Waterford to Welcome All-Ireland Champions to Fraher Field

When it comes to Ladies Football in the last decade or so, one team has dominated.

There are few words that can describe the performances of Cork in recent years. The Rebellette’s as they have often been called have appeared in 12 of the last 13 National League Division One Finals, winning all but two of them, losing out in 2004 and 2012. Only in 2007 since 2004 have they failed to reach the final.

They have won 11 out of the last 12 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Finals, the only occasion in this time they did not win the Brendan Martin Cup was in 2010 when they were beaten in the quarter final stages of the competition against Tyrone in the All-Ireland Quarter Finals at Banagher. The Ulster side went on to reach the All-Ireland Final that same year but lost out to Dublin at G.A.A. Headquarters.

Since 2004 they have appeared in every Munster Senior Football Final, winning all but two of these finals, losing out to Kerry in 2013 and again two years later.

Cork has won the National League Division Two Final in 2003 and the Division Three Final four years earlier.

On the underage front Cork have also been dominant in recent years, winning seven of the last nine All-Ireland Finals that they have appeared in dating back to 2002, at under 16 level they have won six of the eight All-Ireland’s they have appeared in since 2004 and at under 14 level going back to 2000, the All-Ireland final has found a home on Lee-side on nine occasions, their only defeat coming two years ago.

They will come to Dungarvan this Sunday afternoon with the warmest of favourite tags around their necks and will look to add to their already impressive Roll of Honour in recent years.

But while they travelled to Dungarvan as the warmest of favourites, they will not be underestimating the home side.

They will only have to look what happened at the same venue last weekend at the same venue when the same two counties clashed in the Munster Senior (mens) Football Championship when Waterford pushed Cork all the way and in truth were somewhat unlucky not to have won a game that few if any gave Waterford a chance of winning.

Nobody in the Cork side will underestimate this Waterford side and they will not need any telling that the Waterford side that they face this weekend have already beaten Kerry at the same venue and on that occasion the side from the Kingdom travelled to Dungarvan as warm favourites.

They will also know that in the last number of years that a great deal of time and energy has gone into the promotion of Ladies Football in Waterford and that the man behind a lot of this work is the current Waterford manager Pat O’Sullivan as he has brought players through from the underage scene, winning All-Ireland finals along the way and blended them in with a group of experienced senior players , and under the Dungarvan man they have tasted success in the adult grades appearing and winning in National League Finals, Munster Intermediate Final and All-Ireland Intermediate Finals.

Cork come into this game on somewhat of a high after winning the National Division One League Final in early May when they beat Donegal 2-15 to 2-14 at Parnell Park.

The Ulster side had beating Cork in the group section of the league 3-16 to 0-12 in the final round of games, but as is often the case in this grade of football, the side the loses the first day often comes out on top the second day when they meet in close proximity, as they often are the side that learns most.

In their recent National League Final success, they fielded just seven of the side that won last year’s All-Ireland Final, but were still able to field what is a very strong starting fifteen.

On that day they were without team captain Ciara O’Sullivan who is captain of the side this year and were also without last year’s Player of the Year Brid Stack as both were injured on the day and if both are recovered for this weekend’s game, they will considerably strengthen the Cork side.

On that day it was Orla Finn that was their scorer in chief as the Kinsale Club player kicked a very impressive 1-10.

Cork that day had a tonic start as Orla Finn was found by Niamh Cotter and she made no mistake in slotting to the net with just nineteen seconds played.

If Waterford were to allow Cork to have the same start this weekend it could well prove to be a long afternoon at the Shandon Road ground as players like Orlagh Farmer, Eimear Scally, Niamh Cotter and Brid O’Sullivan amongst others are all quality players.

But we would be foolish to think that this game is just all about Cork and how good a side they are.

Waterford are a side that will get people to sit up and take notice.

They done this when they beat Armagh in the All-Ireland series last year and they have done so again this year in beating Kerry.

The league was something that did not go as well as many would have liked for most, as Waterford finished second from bottom in Division Two, winning just two games and drawing one of their seven games and finishing five points off the tally set to win a place in the semi-finals.

But it’s worth remembering since Pat Sullivan took over control of the Senior Side he has used the league to give all his panel as much playing time as is possible, and it’s worth noting that Grainne Kenneally missed the entire league and anyone that has seen her play will know of her value to any team and he was also without key players like Katie Hannon, Maria Enright and Michelle Ryan for different games at different points in the league.

Against Kerry last time out Waterford really impressed at Fraher Field.

Waterford were without Katie Hannon that day, but Jessica Fitzgerald proved an able deputy and if the Ballyduff Upper player who was judged to be the best goalkeeper in Division Two of the National League returns to the side for this game she will considerably strengthen the side.

Elsewhere it is hard to see where any changes can be made to strengthen the team barring there is positional changes.

That will mean that Kate McGrath, Caoimhe McGrath and Megan Dunford will continue in the full back line, with Dearbhaile Ní hAodha and the McGrath sisters Karen and Michelle just in front of them.

Last time out Mairead Wall and Emma Murray were in the middle of the field, with Katie Murray, Grainne Kenneally and Róisín Tobin in the half forward line. These three players are players of the highest caliber. Katie Murray is a rising star of the game, Grainne Kenneally is a player who puts in a massive hours work in any game she plays, be it in Ladies Football or Camogie while Róisín Tobin is having a fantastic year for Waterford and possibly her best since she became part of the panel and must consider herself very unlucky not to have been included in the team of the year in the recent National League.

The inside forward line the last day out is one that would strike fear in most sides as Maria Delahunty who is truly a magnificent player and as a good a kicker of a placed ball than any of the top men footballers such as Stephen Cluxton or Maurice Fitzgerald from recent years. Either side of her last time was the Ballymacarbry duo of Michelle Ryan and Aileen Wall, both of whom are players who know where the goal posts are and are also able to bring others into play.

When the two sides met last year in the first round of the round robin Munster Championship, Waterford pushed Cork all the way before losing out 1-10 to 0-7 at Fermoy.

Waterford this year are without players like Linda Wall and Sinead Ryan who are players that would find a place in any team, but as we saw against Kerry, there is enough strength in the side to replace them.

Cork will start this game with possibly a handful of players that started last years in Fermoy, with the players coming in strengthening the side in many areas even if they could be without players like Briege Corkery and Rena Buckley.

Make no mistake, any bookie that will quote odds on the game will have Cork odds on to win, but we all know that you right off any Waterford side at your pearl and Waterford side are no different. They will take heart from what happened at the same venue last Saturday evening when another Cork side travelled to Fraher Field.

Can Waterford win this game? You can bet your bottom dollar as they say, they can.