Claire Whyte: Waterford relishing return to action

Waterford camogie captain Claire Whyte admits excitement is building in her squad ahead of their debut season in the top flight of the league.

Waterford enjoyed an outstanding 2015 campaign — winning the Division Two crown and then securing an All-Ireland Intermediate title, with victory over Kildare in Croke Park.

“It’s the first time Waterford has ever been in Division One. Winning Division Two and then going onto win the All-Ireland, it was some year and it’s just exciting to get going again,” said White.

Waterford open their campaign with a trip to Kilkenny, followed by games with Limerick, Cork, and Derry.

“We’re up against Kilkenny to start, they were the league winners in 2014, it’s going to be no easy challenge,” said the trainee nurse, currently on placement in Beaumont Hospital.

“We have a lot of new young girls on the panel this year as some girls have retired. It’s about getting everyone together, playing together, and getting a bit of the flow into the team. Then we can look to build for the championship. We’re not going to put any major pressure on ourselves, it is a big step up, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able for it.”

Waterford returned to training in October but Whyte isn’t complaining about the extra demands she faces.

“That’s the sacrifice you have to make when moving up to senior level. The buzz has been great though and I think with the new players coming in, we’ve really gelled. It’s a lot of travelling but there the commitments you must make.”