High stakes as Kilkenny and Dublin battle to beat the drop

The scene is set for a busy Saturday of action for Kilkenny teams as they travel away for crucial clashes.

The senior camogie side are in O’Toole Park for their final Very Division 1A league clash with Dublin knowing that defeat would see them relegated from the top tier of the league for the first time ever.

The Noresiders do, however, come into the game buoyed by their first win of the season against near neighbours Waterford last weekend. They will certainly take nothing for granted after Dublin knocked them out in last year’s All-Ireland championship.

“It’s important that we stay in this division, so now it’s in our own hands - we need to go up to Dublin and win,” Kilkenny manager Tommy Shefflin, told the Kilkenny People after the match.

LISTEN: Hear from Steffi Fitzgerald, Caoimhe Dowling and Tommy Shefflin

“The younger girls in the group need to be playing at this level going into the future. This is the best place for them to develop as we want them to.

“We started four points down and by half-time we went in eight points ahead. After losing the last couple of games the easiest thing in the world would have been for the girls to drop the heads but they showed a bit of character there,” the manager said.

“They proved that the previous defeats didn’t affect them and they dug deep and turned it around.”

The Cats currently sit second from bottom in the group but the first win of Tommy Shefflin’s tenure as manager should give them confidence as they look to round the league off on a high.

Kilkenny centre-forward Steffi Fitzgerald was at the forefront in the 2-18 to 2-13 win over the Deise and spoke of the side’s happiness at getting the result.

“It was a good win and it’s a relief to finally get off the mark in the league after a tough opening few games against Cork, Tipperary and Galway,” she said.

“We were disappointed not to come away with anything from those three matches so we are happy to get going.”