Galway Prove Too Strong At Birr

Waterford Senior Ladies suffered a second defeat in this year’s All-Ireland Senior Football Championship this afternoon at Birr where Connacht Champions Galway proved too strong for Pat Sullivan’s Waterford side.

As a result of this defeat Waterford are now out of the championship for this year, but still have some important business to deal with as they are one of four sides that will be battling relegation to the intermediate ranks in the coming weeks.

There is still one round of games to be played in the round robin section of the competition, but it is already known that Waterford will be joined by Tipperary and Cavan in the battle to retain senior status for 2019, and will be joined by one from Monaghan or Armagh depending on how the table in group two finishes next week when Armagh take on Cork who have booked their place in the quarter final stages of the competition after they easily accounted for Monaghan in the curtain raiser to Waterford’s game against Galway.

In the relegation play off Waterford will come up against Tipperary who Waterford have beaten already this year, winning when the two sides clashed in the last round of games in the National League (Division Two) in the spring, but Waterford will read nothing from this result as they will know that the Premier Ladies were presented with their All-Ireland Intermediate medals from last year the night before the game, and will also know that the Premier County side went on to win the division two final beating a Cavan side who beat Waterford in the semi finals.

Galway always proved to be the better of the two sides in this clash, but great credit must go to the Waterford ladies who battled right to the hooter to signal the end of the game.

Three first half goals in this game proved to be main difference in this game.

The Connacht champions opened this game brightly with three scores off the boot of team captain Tracey Leonard.

Waterford pulled a point back from Katie Murray but the next score proved decisive and it went against Waterford.

Galway won the ball inside their own sixty five metre line and worked the ball up the field and when Aibhne Davoren found Leanne Coen she shot low into Kelly Moroney’s net.

The same played added a point before the industrious Michelle Ryan pulled a point back. Tracey Leonard and Michelle Ryan swapped scored before Galway struck for a second goal.

A short restart after Galway had shot a white was win by Róisín Leonard on the edge of the ‘D’ and with Kelly Moroney racing back to her line the Galway attacker lobbed the size four over her head and into an empty net.

And to compound Waterford’s misery on the day in relation to the result, with the next attack Louise Ward found Aibhne Davoren who shot to the net for a third Galway goal to give her side a 3-5 to 0-3 advantage.

Maria Delahunty pulled a point back with seven minutes of the first half remaining, but the side in white and blue would not score again for another twenty nine minutes.

Galway managed one more score from Olivia Divilly to give her side a 3-6 to 0-4 lead at the break.

Score’s were hard won in the second half for both sides as both managers emptied their bench as the game went on.

Mairead Seoighe and Eimear Flaherty pointed before Seoighe pointed again which was followed with a brace from substitute Sarah Conneally who did her chances no end of good of winning a place in the team from the off for her sides next game with Westmeath next weekend.

Waterford sub Eimear Fennell ended a long drought without a score with eight minutes remaining, but it was the Tribes Ladies that brought the scoring to a close with a fifth point from team captain and Player of the Match Tracey Leonard.

Galway did have a chance for a fourth goal late on in this game but Kelly Moroney in the Waterford goal did brilliant to close down Mairead Seoighe forcing her to kick across the goal and putting the ball just wide at the far post.

Galway: Lisa Murphy; Fabienne Cooney, Sarah Lynch, Sinead Burke; Charlotte Cooney, Nicola Ward, Eimear Flaherty; Louise Ward, Aibhne Davoren; Olivia Divilly, Tracey Leonard, Áine McDonagh; Mairead Seoighe, Róisín Leonard, Leanne Coen.  

Subs: Sarah Conneally for Róisín Leonard (39), Noelle Connolly for Fabienne Cooney (40), Deirdre Brennan for Áine McDonagh (47), Siobhan Divilly for Aibhne Davoren (47), Emma Reaney for Olivia Divilly (51). 

Scorers: Tracey Leonard 0-5 (0-3f), Leanne Coen 1-1, Róisín Leonard, Áine Davoren 1-0 each, Mairead Seoighe, Sarah Conneally 0-2each , Olivia Divilly, Eimear Flaherty 0-1each 

Waterford: Kelly Moroney; Rebecca Casey, Caoimhe McGrath, Aisling Mullaney; Michelle McGrath, Megan Dunford, Kate McGrath; Emma Murray, Karen McGrath; Kate Hahessy, Katie Murray, Mairead Wall; Aileen Wall, Maria Delahunty, Michelle Ryan. 

Subs: Keely Corbett Barry for Mairead Wall (40), Eimear Fennell for Katie Murray (44), Sinead Ryan for Aileen Wall (47), Laura Cusack for Kate Hahessy (47), Caragh McCarthy for Aisling Mullaney (51). 

Scorers: Michelle Ryan 0-2, Katie Murray, Maria Delahunty (f), Eimear Fennell 0-1 each. 

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry).