Waterford win Camogie League semi final spot

A good team does not become a bad team over night.

Last September, Kilkenny’s Intermediate Camogie team appeared in an All-Ireland Final where they were beaten 1-12 to 0-10 against a Limerick side which had beaten Waterford in the semi finals, the third time that Waterford had lost a semi final in a row at this grade, and the second year in a row that Waterford had fallen to the eventual champions at the penultimate stage of the competition.

Kilkenny went into the penultimate round of games in this years Irish Daily Star National Camogie League sitting top of group two in division two.

The side may have shown a number of changes this year to that which were beaten at GAA Headquarters last September, but the side none the same was a very experienced one, with some quality players to choose from.

The Cat’s heading to the Waterford Institute of Technology Sports Campus in Carriganore headed the group on score difference over Waterford, both having won their opening three games in the competition. The winner of the two South-East rivals would win a place in the semi finals, the looser would have one further game to try and secure their place in the last four.

As all will know by this stage, it was the home side that emerged victorious.

Waterford are under new management this year. Sean Fleming came in for Niall O’Donnell who served one year after Mark Cooney who had served a number of successful years in the job and who resigned at the end of 2013.

Sean Fleming had worked with a number of the underage players in the county over the past few years and knew only too well about the tremendous talent coming through within the county.

Working along side him this year is Philip Ryan who worked for a while with Michael Ryan when he was Manager of the County Senior Hurlers. He also has held different positions in other counties and brought to the position a wealth of experience. Chris Dempsey an up and coming trainer was also brought into the set up as was Paul Ennis as the Physical and Strength co-ordinator.

Changes were made to the panel from recent years as some players retired and others found it hard to make the commitment needed this year.

Into the set up came some of the successful under 16 and minor players from the past two years and one or two who were not part of the panel last year were also brought back into the set up, and there is hopes that more of the more experienced players within the county could join the panel in the coming weeks and months adding greater debt to the group.

This win will do an awful lot to help develop the younger players in particular in the set up for the remainder of the year. They have settled in well and are not looking out of place and are making it difficult for some of the more experienced players in the panel to win a place in the team from the start.

Right throughout the field on the day Waterford proved to be the better of the sides.

Jennie Simpson was possibly the Player of the Match. Playing at centre back she covered a lot of ground in her own half the field and often was the player that broke up a Kilkenny attack.

Claire Whyte was also very solid at full back. Deirdre Brennan was solid in goal and when the visitors had a chance of a goal she made herself very big in the goals. For the goal that did pass her, there was little she could do to keep it out.

In the middle of the field, Trish Jackman was the usual Trish Jackman, covering a lot of ground and hitting 1-7 on the day. Her partner Lorraine Bray, one of the many up and coming players in the county also had a very solid game.

In attack Nicola Morrissey looked impressive. She worked hard all game and hit two points. On the opposite wing, Beth Carton was outstanding. She hit 1-3 for Waterford. The De La Salle player is a massive prospect and if you have not seen her play yet, a point should be made to see her in action sooner rather than later.

Dawn Power another of the successful underage players also hugely impressed as did Niamh Rockett on the edge of the Kilkenny square.

For Kilkenny, Niamh Brambrick and Sarah Ann Quinlan looked dangerous, both finished as joint top scorers for the side hitting 1-1 and 0-4 respectfully. On another day both would have hit a lot more, but against a Waterford defence that closed down the Kilkenny forwards at every opportunity, scores were going to be hard to find here.

Changes were made to the Waterford line up from the side that beat Meath a week earlier. Deirdre Brennan replaced Brianna O’Regan between the posts. There was also a new full forward line. Dawn Power moved from the wing to the corner with Nicola Morrissey coming in to the corner and Becky Kavanagh and Niamh Rockett also came in to replace Molly Curran and Catriona McGlone.

The game was just two minutes old and the visitors were in front after Claire Aylward split the Waterford posts.

However, once Waterford settled there was only one team in contention.

Trish Jackman levelled matters on four minutes when she hit the first of her seven points from a free. A minute later, Waterford went in front and never lost the lead when the impressive Beth Carton was picked out by Trish Jackman and moment’s later Waterford went further in front when Nicola Morrissey found the range.

Trish Jackman hit her second of the game on eight minutes to give Waterford a 0-4 to 0-1 lead but it was reduced by one on fourteen minutes when Sarah Ann Quinlan put over her first of the afternoon from a placed ball.

The most telling score of the afternoon came on the quarter of an hour mark when Trish Jackman sent a high probing ball in around the Kilkenny goal. The ball appeared to be destined to go over the cross bar but it dipped almost at the last second and went into the top corner of Ann Marie Lennon’s net, leaving the Black & White’s club player no chance of keeping it out of the net.

The Gailltir sharp shooter extended Waterford’s lead when she put over another free to give her side a 1-5 to 0-2 advantage.

Kilkenny pulled a point back on nineteen minutes when Sarah Ann Quinlan put over her second point of the game again from a free before the side in Black and Amber stripes went within two of Waterford five minutes from the break when Deirdre Walsh picked out an unmarked Niamh Brambrick in front of the Waterford goal and one on one with Deirdre Brennan she gave the Butlerstown player no chance.

