Magnificent Waterford Makes It Third Time Lucky

These are exciting times for Ladies Sports in Waterford.

In the last few weeks Waterford’s Under 16 Camogie and Ladies Football teams captured All-Ireland Titles.

Two weeks ago the counties Intermediate Camogie team captured the All-Ireland Championship with a win over Kildare at G.A.A. Headquarters and yesterday afternoon at the same venue the counties Intermediate Ladies Footballers won a fourth All-Ireland Final for Waterford in little over a month when they beat Kildare in this years championship decider again at G.A.A. Headquarters.

It was anticipated by most that a close encounter would happen in the middle game of the day’s programme of games but as things transpired those expecting a close game could not be more wrong as Waterford ran out winners with 13 points to spare.

Waterford had lost the 2010 decider at this grade to Donegal and to Armagh two years later but Pat Sullivan’s charges travelled to the Jones Road venue intent on making sure it was going to be third time lucky for Waterford.

It seems that many looked at the two semi finals and decided that because Kildare put five goals past Offaly that they should be regarded as favourites for this game.

Why this was the case is hard to work out.

Many choose to ignore the fact that while Kildare put five goals past Offaly, they also only hit five points in that game. Many failed to recognise that Waterford’s defence and Offaly’s defence are very different. There was no way that five goals would have passed Waterford in this game. And to raise just five white flags again in an hour was never going to be enough to win at Croke Park.

What many did not know as well that there was an unbelievable hunger in the Waterford panel.

Linda, Mairead and Aileen Wall, Elaine Power, Michelle McGrath, Mary Foley, Michelle Ryan, Nora Dunphy and Gráinne Kenneally had between then heading this game over 60 Intermediate Munster Final medals, but none had an Intermediate All-Ireland Medal despite going fairly close to doing so in the last number of years.

Some might say that some of these players may be coming to the end of their playing career on the inter county scene. Hopefully we will not see any of them call time on their inter county days as their experience is going to prove invaluable to the younger players in the panel in the next few years as they try and find their feet in the senior grade.

It would have been a shame if these players having served Waterford so well since they were introduced to the inter county adult scene had retired without winning an All-Ireland medal. Now at least no matter what happens from here on in they can always point out their All-Ireland medal in their already collection of impressive honours.

Waterford did not just beat Kildare in this game. They hammered the Lilly-whites. From the off Pat Sullivan’s charges attacked the Kildare goal at every opportunity. In Waterford’s end of the ground, Kildare found the Waterford attack very difficult to break through and with the only chance they did have late in the game, they still could not beat Katie Hannon in the Waterford goal who made an outstanding save putting Róisín Byrne’s effort out for a ’45.

Kildare got off to a very good start in this game. Aisling Holton and Joanna Timmins won the throw in and quickly worked the ball towards the Canal end of the ground and when Maria Moolick got the ball in her hands she made no mistake in splitting the posts.

After their semi final win over Leitrim star forward Aileen Wall revealed that when Waterford concede a score the aim is to get it back as quickly as follows.

And this is what Waterford did as Aileen Wall ran at the Kildare defence and slotted over to draw the sides level.

Sinead Ryan slotted over a free from the Cusack Stand side of the field as Waterford attacked the Hill with the wind at their backs soon afterwards to take the lead, one that the side all in Blue did not give up.

The impressive Maria Delahunty slotted over another free before Ellen Dowling pointed after eleven minutes to leave her side trailing 0-3 to 0-2.

Aileen Wall smashed her and Waterford’s first goal of the fame on twelve minutes and once it went in there was going to be no doubting as to how this game would finish.

Ellen Dowling pulled a point back for Kildare but Maria Delahunty registered another brace of points in the very early stages of the second quarter which gave Waterford a 1-4 to 0-3 lead.

Grace Clifford pulled another point back for Kildare with 11 minutes remaining, but Waterford would end the half as strong as they were for much of the game as Maria Delahunty and Aileen Wall hit further scores for Waterford inside a minute of each other before the brilliant Abbeyside player struck another two points on twenty-three and twenty seven minutes to give Waterford a 1-9 to 0-4 lead.

Kildare knew that they were in trouble and did not wait till the break to replace Grace Clifford with Mikaela McKenna and while they did hit the last score of the half through Róisín Byrne even though they were going to be playing with the wind in the second half you could not but wonder as Kildare went to the dressing rooms trailing 1-9 to 0-5 that they had left themselves with too much to do.

