
Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford)
Clare will love nothing more than to be underdogs again despite their stunning two-point victory over Kilkenny last weekend. Their strength in the final quarter, after the Noresiders had gone ahead for the first time in the game was notable, Áine O’Loughlin’s goal propelling them to that famous success.
These sides met in last year’s Munster Final, and Matthew Twomey’s crew needed two periods of extra time to edge it. So they would have been prepared for a battle here, even before last weekend.
Twomey has spoken of implementing a different game plan for Cork and how that unfolds will be of interest. They looked sharp against Dublin but will face far sterner resistance this weekend.
Kilkenny v Galway, UPMC Nowlan Park, 3pm
Referee: Andy Larkin (Cork)
Live stream on https://camogie.ie/news/very-camogie-leagues-live-stream/
Even without the context of where they lie after their first-round losses, this is one to look forward to because of the wonderful rivalry between the sides of the years that has provided us with countless feasts of entertainment. They drew in one of the best games you could ever wish to see in the round-robin stages of the Championship in Athenry last year while Kilkenny edged the All-Ireland semi-final subsequently and succeeded the Maroons as champs.
Galway are down a lot of players but Cathal Murray has a history of rewarding League form come the summer. Kilkenny have most of the big names around but looked like they would improve for the run, to use a horseracing term.
Wherever they are at this early juncture of the season, these teams can still call upon far too many competitors for this to be anything but a fiercely-fought affair.
