Brave performance, but Déise ladies have to settle for second best.

The result of this year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football final in a way was a very strange one.

There is no doubting that the better team won on the day, and Armagh has to be congratulated on their win. They played in the senior grade up to last year and came down for the 2012 championship, even if some in the Orchard County was against such a move.

They have within their panel some very good players. Laura Brown at full back was outstanding on the day and fully deserved the ‘Player of the Match’ awarded to her after the game. Caroline O’Hanlon in the middle of the field also impressed as did their full forward Shauna O’Hagan.

Waterford were not without their heroines as well. The full back line despite 1-12 passing them was solid. Roisín Tobin at wing back was very good. Michelle McGrath and Elaine Power had very good games in the middle of the field. At wing forward Linda Wall put in a very solid hours work while inside her, her sister Aileen was also very good and in a way reminded me of a name sake of hers, (Áine) who twenty years ago in the same ground began to make a name for herself.

On the day seven points separated the sides. As has been widely reported on the day Armagh shot an astonishing twenty-one wide’s. If between half and three-quarters of these had went at least over the bar, then Armagh would have racked up a mighty impressive scoreline.

This however does not tell the entire story. On the day the Déise Ladies could easily have racked up a cricket score on their own section of the score board. Waterford on the day had numerous chances to raise extra green flags but it was not to be.

On numerous occasions, Waterford saw chances go just wide or cleared off the line and even had a penalty saved. Throughout the day, lady luck evaded the Waterford team.

Even the first half goal which Armagh hit had a degree of luck to it.

The game began well for Waterford. The game was only seventeen seconds old when Aileen Wall played in Michelle McGrath who had the umpires reaching for a white flag.

Just over two minutes later and Waterford were very unlucky not to have gone even further in front. Michelle Ryan sent in a high dropping ball in the direction of the Armagh goal which appeared destined for the Armagh net, but Catherine McAlinden was able to get a touch on the ball which brought it out of the goal mouth and the ball was cleared to safety.

In the opening half Armagh hit an incredible thirteen wide’s with many of them coming in the opening ten minutes of the game.

On nine minutes after Sinead McCleary was fouled it seemed that the Ulster side were going to level the scoring, but Caroline O’Hanlon saw her effort come off the upright and fall to Kelly Mallon who shot for goal but it failed to reach its target and came in the direction of Shauna O’Hagan who tapped to the net, giving Armagh the lead, one that they never lost.

Moments later Fionnuala McKenna pointed for Armagh and then Marian McGuinness shot for a score but it dropped short and bounced off the crossbar. The Lady Luck that alluded Waterford all day was certainty with Armagh as the Carrickcruppen player saw her effort bounce over the crossbar.

On eleven minutes Hannah Landers had a goal bound shot dealt with by Caroline McAlinden in the Armagh goal, and moments later Elaine Power picked up a ball which Armagh lost coming out of defence and after a twenty metre run in the direction of the Armagh goal picked out Linda Wall who in turn found the Hannah Landers with an inch perfect pass and she made no mistake in planting the ball low and hard into the Armagh net.

On the fourteen minutes Hannah Landers again found herself through on goal but saw her effort go narrowly wide. On the quarter of an hour mark it was Armagh’s chance to shoot for goal but Fionnuala McKenna saw her effort go across the Waterford net and went wide.

Eleven minutes from the break Kelly Mallon put two between the sides, and two minutes later Shauna O’Hagan fisted over the bar with an effort when a goal looked on the cards.

Three minutes from the change of ends, the Ulster side ensured that they went in leading by four points when Mags McAlinden pointed.

Waterford began the second half as they had begun the first. Within a minute of the game restarting, Linda Wall had the umpires reaching for a white flag, but Armagh hit back with a brace of points firstly from Ciara Lennon and then Fionnuala McKenna.

Six minutes into the second half with Waterford trailing by five points, it appeared that Waterford had won a penalty when Shona Curran went to ground after Michelle Ryan sent in a high ball from the sideline, but it transpired that the St Pats player lost her footing.

A minute later, Waterford was again through on goal. This time it was the very impressive Aileen Wall that ran at the defence and with Shona Curran and Hannah Landers in better positions she attempted to find them with a fist pass but the ball was intercepted and brought out of the danger zone by the Armagh defenders.

Within seconds, Armagh had stretched their lead to seven. Caroline O’Hanlon pointed a free and then Niamh Henderson broke forward to get her name on the score sheet.

Michelle Ryan pulled a point back for Waterford on thirty nine minutes when she converted a twenty metre free. Mags McAlinden put seven between the sides once more when she converted a free.

On forty three minutes Linda Wall was very unlucky not to have hit a second goal for Waterford, but she saw her shot go narrowly wide and seconds later Caroline O’Hanlon saw her effort come off the cross bar and cleared to safety. The ball was brought up the left hand wing by the Waterford defence before the forwards worked it into a central position and found Michelle Ryan who hit a point, which was without doubt the score of the game.