Waterford introduced the experienced Michelle Ryan for Mary Foley early in the second half and she made a massive impact causing the Kildare defence all sorts of problems with her height and experience.

Having come on at the end of the first half, Mikaela McKenna made an immediate impression at the start of the second half kicking the first point.

Michelle Ryan then made her presence felt with the first of her four scores of the game before Maria Moolick pointed with 18 minutes still to play.

Michelle Ryan and Róisín Byrne traded scores on thirteen minutes before the Sarsfields player slotted between the posts again four minutes later.

Sinead Ryan hit her second of the game with 12 minutes remaining showing on the giant score boards at either end of the ground before Maria Moolick pointed again for the Leinster side with ten minutes remaining to leave her side trailing 1-12 to 0-10.

The Leinster Champions would not hit any further scores in this game and would have had team captain Aisling Holton sin binned in the last ten minutes of the game meaning that they would finish the game with just 14 on the field.

Waterford as they had all along continued to dominate in those closing minutes.

Michelle Ryan hit 1-1 in quick succession to extend Waterford’s lead and it was only fitting that another fantastic servant Elaine Power broke forward and hit Waterford’s last point of the game.

Waterford however were not finished scoring yet and late on in the game Aileen Wall crashed her second and Waterford’s third goal to give Waterford a 3-14 to 0-10 victory.

Kildare on the day had good performances from Maria Moolick and Róisín Byrne while for Waterford, Official Player of the Match Karen McGrath, Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall and Maria Delahunty will make many of the headlines, but in truth each and every player was fantastic.

The question now some will ask is how will Waterford fair in the senior grade?

A quick look at how teams that have come up from Intermediate in recent years in this year’s senior championship would indicate that Waterford will more than hold their own.

The first three winners of the Intermediate grade after it was re-introduced in 2007 – Leitrim, Tipperary and Clare have all come back down to Intermediate. All winners since 2010 played senior this year and with the exception of last year’s winners Down, all more than held their own.

2010 Intermediate Champions Donegal won the Ulster Senior Championship this year and reached the All-Ireland quarter finals.

2011 champions Westmeath reached the Leinster Final loosing to All-Ireland Runners up Dublin.

2012 Champions Armagh reached the Ulster and All-Ireland semi finals loosing to Monaghan and Dublin respectfully.

2013 champions Cavan lost out in the Ulster quarter finals by a point against Tyrone, and beat Down 10-25 to 0-3 in the first round of the All-Ireland qualifiers before loosing out to Monaghan 4-13 to 1-4 in the second round of the All-Ireland Qualifiers.

Last years champions Down however lost the two games they played in the Ulster and All-Ireland qualifiers scoring just 0-7 over the two games and conceded 20-60.

Waterford has some very good young players coming through and has some very experienced players in their current panel.

In the coming years more new young players will be added and the current players will be more experienced.

Nobody expects Waterford to be involved in an All-Ireland Ladies Football final in the next couple of years, but you know what, if Lady Luck was to shine on Waterford a return visit to Croke Park on the fourth Sunday of September could be on the cards again sooner than what we might think.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Mairead Wall, Michelle McGrath, Linda Wall; Elaine Power, Megan Dunford, Louise Ryan; Karen McGrath, Emma Murray; Caoimhe McGrath, Mary Foley, Grainne Kenneally; Maria Delahunty, Sinead Ryan, Aileen Wall. Subs: Michelle Ryan for Mary Foley (31), Hannah Landers for Sinead Ryan (52), Aoife Murray for Caoimhe McGrath (55), Nicola Fennell for Louise Ryan (56), Nora Dunphy for Mairead Wall (58).

Scorers: Aileen Wall 2-2, Maria Delahunty 0-6 (3f), Michelle Ryan 1-3, Sinead Ryan 0-2 (1f), Elaine Power 0-1.

Kildare: Rebecca McGuirk; Tara Hallinan, Aisling Savage, Rachel Reidy; Paula Keatley, Aisling Curley, Lydia Furey; Aisling Holton, Joanna Timmins; Éadaoin Connolly, Róisín Byrne, Grace Clifford; Ellen Dowling, Maria Moolick, Trina Duggan. Subs: Mikaela McKenna for Grace Clifford (29), Rachel Cribbin for Lydia Furey (39), Niamh Mulhall for Ellen Dowling (44), Molly Price for Paula Keatley (55).

Scorers: Maria Moolick, Róisín Byrne (1f) 0-3 each, Ellen Dowling, Grace Clifford 0-2 each, Mikaela McKenna 0-1.

Referee: Mel Kenny (Mayo).