Seven in a row for Waterford’s Intermediate Ladies Footballers in Munster

I’m watching Ladies Football now with about 30 years. My interest began in the mid 80’s when Saint Mary’s Touraneena National School which I attended had teams entered in the West Waterford Primary School Leagues.

The team was coached by one of the teachers, Mrs Anne McGrath and the leagues were superbly organised by the likes of Margaret Cunningham and Breda Cleary.

In the late 80’s a short lived Sliabh gCua team operated in the Touraneena area and I took the chance when given to go and see as many games as possible.

In the early 90’s I began to go and see the Waterford Senior Team play many of their games.

Since then I have seen many good players like Cora Staunton, Diane O’Hara, Christina Heffernan, Denise Horan and Helena Lohan all from Mayo, Connie Conway, Amanda Donohoe, Sue Ramsbottom, Mary Casey from Laois, Mary J. Curran, Katie Liston and Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh from Kerry, London’s Patricia Mimna, Jenny Greenon, Linda Farrelly and Niamh Kindlon from Monaghan, Christine O’Brien from Meath, Caroline O’Hanlon from Armagh and the likes of Rena Buckley, Briege Corkery, Juliet Murphy, Brid Stack and Angela Walsh from Cork.

And I have not mentioned any of the Waterford greats of yet, the likes of the O’Ryan twins, Marina and Geraldine, Noreen Walsh, Áine Wall, the Crotty sisters Fiona and Marie, Bernie Ryan, Olivia Condon, Julie Ann Torpey, Catriona Casey, June Whyte, and Annalisa Crotty amongst many others.  

The players that played for Waterford during the 90’s can be very proud of what they achieved. They ended the dominance of Kerry, they won five All-Ireland Finals between 1991 and 1998 and along the way they had some terrific battles not just with Kerry, but also the likes of Laois, Monaghan and Mayo.

On Saturday afternoon last the present Waterford team won their seventh Munster Final in a row.

The seven titles won since 2009 may be at a grade lower than what the great team of the 90’s achieved, but the fete is just as impressive, as there is more teams competing now than there was in the 90’s, making competitions all the harder to win.

For some of the older members of this years panel, the latest win was a sweat one, as it was for Michelle McGrath, Mairead Wall, Michelle Ryan, Elaine Power, Nora Dunphy and Linda Wall their seventh year in a row being part of the team that won the title.

While the team has won seven Munster Titles in a row, an All-Ireland Final at this level still eludes the county. Surly its only a matter of time before the side do win, maybe September 2015 is the time, even if it does not happen for this present panel, when the players look back on their career in the years to come, they can be very happy with what they achieved.

Waterford’s latest win saw Pat Sullivan’s charges beat a strong Clare outfit at Mallow with four points to spare.

Waterford played against the wind in the first half and at the end of the opening thirty minutes the sides turned around locked at 0-7 each in what proved to be an evenly balanced half.

Clare knew however that if they were to win here having played with first use of the wind they would have had to turned around with a four or five point advantage against the reigning champions who had a good mix of youth and experience.

Clare in the second half hit just two scores over the course of the thirty minutes, but both were goals which kept Waterford under some pressure throughout, but in the end, a Grainne Kenneally goal sandwiched in between a brace from Róisín Howley as well as seven other scores proved crucial for Waterford.

Waterford got off to a flying start in this game kicking two very early points, both from Maria Delahunty who was winning her second provincial medal at this level, her first coming at the very start of the seven in a row.

The first of the brace of early points came from a free won inside the first minute of the game starting and the second again from a free came within sixty seconds of the first.

Grainne Nolan on four minutes and Róisín Howley kicked her first score for Clare to level matters two minutes later.

Waterford put over three in a row, Sinead Ryan who is in outstanding form for Waterford this year hit her first of the game on ten minutes and it was followed with a brace from Hannah Landers on thirteen and fifteen minutes to send Waterford into a three point lead.

Clare however upped their game at this point and it was they that hit the next three scores, Gráinne Nolan hit her second of the game on sixteen minutes which was followed with a brace from Ailish Considine on eighteen and twenty minutes to level matters for the second time.

Waterford soon were in front once more however as Mary Foley who is another Waterford player having a brilliant year up to now put over a point which was followed by an excellent score from Maria Delahunty who has given Waterford that little something special this year to give Waterford a 0-7 to 0-5 advantage with twenty six minutes played.

But with the wind at their backs, Clare would finish slightly the stronger of the two sides as Ailish Considine put over a brace of late points, the first from a free to send the sides to the dressing rooms locked at 0-7 each.

The winning of the game was in the opening minutes of the second half when playing with the wind at their backs, Waterford came out and hit the first five points of the half.

Maria Delahunty was first off the mark on thirty two minutes and her score was followed up with efforts from Aileen Wall on thirty four minutes and Sinead Ryan on thirty five minutes before Abbeyside’s Maria Delahunty again stuck for Waterford to give the a 0-11 to 0-7 advantage with thirty nine minutes played.

Waterford went five in front when Sinead Ryan landed her third of the game forty three minutes but a goal from Róisín Howley on forty five made life a little uncomfortable for Waterford as there was just two between the sides.

Waterford however hit back almost straight away with a goal from Grainne Kenneally when she collected a through ball from Sinead Ryan, blasting past Emma O’Driscoll to restore Waterford’s five point advantage, but Róisín Howley responded with a second goal to leave two between the sides once more. With nine minutes to play the challengers won a penalty which was left to Róisín Howley to face Katie Hannon. The Ballyduff Upper player did well to keep the ball out of the net but the rebound fell back to the Burren Gaels player and at the second time of asking she dispatched to the Waterford net to leave just two between the sides once more.

Waterford however would finish the game strong, as points from Maria Delahunty on fifty three minutes and Sinead Ryan who was picked out by Aoife Murray were landed to give Waterford a four point win.

Waterford now has a few weeks break before they play in the All-Ireland quarter finals in the middle of August. For Clare it’s the qualifiers as the sides in the four provinces that did not reach the provincial finals battle it out to leave four sides to play one of the four beaten provincial finalists with the four winners of these games playing one of the provincial winners in the quarter finals.

Waterford: Katie Hannon,  Mairead Wall, Michelle McGrath, Linda Wall; Elaine Power, Megan Dunford, Louise Ryan; Karen McGrath, Emma Murray; Hannah Landers, Maria Delahunty, Aileen Wall; Grainne Kenneally, Sinead Ryan, Mary Foley. Subs: Shauna Dunphy for Hannah Landers, Aoife Murray for Mairead, Michelle Ryan for Mary Foley.

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 0-6, Sinead Ryan 0-4, Grainne Kenneally 1-0, Hannah Landers 0-2, Aileen Wall, Mary Foley 0-1 each

Clare: Ciara Coughlan; Emma O’Driscoll, Laurie Ryan, Grainne Harvey; Claire Hester, Louise Woods, Ellie O’Gorman; Niamh Keane, Becky Mahon; Róisín Howley, Ailish Considine, Marie Considine; Grainne Nolan, Eimear Hillery, Carol O’Leary. Subs: Aoife Keane for Claire Hester, Kayleigh Mc Cormack for Ciara Coughlan.

Scorers: Róisín Howley 2-1, Ailish Considine 0-4, Louise Woods, Grainne Nolan 0-1 each.

Referee: Jason Creed.