However, Waterford would finish the half the stronger of the two sides. A minute from time following an excellent pass from Jennie Simpson Nicola Morrissey put Waterford three in front and just as the thirty minutes elapsed, Trish Jackman sent in a perfectly plighted ball from the centre of the field towards the left corner forward position. Dawn Power appeared to get a touch on the ball in the air which sent it to Beth Carton and as the brilliant De La Salle player bared down on goal, there was only one thing on her mind and she made no mistake in beating Ann Marie Lennon using her foot showing that she could be just as good a footballer as she is a camogie player.

Leading 2-6 to 1-3 at the break, Waterford came out for the second half again proving to be the better of the two sides.

Trish Jackman opened the second half scoring with a free two minutes after the restart.

A minute later Beth Carton was again showing her skill extending Waterford’s lead to eight after she was cleverly picked out by Trish Jackman from a quickly taken free and that lead went to nine when Trish Jackman converted a ’45 seven minutes into the half.

Kilkenny enjoyed the greater dominance in the middle third of the second half but were unable to hit the scores that would bring them back into contention.

Sarah Ann Quinlan hit her side’s first score of the second half on thirty-nine minutes.

Niamh Brambrick having scored a goal when one on one with Deirdre Brennan in the first half scored a goal, and when she found herself one on one again with the Butlerstown player on forty two minutes, the Waterford net minder made herself as big as possible in the goals closing out the space available to the Windgap player who attempted to hand pass to the net for a second goal but the sliotar rose too high and went over the cross bar. Four minutes later Sarah Ann Quinlan again pointed from a free to leave six between the sides, but this was as good as it got for Kilkenny.

Waterford hit four points in the closing minutes.

Trish Jackman hit the first on forty nine minutes. A minute later Beth Carton brought her tally for the afternoon to 1-3 and seconds later Dawn Power rounded off a good afternoons work at the office with a point to give Waterford a double score 2-12 to 1-6 lead.

Waterford’s last score of the game came in added time courtesy of a Trish Jackman free. The visitors closed the scoring two minutes later when Therese Muldowney found the range with the penultimate puck of the game.

Next up for Waterford is a long away trip to Down in two weeks time. Kilkenny have home advantage over Cork. Should Kilkenny win they will book a semi final spot as group runners up, but should Cork win it will make things very interesting as they will join Kilkenny on six points as will Meath who will get the points from their final game against Tipperary after the Premier County side withdrew from the competition after two games.

Waterford: Deirdre Brennan; Vickki Falconer, Claire Whyte, Emma Hannon; Claire Murphy, Jennie Simpson, Jenny McCarthy; Trish Jackman, Lorraine Bray; Nicola Morrissey, Valerie O’Brien, Beth Carton; Becky Kavanagh, Niamh Rockett, Dawn Power. Subs: Catriona McGlone for Becky Kavanagh, Iona Heffernan for Claire Murphy, Sibeal Harney for Nicola Morrissey.

Scorers: Trish Jackman 1-7 (0-6f 0-1 ’45) Beth Carton 1-3, Nicola Morrissey 0-2, Dawn Power 0-1.

Kilkenny: Ann Marie Lennon; Ruth Jones, Michaella Kenneally, Bridget Grennan; Edel Frisby, Rebecca Cleere, Sarah Crowley; Therese Muldowney, Niamh Leahy; Aisling Butler, Sarah Ann Quinlan, Laura Hegarty; Deirdre Walsh, Niamh Bambrick, Claire Aylward. Subs: Laura Norris for Niamh Leahy, Maggie Simpson for Laura Hegarty, Niamh Leahy for Edel Frisby, Vivenne Forristal for Sarah Crowley.

Scorers: Niamh Brambrick 1-1, Sarah Ann Quinlan 0-4 (4f), Claire Aylward, Therese Muldowney 0-1 each.

Referee: Jenny Byrne (Dublin)

 

Irish Daily Star National Camogie League Div 2 Group 1

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff	Points
Kildare	4	3	0	1	69	32	37	6
Laois	4	3	0	1	62	39	23	6
Galway	4	2	0	2	42	57	-15	4
Wexford	4	2	0	2	33	51	-18	4
Antrim	4	1	0	3	50	60	-10	2
Westmeath	4	1	0	3	37	54	-17	2

Final round of fixtures in Group 1:

Galway V Wexford, Kildare V Antrim, Laois V Westmeath – all on April 5

Irish Daily Star National Camogie League Div 2 Group 2

Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Points For	Points Against	Points Diff	Points
Waterford	4	4	0	0	78	40	38	8
Kilkenny	4	3	0	1	61	36	25	6
Cork	4	2	0	2	35	34	1	4
Meath	4	2	0	2	51	59	-8	4
Down	4	1	0	3	38	52	-14	2
Tipperary	4	0	0	4	8	50	-42	0

Final round of fixtures in Group 2:

Down V Waterford, Kilkenny V Cork, Tipperary V Meath – all on April 5