Antrim v Tipperary Centra National League Division 1a Cushendun Saturday 14th February 2026

Preview and photos from Michael Corcoran

Antrim will get their division 1a campaign off to a start when they meet Tipperary up in Cushendun on Saturday. This is what the Antrim squad have longed for after winning the division 1b league final against Clare back in March of last year. The natural ebb and flow of players taking their place in the squad will be nothing new to this year’s new management team primarily comprising Elaine Dowds and Conor Gillan. Stalwarts that are taking a break will open up opportunities for others and several players that weren’t firing on all cylinders due to injury have an opportunity to fulfil their hopes again of delivering quality camogie for the county.

Tipperary, of sorts, have had early success in Antrim when Ursuline Secondary School, Thurles played Cross and Passion in an All Ireland semi final but the stage is set for a more senior encounter between the Saffrons and the Premier County. Last year, Tipperary came running out of the blocks with a draw against Dublin followed by wins against Kilkenny and Galway before Cork altered their trajectory with an eight point win over the ‘Blue and Gold’, Tipperary 0-07 Cork 1-12. Cork dominated the league and went on to have a comfortable win over Galway, Cork 0-21 Galway 0-10.

Antrim in contrast got off to a flying start with a win against Wexford in Ahoghill by a marginal one point but that fuelled the squad to dominate the league and the rest as they say is history.

This has been a challenging year for GAA activities, where grass training and playing have been at a premium due to consistent inclement weather, though working off a 3G surface might feel like altitude training for a runner, looking for that performance edge. Whatever the case, Antrim’s new Captain, Caitriona Graham will be keen to see Tipperary’s compendium of forwards, Caoimhe Stakelum, Eimear McGrath and Lucy Purcell (all replacing last year’s forward line) as far out as possible. At the other end, Tipp’s Laura Leenane (or Aine Slattery) will likely taste a smörgåsbord of Antrim forwards as Antrim’s manager, Elaine Dowds, flexes options around possible full forwards such as Lucia McNaughton, Katie McKillop, Maeve Kelly, Ellen McIntosh, Janey McIntosh and Katie Molloy. This will be about exposure for experience and game time for some of the newer players.

Dowds is realistic about the ’26 road ahead and recognises the gap between promoters from division 1b and the division 1a five of Kilkenny, Galway, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. Speaking to the Saffron Gael, Dowds explains “We know our objectives for this year and it won’t be about focussing on scorelines, instead this is an opportunity to improve our performance and return with that experience to the Ulster and Intermediate campaigns.”

This league will be a win-win for Saff supporters as we see top camogie on our doorsteps and mindful of keeping the performance plan to the forefront, make your own assessment on who you think has travelled well on that journey and delivers into the Ulster and Intermediate championships. It will be Valentine’s Day on Saturday, but you can be certain there will be no love lost over the sixty minutes or so of competitive camogie, but here’s hoping it’s Antrim coming out smelling of roses.

Get your tickets for the game here… https://www.universe.com/users/camogie-association-0LQ93P