WITH GALWAY AND Cork safely through to the All-Ireland senior camogie semi-finals, all eyes will be on Semple Stadium this Saturday to discover who will be joining them in the final four of the competition.
The opening game of the double-header will see Waterford face Limerick while Kilkenny and Dublin will do battle in the second quarter-final clash.
A quick turnaround will follow for the victors as both All-Ireland semi-finals are billed for a Croke Park double-header on 23 July.
Limerick v Waterford
Following a three-point win over the 2021 All-Ireland intermediate champions Antrim, Limerick have progressed to the quarter-final stage as third-placed finishers in Group 2.
Prior to that win, Limerick’s 2022 form had been patchy. They suffered relegation from Division 1 earlier in the year following a 13-point defeat to Offaly in the play-off. They subsequently lost their opening round of the Munster championship and struggled in the early stages of the All-Ireland series. They lost their first two Group 2 against Galway and Kilkenny before reviving their season with victories over Offaly and Down.
John Lillis’ side trailed Antrim by 1-7 to 1-5 at half-time in their final group game at Corrigan Park, but they gradually took control in the second half. A Caoimhe Lyons goal pushed Limerick into the lead and the Shannonsiders scored the last five points of the game to secure their safe passage to the quarter-finals.
For their upcoming opponents Waterford, they come into this tie as the runners-up in Group 1 behind Cork. Their progress to this point is backboned by wins over Clare, Tipperary and an emphatic win over Wexford in May. They lost out to Dublin in their Group 1 opener, and were six points short when they came up against last year’s All-Ireland finalists Cork.
The Déise are an experienced outfit who are competing in their fifth All-Ireland quarter-final in-a-row. However, they suffered defeat in the previous four outings and will be looking to make the breakthrough against Limerick and reach their first ever senior semi-final.
Kilkenny v Dublin
Scoring difference is all that kept Brian Dowling’s Kilkenny from progressing straight into the semi-finals as Group 2 winners. Their report card from the group stage is almost identical to defending All-Ireland champions Galway: four wins, zero loses and one draw. That draw occurred when the sides clashed in Athenry earlier this month.
A 61st minute point from Áine Keane ensured the draw for the Tribeswomen, and a ticket to the last four of the All-Ireland championship on account of their superior scoring difference. After losing out to Cork in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final, Kilkenny will have one eye on putting those ghosts to rest this year. They will go into their meeting with Dublin as overwhelming favourites.
Their steady consistency is all the more impressive after being rocked by some key losses in personnel this year. Davina Tobin and Collette Dormer have retired while Meighan Farrell is away travelling.
Tight margins determined the winner for third spot in Group 1, with Dublin narrowly coming out on top. Tipperary were in the running for it, and earned a one-point win over Cork in their final game of the series. But Adrian O’Sullivan’s Dublin edged over the line thanks to a 10-point victory against Wexford which propelled them into the quarter-finals on scoring difference.
They will face a significant challenge against such a camogie powerhouse, but the team has made considerable progress since O’Sullivan’s appointment last year.
Dublin, who reached the All-Ireland semi-finals in 2017, have retained some of the stars of that campain including captain Hannah Hegarty, Aisling Maher, Emma Flanagan and Ali Twomey. They also enthusiastic operators of the calibre of Niamh Gannon, the Couch siblings Gaby and Jody, and Issy Davis around them, and a potential superstar of the code in Aisling O’Neill which will give Kilkenny plenty to think about in Thurles.
With reporting from Daragh Ó Conchúir
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