Cork Camogie: Intermediate squad start the league at home to Tipperary

TOMORROW: Very Division 2B National League, Cork v Tipperary, Castle Road, 1pm.

IT’S all systems go as the Division 2B Very Camogie National Leagues gets underway and in a change of format this year only counties with second teams can participate in this division.

In previous years counties’ first teams were pitted against second teams and sometimes there was a big imbalance. With all of the second teams now grouped together it will lead to better games.

It’s a bit disappointing to see that, on the day when some of the first teams from counties are in action, the fixtures schedule was not organised to have both teams, first and second, involved in double headers; something which would have generated a lot of interest.

Cork will play four group games and open their Division 2B campaign against Tipperary in Castle Road tomorrow.

On March 18 All-Ireland Intermediate champions Galway will travel to Cork for round two, Cork are away to Kilkenny on March 25, and on April 8 Cork are on the road to Wexford for the last game in their group and with the two top teams to contest the final, every game is vital if hopes of making it to the decider are to be achieved.

Cork reached the All-Ireland final last year but lost to Galway in a game that went right down to the wire and having failed to make it to the league final after a good campaign, it was a disappointing finish to a season that had promised so much.

Trevor Coleman continues as manager and he is joined in his back-room team by Ken Bulman, Eileen O’Brien, Padraig Treacy, Mark Eaton, John Linehan, Brian O’Regan, and Ritchie Cunningham.

REDUCED

Cork will be minus 18 players from the panel of 32 they had last season; several of the squad have gone travelling and this has put a dent in the panel, but with 30 players named on his squad, Coleman is optimistic his charges will be competitive.

Rachel Harty will captain the side and the panel will include Stefanie Beausang, Leanne O’Sullivan, Aisling Moloney, Grainne Hannon, Hayley Ryan, and Lauren Homan, who all featured in last year's final.

Tipperary manager David Sullivan has named a strong 32-player panel which includes key players from last year’s campaign; Aoife McLoughney, Ciara McKeogh last year’s captain Clodagh Horgan, Ciannait Walsh, and Claire Stakelum.

With both counties' senior teams off to winning starts last weekend, the Division 2 sides will also battle hard to get the perfect start as well.