Throughout the 1990’s and into the early years of
the last decade, to hear that a Waterford team was through to an All-Ireland
Ladies Football Ireland was hardly news, so often it was happening.
In 1991, managed by the Current Waterford Senior
Hurling Manager – Michael Ryan he put together an exciting and gifted group of
players which had a nice blend of experienced players from the 1986 Junior
All-Ireland winning team at Croke Park with youth, many of whom were eligible
for the counties underage teams that year.
For almost a decade, Kerry had dominated the Ladies
Football Scene. There was little or nothing to stop them winning Munster and
All-Ireland Finals year in, year out. They were the Kilkenny Senior Hurling
team of the day.
In ’91 Waterford shocked Kerry to win the Munster
Final, and went on to beat a fancied Laois side in the All-Ireland final. In
1992 these wins were repeated.
The wins encouraged young girls and maybe slightly
older girls to take up the game of Ladies Football as clubs began to be formed across
the county.
Some brilliant young players were unearthed and
many quickly broke into the different inter county teams.
Success followed for all teams. Munster and
All-Ireland finals were won at all grades as were National Leagues for the
seniors.
Then something happened. The players that broke the
mould in 1991 began to retire one by one, and while those tasked to promote the
game in Waterford continued to work hard, things began to slip. No longer did
the game enjoy the profile it once did.
In recent years however the wheel has began to turn
once more and hopefully sooner rather than later it will have turned full
circle.
Waterford have won a National League Final. They
have appeared in an All-Ireland Intermediate final and these success’ have encouraged
a new group of young girls playing Ladies Football to set their sights as high
as possible.
This Saturday, Waterford’s under 14 team contests
the All-Ireland ‘B’ Final when they take on Cavan at St Brendan’s Park in Birr
at 2pm.
Under the guidance of Pat Sullivan, Johnny Troy,
Martina Landers and Lindsey Keane, a great deal of work has gone into the
preparing the team for this years championship.
They have cast their nets far and wide and put
together a panel of 31 players picked from ten clubs across the city and
county, from Roanmore in the city to Ballyduff and Ballysaggart in the far west
of the county.
Waterford travel to Birr unbeaten in this years
championship and will want to extend that run till after this weekend.
Waterford’s first game in this years Munster
Championship was against Limerick and resulted in an excellent 6-6 to 2-8
victory.
Next up were Tipperary and again Waterford put in
an impressive performance winning 3-10 to 1-7 and secured their place in the
Munster Final when they beat Clare again by an impressive margin, 4-13 to 2-6.
Tipperary again provided the opposition in the
Munster final. When sides meet twice in the one year in the once competition,
it often works out that the side that lost the first game goes on to win the
second game, as over confidence often sets in.
However, the Waterford management team had guarded
against such happenings and Waterford ran out winners on an even greater margin
than they did the first day winning 4-6 to 1-2.
Waterford’s opponents in the All-Ireland semi final
were Laois who as expected proved to be Waterford’s toughest opponents in the
competition up to this point.
Just three points separated the sides in
Waterford’s favour, Waterford winning 1-7 to 1-4.
Waterford’s management team are going into the game
with Cavan happy with what has been achieved this year and also happy with the
spirit in the camp.
A win for Waterford, while it wont be easy would be
great and could start a new era in the history of Ladies Football in Waterford.