Caroline O’Hanlon but seven between the sides once more on the three quarter stage mark when she put over her second free. Two minutes later Aileen and Linda Wall combined well for the latter to score a delightful point.

On forty-eight minutes Shona Curran used her height to get on the end of a Aileen Wall delivery. The St Pat’s club players seemed destined for the net but her effort was taken off the line by Laura Brown.

Two minutes later Linda Wall was pulled down inside the box. Michelle Ryan stepped up to kick from twelve metres and made a slight variation to the penalty she hit against Fermanagh, going more central than to the goalkeepers left which she did in the semi final. Catherine McAlinden had her homework done on the Ballymacarbry player and opted to go left by was not gone far enough by the time the ball reached the goal line and was able to save using her legs.

Eight minutes from time Waterford again attacked the Armagh goal. Nora Dunphy, Elaine Power, Michelle McGrath and Aileen Wall were all involved in a movement which ended in Michelle Ryan shooting for goal, but her effort was again saved by Catherine McAlinden.

Armagh immediately attacked the Waterford goal. Siobhán Mackie shot at the Waterford goal but Aimee Jordan was able to keep it out. The ball fell to Kelly Mallon who picked out Mags McAlinden who blazed wide standing in front of an empty Waterford goal.

The games scoring closed five minutes from time when Caroline O’Hanlon put over a free but it was not the end of the chances.

Waterford to their credit refused to throw in the towel and continued to attack the Armagh goals. Linda Wall saw an effort saved by Catherine McAlinden which rebounded out to Sarah Marley who deflected the ball back towards her own goal but Caroline O’Hanlon was able to get in and clear the ball off the line.

While defeat was Waterford’s lot on the day, it’s not the end of the world. Naturally the players were disappointed after the game. They had put in a great effort all year and travelled to Dublin believing they could win.

They should look to the Waterford Camogie team for inspiration. They lost two Junior All-Ireland finals before they won one last year. This year they reached the All-Ireland semi final which they were very unlucky not to have got something out of.

Waterford has now lost two finals in the last three years. There can be no disputing that the players will have learned from these defeats. If the present panel was kept in tact, and if one or two others were added to it to provide extra competition for places, it can only be good for the panel.

There was enough to be seen on Sunday afternoon to suggest that this group of players are not far from climbing up the steps of the Hogan Stand on All-Ireland Final day.

Right now, Waterford are probably the early favourites to be the 2013 champions. It’s possible, but it won’t be easy. Teams like Leitrim, Longford and Fermanagh will once again be challenging for the title as well and so will Antrim who won this year’s junior final.

And while the Waterford support was good yesterday and was very vocal for much of the game, its fair to say that it could have been a little better. Full marks must go to the Divisional and County Boards for not putting any major games on within the county on the day. Many people talk about the huge effort put in by the men’s teams and especially the senior hurlers, but the Ladies Footballers and the Camogie players put in an equal if not greater effort to reach Croke Park in September with any cost incurred to the players borne from their own pockets.

These players deserve great praise. For many they provide many hours of enjoyment each year and deserve more people to attend their games.

On a personal point, I’d like to thank those that I have had dealings with in recent weeks. Each and every one of the players were a joy to work with. What I had to ask them and my style of reporting might not be the best in the world, but hopefully it is helping to promote the players and their games, which is what I like to do most.

ARMAGH: Catherine McAlinden; Clodagh McCann, Laura Brown, Sarah Marley; Sharon Reel, Niamh Marley, Niamh Henderson; Sinead McCleary, Caroline O'Hanlon; Marion McGuinness, Mags McAlinden, Fionnuala McKenna; Ciara Lennon, Shauna O'Hagan, Kelly Mallon. Subs: Aisling Hughes for Marian McGuinness, Siobhán Mackle for Fionnuala McKenna, Mairéad Tennyson for Kelly Mallon, Cailin Duffy for Henderson, Caroline O'Hare  for Ciara Lennon.

Scorers: Shauna O'Hagan 1-1, Caroline O'Hanlon 0-3 (3f), Fionnuala McKenna, Mags McAlinden (2f) 0-2 each, Marian McGuinness, Kelly Mallon, Ciara Lennon, Niamh Henderson 0-1 each.

WATERFORD: Aimee Jordan; Aoife Landers, Karen McGrath, Nora Dunphy; Roisín Tobin, Grainne Enright, Mairéad Wall; Michelle McGrath, Elaine Power; Linda Wall, Michelle Ryan, Trish Fitzgerald; Aileen Wall, Shona Curran, Hannah Landers. Subs: Eimear Fennell for Fitzgerald, Margaret Revins for Hannah Landers, Grainne Kenneally for Eimear Fennell.

Scorers: Hannah Landers 1-0, Linda Wall, Michelle Ryan (1f) 0-2 each, Michelle McGrath 0-1.

Referee: Pat Kehoe (Carlow).