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Sunday 19th February
Waterford IT Sports Campus, 12pm
Referee Justin Heffernan (Wexford)
Waterford Institute of Technology play host to the Ashbourne, Purcell and Fr Meaghair Competitions this weekend. 2011 and 2012 Division 1 League finalists UUJ have qualified for the Ashbourne Shield final and will play 2011 winners NUI Galway.
NUIG are captained by Michaela Morkan for the second year running and Offaly Star Morkan is looking forward to leading her side out against UUJ “it’s a fantastic weekend for Camogie, each team can win on any given day and we know we will face a huge test against UUJ who have already qualified for the Division 1 League Final”. Clares’ Chloe Morey and Galway Senior players Noreen Coen and Niamh McGrath join Morkan on the NUIG team.
Down star Sara Louise Carr will lead the University of Ulster and the prolific attacker is looking forward to the weekend stating “it’s the only weekend where we get to compete on a level playing field with the cream of intercounty players and test ourselves against Cork, Galway and Wexford players who are competing for senior intercounty honours each year”. Carr is joined on the UUJ team by fellow clubmates Paula Gribben and Lisa McPolin who played in Down’s All Ireland Final while Shannon Graham achieved a Soaring Star award in 2011 and 2011 Ashbourne All Star Eleanor Mallon in goals. UUJ were unlucky not to qualify for the Cup semi finals, suffering defeats at the hands of UCD and UCC.
UUJ are under the stewardship of Antrim’s Aishling Jackson this year and Carr believes that they are in with a good chance of collecting some silver wear “Training has really stepped up since Christmas, we have been training two to three times a week and all the girls have given a huge commitment to attend each one with one player even travelling from Tipperary. Aishling has us well prepared and focused and we know that we are going to have to work extremely hard to overcome a very good Galway side.” UUJ have some of the top players in Ulster with the highly rated Karen Kielt in their side, as well as two players who have competed in the O’Duffy Cup, namely Tipperary’s Sabrina Larkin and Clares’ Aimee McInerney.
NUIG will be hoping they can pick themselves up after a disappointing run in the group stages where they lost to WIT and UL. They will have been pleased with their performances though and will be hoping to build on them when they take on UUJ. Best performers during the group stages were Captain Michaela Morkan, Maureen Heneghan, Chloe Morey, Noreen Coen and goalkeeper Roisin Connaughton. One of their biggest dilemmas is where to play captain Morkan. Her best position is centre back but the management could decide to play her further up the field to provide a more cutting edge to the attack. It is a decision that could have a huge bearing on the outcome of the match and one they will hope to get right. Chloe Murray is reaching full fitness after missing the first group game against WIT and the full forward will be hoping that she will be back to her best after a tough run out against UL. College Camogie is full of surprises and NUIG will need to be careful against complacency, as it is often the team who works the hardest who will come away with the victory. Under the management Richard McNicholas, Seamus Hennessey and former Fitzgibbon winner Kevin O’Grady, NUIG are no strangers to success having won the Ashbourne Shield last year and will be hoping to make it two in a row this Sunday.
A classic encounter is in store and it could go either way. NUIG will start as favourites but the match is too close to call.
