PREVIEW | Limerick face crucial Down clash in Very National Camogie League

Limerick had the upper hand when they sides met in the fourth round of last year’s championship en route to qualifying for the quarter-finals.

For the third time out of four, the Limerick senior camogie side will be on the road this weekend in the National League when they take on Down in Liatroim Fontenoys.

The game is refixed after last week’s game was postponed. The venue remains the same a week on with throw in at 2pm.

John Lillis side are without a win thus far this campaign and are rooted to the foot of the Division 1B table with just two rounds remaining. Their most recent outing was the heaviest margin of defeat as they were comprehensively beaten by an impressive Waterford side who are three from three.

The 3-34 to 2-6 defeat leaves Limerick in last place, a point behind Offaly, who they meet in the final round. If Limerick lose this weekend, it will be a repeat of last year’s Division 1 relegation final in the concluding round on the 25th of March.

However, Limerick could take a huge leap toward safety with a win over Down this Saturday. Were they to pick up the points in Leitrim, they would leapfrog the Ulster outfit who are away to Waterford in the final round.

And Limerick had the upper hand when the teams met in the championship’s fourth round in 2022. After picking up a first win of the campaign against Offaly, Limerick moved within a victory over the quarter-finals after beating Down 2-11 to 0-12. Caoimhe Costello grabbed all but one of Limerick’s scores on the day and she will be likely to start her first game of the season after making her 2023 bow from the bench in Waterford.

Despite sitting on no points from their games thus far, Limerick could feel somewhat aggrieved to be where they are, having played the top three so far with Waterford and Antrim yet to taste defeat.

Down on the other hand, have only a solitary win to show for their efforts, a 0-13 to 0-9 result in the second round against Offaly. They kicked off their year with a fifteen-point loss to Antrim and they were comfortably beaten last time out against Wexford.

Those recent setbacks make this game all the more important with both low on confidence heading to Leitrim for the 2pm throw-in on Saturday.

Limerick will take a lot from last year’s win but it is up to the current crop to emulate that to give themselves some points before they welcome Offaly in the final round.

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