This Is Not the End, it’s Only The Beginning

“This is not the end, it’s only the beginning” the words of Waterford Captain Shauna Kiernan in the Sunday Game’s Round up of the events on Camogie this past weekend.

With an attitude like this you can only feel that this Waterford team will learn and are willing to learn from each game they play in a bit to become a better side.

Regular readers of what I have to say on this site will know that i recently said that if this Waterford Camogie Team believe in their own ability anything is possible, and I think that they showed this here on Saturday evening.

The first half did not go the way of Waterford. Questions have to be asked of what happened in those opening thirty minutes, not of Waterford it must be said, but once team Manager Donal O’Rourke who has in the past number of months added greatly to this panel, got his charges together, to rethink things through, to reshape the team as best they could, in the second half the Déise Ladies were more than a match for their more experienced opponents.

All of the talk on that same Sunday Game programme centred around how Kilkenny and Galway are the best two teams in Group A of this year’s Senior Camogie Championship, and they possibly are, but the talk was also how Clare and Limerick would be fighting it out for the third place in the group, and therefore winning a place in the All-Ireland Quarter Finals, but maybe people even at this early stage are writing off Waterford who in all honesty are more than capable of fixing it with both Clare and Limerick, and could also cause problems for Kilkenny in the sides next game, which is due to be played at Walsh Park at the end of the month.  

There was no joy for Waterford in their first game of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship as they went under to a strong Galway side at Kenny Park in Athenry on a 4-12 to 0-8 score line.

The home side had the added advantage of a game a week previous to this game, when they overcame the challenge of neighbours Clare at Pearse Stadium, winning by ten points on the day, while Waterford were without a competitive outing since running Cork close in the Munster Championship at Modeligo back in April, but Donal O’Rourke’s side did manage to get a number of challenge games in after that game in the run up to their All-Ireland Championship opener on Saturday last.

Waterford played the majority of this game with a numerical disadvantage after Aoife Landers received a straight red on seventeen minutes from County Cork referee Cathal Egan after the An Rinn Club player who is by no means a dirty player hit back at Aoife Donohue had struck the Déise player.

It was interesting to learn that there was an incident with the same player in the Tribes Ladies when over Clare, as she apparently again hit out at an opponent but was not caught by the officials, but when the Clare player decided to hit back she was caught by the officials.

The home side were always on top in this game and were best served by Carrie Dolan a member of their minor side last year who finished the game with 1-8 behind her name and is clearly a player that many will be keeping an eye out for in the years to come.

She opened the scoring for her side on ninety second and they added further scores from Aoife Donohue and Dolan would add another score on three minutes, this time resulting in a green flag being waved, before Niamh Rockett pointed for Waterford on Five minutes.

Dolan scored again on six minutes before Ailish O’Reilly netted a second goal for the home side on thirteen minutes.

Two minutes later Orlaith McGrath again finished past Ciara Jackman, shortly before the controversial sending off of Aoife Landers.

The second quarter of this game proved to be an even enough contest, but it was no real surprise to see the home side with their numerical advantage, extend their lead by the break.

Ailish O’Reilly and Beth Carton from a free traded score’s for their respective sides before the home side landed to late scores through Aoife Donohue and Carrie Dolan to send their side in at the break leading 3-6 to 0-2.

Waterford started the second half brightly as Niamh Rockett and Beth Carton hit scores inside four minutes of the restart, with Carrie Dolan pulling one back in between.

Carrie Dolan and Beth Carton swapped scores from frees, before Carrie Dolan and Áine Lyng did likewise, followed with another exchange between Beth Carton and Beth Dolan.

There was another exchange of scores between Beth Carton and Niamh McGrath, before Carrie Dolan pointed deep in stoppage time to give her side the points on offer in this game.

Galway: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, Sarah Dervan, Tara Kenny; Róisín Black, Heather Cooney, Lorraine Ryan; Anne Marie Starr, Catriona Cormican; Niamh McGrath, Rebecca Hennelly, Aoife Donohue; Carrie Dolan, Orlaith McGrath, Ailish O’Reilly.

Scorers: Carrie Dolan 1-8 (0-6F), Ailish O’Reilly 1-2, Aoife Donohue 1-1, Orlaith McGrath, Niamh McGrath 0-1

Waterford: Ciara Jackman; Mairead Power, Iona Heffernan, Sibheal Harney; Shauna Kiernan, Áine Lyng, Aoife Landers; Niamh Rockett, Lorraine Bray; Catriona McGlone, Deirdre Fahy, Kate McMahon; Beth Carton, Annie Fitzgerald, Kaiesha Tobin. Sub: Kate Lynch for Mairead Power, Claire Whyte for Kate McMahon, Orla Hickey for Sibeal Harney.

Scorers: Beth Carton 0-5 (5F), Niamh Rockett 0-2, Áine Lyng 0-1 (F)

Referee: Cathal Egan (Cork)