Littlewoods National Camogie League
Saturday, 5 February
Division 1 Group 1
Tipperary v Down, The Ragg, 2pm
Division 1 Group 2
Kilkenny v Limerick, Callan, 2pm
Division 2 Group 1
Meath v Derry, Donaghmore Ashbourne, 1pm
Cork v Wexford, Cork Camogie Grounds, 2pm
Division 2 Group 2
Kilkenny v Tipperary, Freshford, 2pm
Westmeath v Waterford, Cusack Park, 2pm
Division 2 Group 3
Galway v Laois, Gort, 12.30pm
Sunday, 6 February
Division 2 Group 3
Kerry v Antrim, Lixnaw, 1pm
ONLINE
Score updates and match reports on rte.ie/sport across Saturday and Sunday.
TV
Allianz League Sunday is live on RTÉ2 at 9.30pm
RADIO
Live updates on Saturday Sport and Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
WEATHER
Saturday looks set to be a rather cloudy and wet day with outbreaks of rain. The rain will be most persistent in the west and north of the country with the best of any dry or bright interludes in the east and south. Maximum temperatures of eight to 11 degrees in strong west or southwest winds along with gales on exposed coasts.
Sunday looks set to be a chilly and blustery day with widespread showers and some sunny spells. Highest temperatures of six to nine degrees in fresh westerly winds.
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Structure reverts to type
Last year, with the Covid-19 pandemic impacting sport, Division 1 was split into three groups of three but for this spring it will be back to the previous two group round-robin model with five teams in Group 1 and four in Group 2.
The winner of each group will meet in the National Camogie League final in April, while the bottom side in each will face a head-to-head survival battle in a March relegation decider.
Group 1 sees reigning All-Ireland champions Galway as well as semi-finalists Tipperary, who will face Down, Offaly and Dublin. Meanwhile, Group 2 is made up of last year's All-Ireland runners-up Cork along with reigning league champions Kilkenny in a pool featuring Limerick and Clare.
All eyes on big four fortunes
Galway, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary have emerged as the standard bearers in the league and championship over the past half-decade.
Not since Dublin reached an All-Ireland semi-final in 2017 has any other county broken the aforementioned quartet's domination of the championship last-four placings. In the league, the previous group structure meant Limerick regularly featured in the semi-finals between 2016 and 2019 but the Covid-cancelled 2020 campaign saw Tipp overtake them in the competition pecking order.
While Galway, Cork and Kilkenny have contested the championship and league finals, of the current big four it's Tipp who are still waiting to make that breakthrough in the current era, having fallen at the semi-final hurdle all too often and not picked up senior silverware since 2004.
As Tipp's talismanic star Cáit Devane told RTÉ Sport, bridging that gap to the other three is the target this year, starting with the league.
"Even though we've made big strides the last couple of years, we still haven't managed to win any trophies in Munster, National League or All-Ireland," she said.
"So I don't think we have the luxury that maybe other teams do of saying we'll slowly build in through the league and the Munster Championship and aim to peak in the All-Ireland.
"We need to hit the ground running to make sure that we gain momentum and keep the belief that we have built in the last couple of years."
For Cork, after a few years in which Kilkenny and Galway dominated on the silverware front since the Rebel County had last played in or won a final in 2018, they will be looking to build on last year's All-Ireland final appearance when they pushed the Tribeswomen all the way in a tense encounter.
And they will have the expertise of a certain former Wexford, Waterford and Clare hurling manager who needs little introduction - Davy Fitzgerald of course - in new boss Matthew Twomey's backroom team this year, which will add extra interest and intrigue in their fortunes.
Watch Kerry v Dublin in the Allianz Football League live on RTÉ 2 on Saturday (7pm), follow all the football and hurling action with our live blogs on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app, and watch highlights on Allianz League Sunday on RTÉ2 at 9.30pm
