Divided loyalties for Brian Dowling as big Saturday games collide

It will be a testing few hours on Saturday for St Kieran’s and Kilkenny camogie boss Brian Dowling as his two teams both play big games almost simultaneously.

St Kieran’s are in the All-Ireland Croke Cup semi-final where they will meet Harty Cup winners Cashel Community School in St Brendan’s Park, Birr where there will be a 12.45pm start.

The last four affair is the first of a double-header at the Offaly venue that also sees Thurles CBS and Presentation College, Athenry battle it out for a place in the St Patrick’s Day Croke Park decider.

St Kieran’s will be looking to return to GAA HQ after losing out in last year’s All-Ireland Final to Limerick school Ardscoil Rís.
The final whistle will have barely sounded in that game before it’s throw-in time in the Very Camogie League clash between Kilkenny and Dublin, a mere 150km away in Parnell Park.

Dowling’s Kilkenny side have lost their opening two games of the Division 1A campaign and they will be hoping to get their season up and running against their Leinster neighbours.

Dublin are also pointless after defeats against Cork and Tipperary so the loser of Saturday’s encounter will be in a big relegation battle over the coming weeks.

As it stands it’s unknown as to where the school teacher will base himself for the afternoon in what is a very unfortunate situation and it’s a real pity that Dowling is being forced to pick one team over the other.

Whatever decision is made, Dowling will be leaving either St Kieran’s in the secure hands of Richie Ruth and Michael Walsh or, on the camogie side of things, or Kilkenny in the capable hands of Tommy Shefflin, Ray Challoner, Philip Larkin and Pat O’Neill.

Dowling outlined the situation at hand when speaking after Kilkenny’s loss to Galway in UPMC Nowlan Park at the weekend.

“Unfortunately both games are fixed for the one day,” he said. “I tried everything I could to get both of them changed. In fairness to the colleges they put the St Kieran’s game on early on Saturday morning but the camogie game hasn’t been changed from 2pm - I was hoping that would go to 4.30pm.

“I can’t be in two places at once and I’d like to be at both of them as I hate missing out but we’ll just have to plan it out as best we can during the week.”

Injury Blow

Whether Dowling is in Parnell Park or not, the Kilkenny camogie team will have to line up without current Player of the Year Miriam Walsh.

The Tullaroan attacker went down with a knee injury in training last week and she was spotted in crutches at the Galway game last Saturday.

After sisters Kellyanne and Aoife Doyle both suffered season ending cruciate ligament injuries in 2022, fingers are crossed that Walsh may avoid that same fate.