Waterford and Leitrim battle for top spot in Tesco Homegrown Ladies National Football League – Division 3

With the four places up for grabs in the semi finals of this year’s Division 3 Tesco Homegrown Ladies Football National League already decided, all that is to be resolved this week at the top of the table is to decide who finishes in what positions.

If Waterford were to avoid defeat in Ballinamore on Sunday afternoon, the Déise Ladies will top the table and play the fourth placed team in the semi finals, while if Waterford were to win and Sligo and Roscommon were also collect three points, all three Connacht Counties in the league would finish on fifteen points each. However, a defeat for Waterford would see both Waterford and Leitrim finish on eighteen points and the home side on Sunday would finish top of the group as a result of winning the head to head between the two counties.

In recent meetings between the two, Waterford has often come out on top, but they will know that they face a stern battle in this game.

Leitrim are an improving side in recent years. They have won five of the six games they played in the league so far, their only defeat coming in the fifth series of games when they lost 1-11 to 0-7 against Sligo, a side Waterford beat 5-13 to 0-6 in the third round of games.

There can be no doubting that Áine Tighe will be the home side’s most important player. She is likely to start at full forward and will be a test for who ever is her direct marker.

In the six games she has started in the league up to now, she has hit an incredible eleven goals and twenty-seven points. The only game she has failed to score in was in the loss against Sligo where she was replaced during the break.

However while the value of Tighe cannot be disputed neither can the fact that throughout the team there is also plenty of players with lots of natural ability such as Michelle Guckian between the posts, Claire Beirne, Mairead Stenson and Róisín McHugh in the full back line, Anna Conlon, Lorraine Brennan and Sharon Kerrigan in the half back line, Sarah McLoughlin in the middle of the field, the versatile Niamh Tighe and Deirdre Ward who both can play in attack or in the middle of the field as well as Emma Guckian, Ailbie Maguire, Carla LeGuen and Michelle Heslin, while Áine Heslin is a player that can play in the middle of the field or in defence.

Like Leitrim Waterford have impressed in getting to this stage of the competition as an unbeaten side.

In their opener against Wexford in Fraher Field, the Model County Ladies made life very difficult for Pat Sullivan’s charges. Waterford had to call upon all the experience of the older players in the panel collected over the years as well as the younger players from their underage and college’s games before they came out on top 0-9 to 2-2.

Waterford easily accounted for both Fermanagh and Sligo at Fraher Field in their next two games before again calling on experience to beat Tipperary in Ardfinnan in round four and again in the second half in the game against Roscommon at Fraher Field in round five.

Last time out Waterford were awarded a walk over from Longford who have lost all their games in the league and who will be relegated this weekend if they fail to beat Tipperary, while it will be the Premier Ladies that will drop a division for 2016 if they loose this weekend.

Waterford has a new look team this year. Pat Sullivan and his selectors have called up some of the exciting prospects from the under 14, 16 and minor teams in recent years and also have brought back into the panel some players who were away from the panel in the last few years.

Waterford could well have a team made up of experience and youth taking to the field in Ballinamore on Sunday.

Katie Hannon should again start between the posts. Karen McGrath could well have the task of trying to keep Áine Tighe quiet. The Ballymacarbry player has settled well into the number three shirt this year and is more than capable of keeping the dangerous full forward quiet.

Michelle McGrath and Elaine Power are others that have settled in well in new positions in the half back line having played in the centre of the field for much of their inter county careers up to this point.

Mairead Wall could well start in the middle of the field. Mary Kate Morrissey has started in the middle of the field for many of the games up to this point and could well be given the nod again here. Maria Delahunty has proven to be key to Waterford this year playing at centre forward while Sinead Ryan another player returning to the side this year also has proven crucial playing at full forward.

Linda Wall and Michelle Ryan could also start in attack, while the likes of Megan Dunford, Emma Murray, Nora Dunphy, Caoimhe McGrath, Hannah Landers, Shauna Dunphy, Grainne Kenneally, Aileen Wall, Aoife Dunne Aoife Murray and Lauren McGregor will also be fighting hard for a place in the team.

The fact that this game will decide the final outcome of the group is no real surprise. Both sides would have been predicted to fill the top two places from the off.

Waterford as pointed out are undefeated, and would like to finish the league stages of the competition with a maximum of twenty one points.

The two sides will be favourites to meet again in a few weeks time in the final.

This particular game is a very difficult one to call.

Maybe some might want to stop reading at this stage.

I hate to see any Waterford team loose any game in any sport, but if you are a regular reader of what I have to read on here and elsewhere, that you will know that I have a notion that when two teams meet in close proximity, the advantage is often with the side that looses the first day in the second meeting.

Travelling long distances to games in not very ideal. Sometimes teams when they have to travel a long distance to a game they like to travel the full distance or a lot of it the night before. However sleeping in a strange bed the night before a game is not always the best preparation.

Home advantage and the distance Waterford have to travel is going to give Leitrim an advantage this weekend.

If Waterford are to loose one game (and hopefully one game only) then as a Waterford supporter, I must say let it be this game. To loose here would not be the end of the world. However knowing the talent in the Waterford panel this year, I for one would not be surprised to see Waterford end the league in a few weeks time with a perfect record.

In the other games to be played this weekend, Roscommon with home advantage over Wexford may prove that little bit stronger than the visitors, Fermanagh who have disappointed in the league so far, having contested last years All-Ireland Final will look to end the league with a confidence boosting win over Sligo with their Ulster Championship campaign starting in the next few weeks, while Tipperary should have enough to see off Longford in a game that will decide who drops to Division Four for the 2016 league.