Gemma O'Connor believes inter-county camogie needs challengers to emerge to the current top three of Kilkenny, Galway and Cork. The trio have split the last 10 All-Ireland titles between them. Wexford, who completed three consecutive wins in 2012, were the last county outside those three to claim the O'Duffy Cup.
"You need that for the game," said Cork legend O'Connor at the launch of the Electric Ireland Camogie All-Ireland Minor Championships.
"It needs Waterford, Tipperary to get back to where they were from 2002-2005/6. They kind of dropped off after that.
"I was at the Dublin and Cork league game, it was a very disappointing from a camogie perspective, that Dublin had such a poor performance.
"Clare beat Kilkenny so I was expecting a bit more from them when they played against Cork but that wasn’t the case. It’s hard to know where teams are at the moment. I know a few players were missing for Clare.
"But you need Clare, Tipperary, Waterford to start breaking through and start making the game a little bit more interesting, giving Kilkenny, Cork and Galway that bit more competition."
Pictured is Cork Camogie legend and 10-time All-Star, Gemma O’Connor, with Cork Minor Camogie player, Sinead Hurley, at the launch of this year’s Electric Ireland Camogie All-Ireland Minor Championships.
The nine-time All-Ireland winner feels Waterford, who lost by five points to Cork in last year's All-Ireland semi-final, are the most likely to challenge the top three.
"I'm torn between Tipperary and Waterford," said O'Connor.
"I like the way Waterford operate. They have nothing to lose in terms of the way they play. The expectations of them aren't as high as Tipperary because of their history.
"Waterford have a tendency to catch teams. They nearly did that with Cork last year. I would nearly say Tipperary and Waterford are on par in terms of what they can offer.
"I loved playing against Tipperary because their talent in terms of hurling is unbelievable. They have a very talented team. I'm not sure if it's an attitude thing, a fitness thing, that they keep on faltering at the last minute. Waterford might have something to offer this year."
O'Connor, who retired from inter-county camogie two years ago, says that once she finishes playing club camogie with St Finbarr's, she would like to give management a go.
"I've always said that when I finish up playing, I'd like to get into managing or coaching," she said.
"I've decided to go back playing club this year, a famous one, 'the last year'.
"In terms of females filling those roles of managers and coaches, there's more and more of them, and you'd like to see that continuing. Women have just as much experience as men. It's all about your knowledge. It's not about how you played the game. It's about your understanding of the game, and your understanding of players, how the game works.
"Managing is completely different to playing. While you might be a fantastic player, it doesn't mean you'll be suited to managing. You can see that through all sports.
"In the Premier League, some fantastic players turned out to be really bad managers. It's not something that necessarily goes hand in hand. I'd love to see if I'm good at it, and would I be suited to it. Maybe, in some capacity, I can share that knowledge and try to do something with a team down the line."
This year, for the first time, Electric Ireland will be extending their #ThisIsMajor campaign to the Electric Ireland Camogie All-Ireland Minor Championships. Follow @electricireland on social for updates throughout the Championships.
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