It has been a busy couple of weeks for all involved in Tyrone camogie. Tyrone find themselves preparing for an All-Ireland league final this week and it will be one of the biggest matches most of the players will ever have experienced. Tyrone captain Julie Lagan has been there before when she was part of the winning side that lifted the title in 2010. Their opponents then were Westmeath and Julie believes that the final will be a tough contest but is by no means unachievable. Julie said
“The team has really gelled in the past few matches. We are a force to be reckoned with and we have every chance of success. I have every confidence in the young team and Carlow won’t have it all their own way. We can certainly win this tie without question”.
Cavan manager Tom Walsh had supportive words for the Tyrone team after they defeated Cavan in the semi-final. Tom believes that Carlow are not totally invincible and Tyrone should by no means be underestimated and could push them all the way. Carlow were very strong in the league against all the other sides but as we all know Tyrone were not at full strength for the away clash against them. Tyrone travelled with limited numbers due to injuries when both sides met in the league in March. The final this week should see a full squad of available players from which to choose.
President of the association Aileen Lawlor said at the launch of the National league finals in Croke Park on Friday
“The Irish Daily Star Leagues are one of the most prestigious and eagerly anticipated competitions, on the camogie calendar and our upcoming finals on the May Bank Holiday weekend (May 4th & 5th) mark the culmination of another exciting league season, as eight teams, across four divisions play for a prestigious National League medal. This year’s finals reflect the emergence of our developing counties such as Carlow and Tyrone while the Division One final is a repeat of last year’s All Ireland and league deciders, as Cork and Wexford renew rivalries.”
Tyrone’s Niamh Gavin was at the photo shoot on Friday in Croke Park.
In the club scene the season is gathering momentum for the younger age groups. There were wins for Dungannon, Doiretreasc and Éire Óg in the post primary league and Dungannon got off to a great start with a win in the under 14’s league on Friday past. Next Sunday 5th May will see the Tyrone Féile being held in the new Garvaghey complex for the under 14’s. Last year’s Féile was a roaring success when Derrylaughan hosted the event that saw Eglish and Dungannon fight out a replay. Eglish were the eventual winners and they went on to represent Tyrone in the All Ireland Féile. This year the All Ireland Féile will be held in Limerick. Good luck to all the clubs involved in this year’s competition.
Edendork held the first Go games Blitz’s of the year and it was attended by nine clubs in the county with over 150 players. A massive thanks to all in Edendork for making the day a great success and as we all know there is a major amount of preparation required in hosting such events. The kids were all catered for as were the parents. The next Go games Blitz will be held in either Eglish or Derrylaughan at the end of May with more details being released nearer the time.
Tyrone camogie development will be running a Coaches support programme within the county starting on the 1st May in Derrytresk at 7pm and be taken by tutor Ross Corbett. This is to help assist club coaches with some practical drills they could use and it will run for 4 weeks every fortnight and should be of excellent use to the clubs. There is no limit as to how many coaches you can send so clubs should take full advantage of this opportunity.
