Two Out of Three (under 16 Camogie titles) Ain’t Bad.

Waterford under 16 Camogie team are All-Ireland Champions for the second year in a row after they beat a strong Dublin side in this years final at Nenagh on Sunday last.

Looking back at the report of last years final win over Derry at Leixlip, the first line of my report read “What has proven to be a good year for Camogie in Waterford has just got better in the last few days”.

If 2014 was a good year for Camogie in Waterford, 2015 is even better.

Prior to this game massive progress has been made.

The Counties Intermediate team won the Division two League Final against Laois in Carlow. The same side only a week prior to this game came from nine points down early in the second half to beat Meath by one in the All-Ireland Intermediate semi finals, the fourth year in a row that Waterford qualified for the same stage of the competition.

Throw in Lismore reaching another All-Ireland Intermediate Club Final, Mercy Secondary School from Waterford won a Junior All-Ireland and Gailltir won a Division One Féile Final after winning two Division two finals in the two previous years.

Each time Waterford be it an Inter county or a club side records a success it helps promote the game within the county and this latest victory, I have no doubt will be no different.  

The panel that won the 2014 final was a good one with some excellent players.

It was no surprise that members of that team, the likes of Aisling Power, Beth Carton, Brianna O’Regan, Sibeal Harney, Saoirse Bonner and Kate McMahon were called up to the Intermediate panel this year by Sean Fleming and its no real surprise that some of them will start in the All-Ireland Final against Kildare in a little over a weeks time at Croke Park.

Whether any of this year’s under 16 panel will get a call up to the panel for 2017 is hard to know yet.

Nine of last years panel were involved the previous year under Shane Ahearne when Waterford were beaten in the final against Cork in Mallow, and last year the experience of those nine players was crucial to Waterford.

The same could well be said of the player involved last year and again this year with Declan Drohan.

The panel does contain some very good players, and the likes of Saoirse English, Chloe Dempsey, Niamh Murphy, Taylor Healy, Sinead Cunningham and Anne Corcoran who now have two All-Ireland Medals won if called up to the panel will not let the side down and would be an addition to the set up.

The same could well be said of the likes of Ciara Jackman a sister of Trish, Kate Lynch, Kaiesha Tobin, Faye Curley and Aisling Madigan amongst others.

When Waterford and Dublin clashed in the league stages of the competition at Walsh Park, it was the home side that emerged 2-9 to 0-10.

Waterford played with the wind at their backs in the first half that day and turned around leading 0-6 to 0-4 with Niamh Murphy hitting five of Waterford’s points and Faye Curley the other.

With the wind at their backs in the second half Dublin drew level within six minutes of the restart and with ten minutes remaining they took the lead when Rebecca Lewis put the sliotar over Ciara Jackman’s crossbar.

In the final ten minutes however, Waterford’s experience came to the for as Aisling Madigan and Saoirse English struck goals to give Waterford a deserved win.

Last Sunday’s game was expected to prove to be equally as tight an affair and so it proved to be.

Waterford had a dream start to the game when Kaiesha Tobin raised the first green flag of the day. The Dungarvan player I warned listeners to Community Radio Youghal GAA Programme, GAA This Week hosted by Mike O’Brien last Friday evening was one to keep an eye out for in this game and in the years ahead.

The goal which was the first score of the game came as result of a penalty awarded by County Wexford referee Justin Heffernan after Aisling Madigan was pulled to the ground.

Rebecca Lewis pulled a point back for Dublin but two points in a row, one from play the other a free off the stick of Niamh Murphy who played a huge part for Waterford all year put Waterford 1-2 to 0-1 up at the end of the first quarter.

With seven minutes of the first half to play, the side from the Capital moved to within one of Waterford when Sarah Murphy finished to the Waterford net after she was set up by Sinead Wylde.

The impressive Anne Corcoran who first came to prominence on the big stage two years ago when she was outstanding for Gailltir in helping the young Barony Ladies to the first of their three Féile titles in a row beating Portaferry at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, slotted over Waterford’s last score of the first half to give her side a two point advantage but Dublin would finish the half hitting the half with two points from Aisling Andrews and Sarah Murphy to turn around locked 1-3 a piece.

The third quarter proved a real dig dong affair at the end of which Waterford held a 1-6 to 1-5 lead as Player of the Match Kaiesha Tobin slotted over two frees and Aisling Madigan pointed from play with Dublin responses coming from Aoibhe Dillon and Chloe Mullen.

The most crucial score of the game came on thirty seven minute as Niamh Murphy set up by Aisling Madigan finished to the Dublin net for a second Waterford goal which gave the reigning champions a 2-6 to 1-5 lead.

Substitute Aisling Baumann edged Waterford five in front with ten minutes to go which was followed with a trading of points from Beth Whyte and Kaiesha Tobin both from frees with time ticking down.

Dublin continued to put Waterford under pressure in the closing minutes of the game but the Waterford defence held out strong, reducing the side in sky blue to just one point from Saoirse Mullen for all their pressure.

Some excellent work is taking place to promote Camogie in Waterford.

Two All-Ireland titles in three years shows that things are moving in the right direction.

There is some excellent players coming through. Some of last years panel have broken into the Waterford Intermediate panel this year and its only a matter of time before some on this years under 16 panel make the step up, but hopefully it wont be in the Intermediate grade but in the senior grade.

Success at underage level does not always mean success at adult level, but it does help.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, Camogie in Waterford is moving in the right direction. The success Waterford club and Inter county sides have had in the last few years, plus Trish Jackman winning seven All-Ireland Poc Fada titles in a row does Waterford the world of good.

Hopefully now other young girls will get to see what is happening and that it will encourage others to take up the game.

Hopefully G.A.A. Clubs where Camogie is currently not played will set up clubs in their area or with the co-operation of one or two neighbouring clubs. The more players we have playing Camogie in the coming years will surely mean it is helps Waterford reach even greater heights.

Waterford: Ciara Jackman; Sinead Cunningham, Taylor Healy, Clodagh Curran; Ciara Griffin, Shauna Fitzgerald, Colette Hogan; Kate Lynch, Anne Corcoran; Chloe Dempsey, Aisling Madigan, Faye Curley; Saoirse English, Kaiesha Tobin, Niamh Murphy. Subs: Aisling Baumann for Chloe Dempsey, Grainne Heffernan for Saoirse English.

Scorers: Kaiesha Tobin 1-3 (1-0 pen, 0-3 f), Niamh Murphy 1-2 (0-1f), Anne Corcoran, Aisling Madigan, Aisling Baumann 0-1 each.

Dublin: Megan Thomas; Aoife Farrell, Niamh Mulroney, Emily Browne; Laura Morgan, Rebecca Lewis, Nicole Malcomson; Zoe Couch, Caoimhe Hughes; Sinead Wylde, Aisling Andrews, Emma O’Byrne; Sarah Murphy, Aoibhe Dillon, Chloe Mullen. Subs: Beth Whyte for Caoimhe Hughes, Saoirse Mullen for Sinead Wylde, Siobhra Andrews for Emma O’Byrne.

Scorers: Sarah Murphy 1-1, Rebecca Lewis, Beth Whyte (both frees), Aisling Andrews, Aoibhe Dillon, Chloe Mullen, Saoirse Mullen 0-1 each.

Referee: Justin Heffernan (Wexford).