Ryan and Delahunty Goals Help Secure Senior Status For Waterford Ladies

Waterford will contest next year’s All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship after they got the better of a strong Tipperary side in an hugely exciting relegation semi final play off at Callan on Saturday afternoon.

Few would have expected either of these two sides to be involved in a relegation battle this year, but unfortunately for both they did after neither side won a game in this year’s championship up to this game.

But had things worked out slightly different in different games for both sides then the year could well have had a much different look to it.

This game went right to the wire as was expected and at the end of the hour there was only one kick of the ball between the two sides, but when Maria Delahunty converted a penalty three minutes into added time, it ensured that victory was going to go to the Déise girls who over the course of the game proved to be the better of the two sides.

Tipperary stayed with Waterford for much of this game and on two occasions they lead the eventual winners, but now find themselves in a relegation play off final with Cavan, the side that they beat in the Division Two National League Final earlier this year, and if they are to join Waterford in the senior grade next year, they will have to win a competitive game for the first time this year since they won that National League title.

At the end of this game there was a massive relief on the faces of the Waterford side who knew if they lost they would face Cavan in that relegation decider after Cavan lost to Monaghan earlier in the day in the other semi final game, and it would be on the minds of some of the Waterford players that in the last number of years they have found the going very tough against opposition from Ulster in the bigger games.

Tipperary’s Gillian O’Brien opened the scoring in this game but her effort was quickly cancelled out with a brace of scores from this game’s top scorer Maria Delahunty.

While Tipperary would draw level with a point from Aisling McCarthy the Premier Counties top scorer in this game, Waterford would hit the next three scores, one of which proved vital.

Mairead Wall broke forward to put Waterford one up before the long serving Michelle Ryan bagged the first of her two goals in this game on seven minutes after which Aileen Wall followed up with a point to put Waterford five in front.

The player’s Waterford knew that they would have to keep a close eye on most in this game were the two Aisling’s (McCarthy and Moloney) and it was they that kicked the next two scores to leave Michelle Ryan’s goal between the sides at the end of the first quarter.

Maria Delahunty put over a free for Waterford before Tipperary enjoyed a purple patch as Aisling McCarthy pointed just before her shot was judged to have cross the line when Kelly Moroney misjudged the flight of the ball.

This score levelled matters and Tipperary soon went in front when Sarah Everard and Siobhan Condon split the Waterford uprights, but Waterford would finish the half strong as Aileen Wall and Katie Murray both pointed before Michelle Ryan hit her second goal of the game on twenty seven minutes which put the Déise Ladies 2-7 to 1-7 in front.

In the time that remained before the break both sides hit one score each, both coming from the respective right half forwards, Maria Delahunty first sending the umpire for a white flag and then Kate Davey which sent the sides in at the break with Waterford holding a 2-8 to 1-8 advantage.

Aisling McCarthy made it a two point game at the start of the second half, but Waterford hit the next three scores Maria Delahunty putting over a free which was followed by an Aoife Murray effort and another from Maria Delahunty.

The game then turned in Tipperary’s favour as Aisling Moloney hit a brace of points and Niamh Lonergan hit one to leave two between the sides once more in Waterford’s favour.

Maria Delahunty and Aisling McCarthy swapped scores to keep things very tight as the time ticked down on the watch of Jonathan Murphy.

Aileen Wall put a little day light between the sides when she got her third score of the game but Waterford could still not pull away from the shackles of Tipperary.

Three minutes into stoppage time however at the end of the hour Waterford secured the win and a place in next year’s championship when Maria Delahunty finished a penalty to the next after Lauren Fitzpatrick blocked an initial effort from the Abbeyside Club player with her foot which saw her sent to the line.

For Waterford it’s now back to the club championship where the main interest will be to see will the Ballymacarbry near forty year stronghold on the senior championship come to an end, but the other grades will prove to be just as competitive.

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

Subs: Kelly Ann Hogan for Mairead Wall (42), Geraldine Power for Michelle Ryan (54), Eimear Fennell for Sinead Ryan (54), Keely Corbett Barry for Aoife Murray (64).

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 1-7 (4fs, 1-0 pen), Michelle Ryan 2-0, Aileen Wall 0-3, Mairead Wall, Katie Murray, Aoife Murray 0-1 each.

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Laura Dillon, Maria Curley, Brid Condon; Anna Rose Kennedy, Samantha Lambert, Niamh Lonergan; Aisling McCarthy, Siobhan Condon; Kate Davey, Aisling Moloney, Orla O'Dwyer; Sinead Everard, Mairead Morrissey, Grace O'Brien.

Subs: Lucy Spillane for Laura Dillon (9), Roisin Howard for Everard (HT), Elaine Fitzpatrick for Siobhan Condon (HT), Emma Buckley for Kate Davey (44), Aoibhe O'Shea for Grace O'Brien (53).

Scorers: Aisling McCarthy 1-6 (5fs), Aisling Moloney 0-2, Niamh Lonergan, Grace O'Brien, Kate Davey, Sarah Everard, Siobhan Condon 0-1 each.

Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow).