New season, new team and new camogie rules

In a repeat of last season’s opening game for Cork, they face Waterford on Saturday in Division 1 of the Centra Camogie League.

This time the Deise will have home advantage as the Rebels travel to Azzurri Walsh Park tomorrow for a 2pm throw-in.

Cork would love a repeat of last year’s display and score line as they came out on top by 2-10 to 0-8.

But this year it should be a far closer battle, with Cork missing up to nine of last year’s side.

Waterford will be well aware of that and, have no doubt, will be determined to get off to a winning start, and with home advantage, will be slight favourites to do so.

Manager Mick Boland will have them fired up and will only be too aware of the amount of players Cork are missing.

Cork will be without the likes of Australia-bound Hannah Looney and Aoife Healy, along with the retired Laura Treacy and injured Amy O’Connor.

Add in others like the Mackey sisters (Pamela and Katrina for now), Sorcha McCartan and Kate Wall, and it gives you some side of the players that the Rebels will be without this year.

Boland will only be delighted to take on the new-look Rebels in their first competitive game of the season, and he has plenty of talented players of his own to choose from.

Players like Alannah McNulty, Niamh Rockett, Beth Carton, Lorraine Bray, Keely Corbett Barry, Vikki Falconer and Bevin Bowdren will most likely feature tomorrow.

Waterford are never an easy side to beat, and Cork manager Ger Manley will know it’s a tough one for his side tomorrow.

No matter who starts, it will be new-look one, but Manley will also welcome back a few players that have been there before.

Aislinn Egan and Hayley Ryan, both All-Ireland winners in previous years, have returned to the squad. Also returning from injury is Izzy O’Regan, and all will be delighted to see her back in the red jersey after a year out.

A superb player, both she and Egan will be welcome additions to the Cork defensive set-up.

Ryan was one of the top scorers in the club championship last season and knows what it’s all about to play at the top level.

Even with the players missing, there is still plenty of experience in this squad, with Libby Coppinger considered one of the best full-backs in the game.

Laura Hayes and Ashling Thompson never let you down, and in front of them, Saoirse McCarthy can scare the life out of any defence.

It will be expected to be a closer game than last year, with the home side slight favourites to win.

As well as a new team Cork and Waterford will also be one of the first games of the league where the new rules being trialled this season will be in use.

Some of the rules have been taken from the men’s game, and the changes include:

Helmet removal: A player who during a game removes their helmet or has had it removed by a player/official from the player’s own team shall be presumed to be potentially injured and shall be instructed by the referee to leave the field of play to be assessed for injury and the helmet refitted.

Substitutions: The removal of substitutions upon the completion of 30 minutes of each half, and upon the completion of 10 minutes of each half in extra-time.

This means that unless a player is injured substitutions cannot be made in injury-time of either half. The same applies if there is extra-time in a game.

This is being done to stop sides ‘slowing down’ games if they are ahead by a point or two in injury-time.

Dissent: Increasing the penalties for dissent from players and team officials. Team captains, or a nominated player when either the captain is the team’s goalkeeper, or the captain has left the field of play, are the only players permitted to speak to the referee to seek clarification of their decisions.

Sidelines: Sidelines can now be taken from the player’s hand, if she is inside her own 45. However, the goalkeeper cannot take the sideline and the player must be off the pitch when doing so.

These rules will be trialled throughout the season, with an initial review taking place after the league concludes.