Cork v Clare: Camogie cracker in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday

SATURDAY: Very National League Division 1A: Cork v Clare, Páirc Uí Rinn, 3pm.

AFTER an opening round victory over Dublin where they weren’t in reality tested Cork again have home advantage against Clare tomorrow in round two of the Very league Division 1A. 

Cork will be strong favourites but Clare enjoy coming to Cork and always put it up to us. They’ll be further buoyed by a two-point victory over All-Ireland champions Kilkenny last weekend. 

Clare finished bottom of the championship table in 2022 which was a huge disappointment for them after a respectable league and an incredibly moral boosting display against Cork in the Munster final where the game went to extra time after extra time before Cork ran out eventual winners 0-24 to 1-18.

Were Clare ahead of other counties in their pre-championship training last season? Had they given so much to the league and Munster campaign that they couldn’t sustain the intensity? Or are they on a steady rise and closing the gap? 

Another impressive display by defeating Kilkenny 2-7 to 0-11 but can they follow it up with a defeat of Cork?

Tipperary defeated Galway and with each team in the group of six playing the opposition, leading to five games before the top two reach the final, every weekend is an important one. If Cork slip up tomorrow, anything could happen. The group is already wide open with the three Munster sides’ victories last weekend. The other six senior championship counties compete in the Division 1B league.

Playing at home in Cusack Park Clare led by 1-5 to 0-4 at half-time and it was notable that six different players had hit the mark, O’Loughlin goaling in the seventh minute and the points coming from Chloe Morey, Caoimhe Carmody, Zi Yan Spillane, Lorna McNamara and Clare Hehir. 

While Kilkenny nosed ahead it was Clare who made the best of the run in to the final whistle, Caoimhe Kelly restoring parity before O’Loughlin’s major seeing the tie out impressively from there.  

Cork were well in control against a disappointing Dublin with Amy O’Connor, Katrina Mackey and Ali Smith hitting the net and Laura Hayes and Cliona Healy also standing out. Ten players found the target, seven substitutes were used. Hannah Looney came on at half-time. 

Katrina Mackey went off injured on 21 minutes, bruised ribs and a bruised lung will keep her out of tomorrow’s game. Pam Mackey picked up a hamstring injury and it is expected that Orla Cronin will be out for another three weeks. Laura Treacy is available and so she and Meabh Murphy will possibly fill the vacant slots with Looney also starting.

Cork manager Matthew Twomey intends to give some of last week's substitutions a further run-out. The likes of Emma Murphy, Orlaith Cahalane and Fiona Keating in particular are on the fringes of the starting team and will need more game time to get them up to championship speed.