It can still be a good year for Waterford despite third loss.

With three games played in this year’s Tesco Home-grown National Football League played, it could appear that Waterford’s interest in this years competition is over following a third successive defeat, this time at the hands of table toppers Westmeath at Fraher Field.

However, while Waterford may sit bottom of the table, their chances of playing a key roll in this year’s competition cannot be dismissed at this stage.

Waterford’s three defeats in this years competition have come against three of the top four placed teams in the table and with the majority of these sides yet to play each other and therefore set to drop points against each other, should Waterford put together a winning run together, they could well play a major part in this years competition in the coming weeks.

A strong wind blew at Fraher Field making conditions very difficult. But despite this, both teams settled early and settled well.

Sarah Dolan opened the scoring for the visitors with a free inside a minute of the game starting but it was cancelled out shortly afterwards with an effort from Aileen Wall.

Sarah Dolan followed up with another point for the visitors on four minutes again from a free before Michelle Ryan did likewise for Waterford on eight minutes.

Ten minutes into the game Waterford took the lead. Michelle McGrath who had a solid game in the middle of the field for Waterford set up Aileen Wall who made a terrific run to slam the ball past Sarah Keegan in the Westmeath goal for a deserved goal for the home side.

For much of the rest of the opening half the sides proved to be evenly enough matched.

Sarah Dolan hit her third score of the game on twelve minutes and it was followed up three minutes to pull in Waterford’s lead to the minimum.

Mairead Wall put some day light between the sides with a point on seventeen minutes but it was cancelled out six minutes later with a Karen Hegarty effort.

Michelle McGrath put Waterford two up once more five minutes from the break but a second Karen Hegarty point inside four minutes meant that there was the minimum between the sides once more with time ticking down.

However the game was to change completely inside sixty seconds just before the break.

Linda Walsh hit the Waterford net on twenty eight minutes and less than a minute had passed when Fiona Claffey had the ball in the Waterford net once more to give the visitors a 2-6 to 1-4 lead.  However, Waterford were able to reduce the visitors lead in first half added time when Michelle Ryan put over a free.

Waterford began the second half brightly as Róisín Tobin pointed inside two minutes of the restart and shortly afterwards Sarah Keegan did well to deny Trish Fitzgerald a second Waterford goal.

Westmeath enjoyed a period of dominance again over the following twenty minutes. Ciara Blundell and Joanna Maher had white flags waved by the umpires before Maud Ann Foley scored a third goal for the visitors mid way through the second half.

Ruth Kearney hit a point for the midlander’s eight minutes from time before Michelle Ryan put a fourteen metre free in the Westmeath net three minutes from time.

Waterford in the time that remained tried hard to try and pull in their opponents but it was not to be, but Ruth Kearney and Michelle Ryan did manage to swap scores in the closing moments of the game.

Waterford: Grainne Costello; Aoife Landers, Ann Dunphy, Nora Dunphy; Mary Foley, Grainne Enright, Louise Ryan; Karen McGrath, Michelle McGrath; Mairead Wall, Aileen Wall, Róisín Tobin; Catherine Power, Michelle Ryan, Trish Fitzgerald. Subs: Sinead Ryan for Catherine Power, Nicola Fennell for Mary Foley, Clodagh Walsh for Trish Fitzgerald.

Scorers: Michelle Ryan, 1-3 (1-3 frees), Aileen Wall 1-1, Michelle McGrath (0-2), Mairead Wall, Róisín Tobin.

Westmeath: Sarah Keegan; Aileen Martin, Amy Giles, Aoife Brady; Kelly Boyce, Triona Durkin, Lauren Brennan; Ruth Kearney, Maud Ann Foley; Joanna Maher, Laura Walsh, Ciara Blundell; Karen Hegarty, Fiona Claffey, Sarah Dolan. Subs: Vicky McHenry for Sarah Dolan, Beth McGuire for Ciara Blundell, Emma Morris for Karen Hegarty, Carol Flinch for Aoife Brady.

Scorers: Sarah Dolan (2 frees), Karen Hegarty 0-3 each, Laura Walsh, Fiona Claffey, Maud Ann Foley 1-0 each, Ruth Kearney 0-2, Ciara Blundell, Joanna Maher 0-1 each. 

Referee: James Flood (Wexford).

 

Tesco Home-grown NFL Division 2

	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff	Points
Westmeath	3	3	0	0	62	36	26	9
Galway	3	2	0	1	70	47	23	7
Kildare	3	2	0	1	56	44	12	7
Kerry	2	2	0	0	71	22	49	6
Fermanagh	3	1	2	0	31	63	-32	3
Cavan	3	0	3	0	41	57	-16	0
Clare	2	0	2	0	22	42	-20	0
Waterford	3	0	3	0	40	82	-42	0