It’s the beginning of the Munster Championship for the Clare Senior Camogie team as they travel to the Ragg to take on Waterford and a big display is required from the Banner.
Clare vs Waterford 11/04/15 at 15:00 in The Ragg
Following a very disappointing League campaign, all involved in Clare camogie know that a win is essential this weekend not just to prolong their stay in the Munster Championship but also to boost morale in the camp. Clare only have one win to their names in 2015, that coming against the basement side of their League group, Derry. One win out of four games is bad but the worrying thing is the performances given by the Clare girls, while they were two points adrift from the Dubs at the final whistle, Clare if they are true to themselves, will know that they should be beating Dublin. In their last outing, less than a week ago, Clare suffered a seventeen point defeat to Kilkenny. One year can make an awful difference and that is quiet evident in Clare Camogie circles, the Banner reached the National League final in 2014 while twelve months on it’s a stark contrast as Colm Honan’s side finished fourth in a group of five teams.
Although they are competing in a lower division of the IDS National Camogie League, Waterford have momentum behind them. Five games and five wins is what the stats will tell you about the Waterford Senior Camogie team in 2015. Manager Seán Fleming has a new look squad for this year and so far so good for the Déise. In Division 2 they have faced poorer quality of opposition in comparison to their Clare counterparts, but the difference is Waterford are winning and have real confidence in the camp, the type of confidence that only comes with winning. They are still in the hunt for the League with a semi-final date with Kildare looming while Laois play Kilkenny on the other side of the draw. A number of Waterford’s players are no strangers to success having featured on various WIT panels that have claimed the Ashbourne Cup down through the years.
For their first Munster outing, Clare are without experienced defender Roisin McMahon but they welcome back captain, Kate Lynch who was absent for the thrashing handed out by Kilkenny. Clare will be looking to Chloe Morey, Maire McGrath, Naomi Carroll, Niamh O’Dea, Orlaith Duggan and Laura McMahon to set the standard. Waterford will be counting on Patricia Jackman, Jennie Simpson, Claire Whyte, Aisling O’Brien, Shona Curran and Jenny McCarthy to cause an upset. Once Clare get a run together, anything could happen, the big thing is to get that run on the road, a win on Saturday could do just that.
