Friday night feel for camogie championship

Michelle Caulfield and Laura Foley lift the McMahon Cup. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill

FRIDAY night lights will kick start the race for the McMahon Cup as the Clare Credit Unions senior camogie championship hits into gear.

Truagh/Clonlara won their maiden championship last season and put their title on the line for the first time. They will be expected to advance to the knockout stages and will certainly be in the shake-up for honours.

Losing key pillars Ciara Doyle and Amy Barrett will be a setback for last year’s beaten finalists Scariff/Ogonnelloe but it won’t derail their challenge as Alphie Rodgers looks to lead the East Clare amalgamation back to the promised land.

Inagh/Kilnamona after the disappointment of losing the semi-final following extra time to the champions, having previously been unbeaten will look to roar back into contention.

They will be the three fancied sides with Newmarket-on-Fergus having slipped down the pecking order along with Kilmaley in recent seasons. Sixmilebridge, Clarecastle/Ballyea, Kilkishen and St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield will be bidding to cause upsets along the way.

Group 1:

Truagh/Clonlara

Management: Bob Caulfield, Owen Fitzgerald, Eoin Powell, Ger Begley, PJ Gully, Kieran Foley, Ryan Morris, Josh Egan, Jo Clancy, Michelle Caulfield
Joint Captains: Laura Foley & Ellen Horgan
Key Player: Áine O’Loughlin
One to Watch: Aoife Dillon
Fresh blood: Aisling Hannon, Aisling Cahill and Amy McMahon
Departures Gate: Sinead Ryan (abroad)
Treatment table: Sophie Cullen (finger)

Newmarket-on-Fergus

Management: Patricia O’Grady, Brian Enright, Diarmuid O’Leary, Shirley Kilmartin
Captain: Jenny Kelly
Key Player: Ellen Casey
One to Watch: Emma Crowe
Fresh blood: Kate Kennedy, Julie Fitzgerald, Jessie Hogan, Caoimhe Hegarty, Sally Kelly, Hollie Fahy, Sammi O’Looney, Laura Mae Hannon, Amy Kilmartin, Ava Kelly, Ellen Byrne, Amy Madden, Kate Jones, Ella Woods
Departures Gate: Aoife Griffin,
Treatment table: Laura McMahon

Kilmaley

Management: Shane Slattery, Marie Hehir, Eoin Keane, Paul Kennedy, Colin Slattery, Padraig O’Connor, Michael ‘Pa’ O’Loughlin, Hazel McGauley.
Captain: Caoimhe Carmody
Key Player: Caoimhe Cahill
One to Watch: Keela Markham
Fresh blood: Kate Hayes, Emily Carmody, Keela Markham
Departures Gate: Rebecca Cahill, Alisha Pyne, Ashling Cahill
Treatment table: None

Sixmilebridge

Management: Sean Chaplin, Nathan McNicholas, Monica Fitzpatrick
Captain: Rachel Kelly
Key Player: Chloe Morey
One to Watch: Molly Purcell
Fresh blood: Molly Purcell, Orla Cahill, Mollie McClosky, Roisin Scanlon, Sophie Grady, Emma Fitzgerald.
Departures Gate: Sarah Loughnane (overseas)
Treatment table: Helena Ryan

Clarecastle/Ballyea

Management: Jason McCarthy, Christy Cusack, Catherine Carmody, Kitty Talty.
Captain: Doireann Murphy
Key Player: Doireann Murphy
One to Watch: Hannah Mai Neylon
Fresh blood: Leah Kelly, Gillian Scanlon and Ivanna Costelloe
Departures Gate: Amie Wiley, Emma O’Connell and Carol Browne (all emigrated)
Treatment table: None

Group 2:

Scariff/Ogonnelloe

Management: Alphie Rodgers, George Fitzgibbon, David Kennedy.
Captain: Rachel Daly
Key Player: Abby Walsh
One to Watch: Áine Rodgers
Fresh blood: Áine Rodgers, Tara Murnane, Joanna Grady, Caoimhe McNulty, Nisha O’Neill
Departures Gate: Ciara Doyle, Amy Barrett (overseas)
Treatment table: Aoife Power

Feakle/Killanena

Management: Michael Helebert, Jim Loughnane, Donal Moloney, Pauline McNamara
Captain: Roisin McMahon
Key Player: Zi Yan Spillane
One to Watch: Bronagh Brady
Fresh blood: Bronagh Brady, Niamh House
Departures Gate: Laura McGrath
Treatment table: Lorna McNamara

Kilkishen

Management: John Cooney, Ollie Nash, Nigel Davy, Jim Lynch, Sean Hehir, Marty Baker
Captain: Alannah Ryan
Key Player: Alannah Ryan
One to Watch: Olivia Moroney
Fresh blood: Grainne Cooney, Olivia Moroney, Rhia Kavanagh, Eimear Cassidy, Claire Shanahan, Lily Boyce, Aine Moroney, Kara O’Flynn, Hayley McMahon, Ashling McNamara
Departures Gate: None
Treatment table: Kate O’Gorman

St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield

Management: John Hoey, John O’Connor, Siobhan Hoey, Orla Ni Chonaill, Damien Burke, Emmett Moran
Captain: Aisling McMahon
Key Player: Siofra Ní Chonaill
One to Watch: Meabh O’Connor
Fresh blood:
Departures Gate:

Inagh/Kilnamona

Management: Eugene Foudy, Flan Barry, Eoin McMahon, Marie Kenneally, Jack O’Connor, Tara Rynne
Joint Captain: Laura Rynne, Sinead Power
Key Player: Clare Hehir
One to Watch: Orla Vaughan
Fresh blood: Kate Dowling, Shauna Queally
Departures Gate: Sinead Quinn, Aoife Keane, Andrea O’Keeffe, Rebecca & Amy Keating
Treatment table: None