Mary Newman: Camogie All-Star trip has turned into a fiasco

ON a weekend where there were some superb results for counties such as Tipperary and Clare in the opening rounds of the Very National Senior camogie league it was off-the-field activities that again grabbed the attention.

When it was announced last Friday that the 2023 PwC Camogie All-Stars tour comprising the 2021 and 2022 All-Star winners will travel to Calgary, Alberta from May 19 to 25 there was a lot of mixed reaction, to say the least.

While it was greeted with enthusiasm that the camogie All-Stars are to enjoy a fantastic trip, the timing of the May tour to Canada was met with disbelief by inter-county managers and affected players alike given that the scheduling of the trip comes right before the start of the 2023 All-Ireland senior camogie championship.

Although the draws have yet to be made for the All-Ireland championships the Camogie Association’s master fixture plan states that the first round of senior group games are scheduled for the weekend of June 3 and 4.

With the All-Star trip finishing on Thursday, May 25, the inter-county players will arrive home just over one week before they are due out in championship action. This would mean that the touring players will miss a week of collective training in the fortnight before the championship.

The Cork players, led by Ashling Thompson, have already explained they can't head away given the timing. 

“How could you expect seven players to turn their back on their teammates at probably the most important time of the year leading up to championship? We wouldn't have All-Stars only for our teammates,” she told the Irish Examiner.

“Even if they move the start of the championship, we had a meeting, we spoke about it, and we all agreed that no matter what date the championship starts on, there is absolutely no way we are going to leave the country during the season while all of our teammates are breaking their backs in training and at the gym five and six days a week.

Cork manager Matthew Twome,y speaking after his side’s league victory over Dublin last Saturday last, expressed his disappointment with the timing of the trip and it is hard to blame him.

This wouldn’t happen in the men’s game. I can’t believe the association is allowing this to happen. 

"We have 10 players potentially going on this tour, how can we train two weeks before a championship if we’re short ten players and then you’ve jet lag and everything else they’d be doing over there.

“It’s farcical, very, very disappointing, that coupled with the fact that while the championship dates are set, the draws aren’t yet made, it’s hard to fathom.

“Again, would this even happen in the men’s game so why are we accepting it? Neither the county boards nor managements were consulted.

“We’re all puzzled by this.”

Numerous players contacted the GPA over the weekend expressing frustration over the date that has been announced and during the week and they made contact with the Camogie Association on players’ behalf about rescheduling the trip, so it remains to be seen if a compromise can be found or once again are we at the centre of a mess.

Interesting times off the playing fields already and we are only at week two of what is going to be a very busy season of games with both Cork teams in action this weekend.

The seniors are home to Clare in Pairc Ui Rinn at 3pm today, while the intermediate team make their league debut with a home game in Castle Road at 1pm against Tipperary.