Meath warm favourites in All Irealnd opener against Liliwhites

Gary Cole and Tom Moloney will be confident that their side can kick start the campaign with victory in Hawfield

Meath Camogie kick-off their All Ireland Intermediate Camogie campaign with a round 1 clash with Kildare on Saturday afternoon at Manguard Park, Hawfield.

Following a cracking run to the final in 2023, Meath fell at the final hurdle as they lost out to Derry. The Royals will be looking to go one step further this year but Gary Cole and Tom Moloney's side will be taking it one game at a time starting with this Saturday's clash with the Liliwhites.

The Royals had a topsy-turvy league campaign that had more positives than negatives. They finished off the league with a comfortable win over Offaly securing third place in Div 2A. Unfortunately, they just missed out on a place in the league final, where Westmeath were comfortable winners over last year's Intermediate champions Derry. One of the more disappointing aspects of the league was that the Royals were the better side in their clash against eventual winners Westmeath but only managed to come away with a draw from St. Lomans Park.

That clash with Westmeath was Neil Cole's last game in charge of the Royals as he stepped down from the role in the aftermath due to health concerns. A change in management is never ideal halfway through a league campaign, however, Gary Cole and Tom Moloney have made that transition from selectors into management seamlessly and the squad as a whole have not suffered in any way as a result.

There have been numerous personal changes from the squad that reached last year's finale, with the most significant of those being Aoife Minogue who is recovering from an ACL injury while also taking some time to travel. Last year Meath was heavily reliant on Minougue for scores however in her absence the likes of Amy Gaffney, Ciara Foley, and Aoife Carey have really stepped up their scoring abilities and have filled the gap left by the dual star.

Meath will come into this weekend clash as warm favourites as their opponents have not had the greatest start to the year. Kildare were unable to get a point on the board in division 3A and only scored 1-3 in their final game against Armagh.

Meath Camogie had one of their finest days in recent times when beating Kildare in the 2022 Leinster Intermediate Camogie final at Aughrim. Meath were warm favourites that day as well but to Kildare's credit, they put it up to Meath on that occasion. In the end, though Meath held on for a two-point win and were crowned Leinster Intermediate champions. There are a few familiar faces who featured that day and are still featuring heavily in the current Meath setup. Maggie Randle, Ellen Burke, Maeve Clince, Olivia O'Halloran, Aine McNerney, Leah Devine, Tracy King, and Amy Gaffney are all current squad members who played their part that day.

Although Kildare put it up to Meath that day, the two sides seem to have gone in opposite directions since. Even though the game is being played in Hawkfield, it is still very hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for the Royals which will hopefully kick start another tilt at All Ireland Intermediate glory.

The game throws in at 2 pm in Manguard Park, Hawkfield.