Kilkenny set for camogie league bow on Saturday afternoon

After an extremely long off-season that included a new managerial appointment and notable intercounty retirements, the Kilkenny camogie team will return to the field for competitive action this weekend.

The Cats have been lying idle since losing out to Dublin in last July’s All-Ireland quarter-final and they will be eager to bounce back after a disappointing season overall.

Piltown’s first ever senior camogie championship success in Kilkenny at the back end of last year has proven pretty significant as not only are Katie Power and Kellyann Doyle named captain and vice-captain respectively but their winning boss Tommy Shefflin has also been confirmed as the new manager of the Noresiders.

The Ballyhale man takes over from Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere who resigned after one year in the post and Shefflin will be hoping to get a kick out of the side in the opening weeks of the season.

Like Chap last year and Brian Dowling beforehand, the new Kilkenny manager will have to cope without a number of frontliners with cousins Grace and Miriam Walsh the latest duo to announce their retirement.

With the intermediate side no more, albeit there will be an under-23 team later in the year, a number of players will look to make the step up to the senior squad with competition for places bound to increase.

The league begins with a home outing against Galway in MW Hire Dunmore on Saturday where a good start would be most welcome.

The Cats then have back to back away trips to Tipperary and All-Ireland champions Cork before finishing off their campaign against Waterford (home) and Dublin.

The draws for the highly anticipated Glen Dimplex camogie championships have also been made, setting the stage for a thrilling summer of competition where Kilkenny are placed in a group alongside Galway, Dublin, Waterford and Derry with the other group hosting Cork, Limerick, Tipperary, Wexford and Clare.

The Glen Dimplex senior championship begins on Saturday, May 24, alongside the start of the Glen Dimplex premier junior championship, promising a bumper weekend of camogie action where Cork will face Limerick, Galway will take on Dublin, Clare will play Wexford and Derry take on Kilkenny.

As has been the case in the last two years, the Glen Dimplex Senior quarter-finals will take place in Croke Park ahead of the hurling semi-finals on Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6 while UPMC Nowlan Park will host the All-Ireland senior semi-finals on Saturday, July 26.

Hear our camogie coverage on the Kilkenny People Sport Podcast below: