Heart break for Déise Ladies at Parnell Park for second year in a row

Parnell Park in Dublin is proving to be a bit of a jinx for the Waterford Intermediate Ladies Footballers after they fell to a third National League Final loss at the ground on Saturday afternoon against Sligo, following on from losses against Cavan in 2010 and Armagh in 2014.

The win was the Yates County sides first win at this level sin 1995 when they won the same grade title beating Carlow in that years decider.

Sligo now move up a grade for the 2016 competition while Waterford will be hoping to make the division three final for the third year in a row and that it will be third time lucky, but Waterford will know that it will not be easy as Fermanagh, Tipperary, Leitrim and Wexford could all prove to be strong sides, while Down who were relegated from Division two and Offaly promoted from division four could also prove to be strong sides.

It is important early in this piece that the Sligo team are congratulated on their win. On the day, for much of the hour they were the better team, and they are wished well playing in the Division two league in 2016.

However, if anyone within the Waterford set up or indeed anyone that supports the team feel aggrieved they possibly have every right to be.

From a very young age I have memories going to matches with my Father and his Sister. In all I am watching games with about 40 years I suppose. In that time I have seldom given out about a referee. I don’t believe too many if any referee’s go out to have a bad day. Sometimes they do and are the first to admit it (maybe not too publically however) afterwards. Mistakes are made by officials. I have acted as an umpire in the past I have stood in the middle of a field with a whistle for under 12 and primary school games, and know that along the way I have made my own fair of mistakes. However, I find that mistakes overall will possibly balance themselves out over the course of the game.

However on Saturday afternoon last, there appeared to be two different sets of rules applied. Waterford had two players sin binned for little or nothing. Maybe it’s a case of me not knowing the rules of the game as much as I should and if this is the case I hold my hands up. One Waterford player was yellow carded or sin binned twice so was sent off.

The game was not a dirty one, far from it in fact. Yet the most dangerous challenge of the game went almost unpunished after Aileen Wall was tripped with ten and a half minutes were remaining. Waterford did get a free for the foul which Sinead Ryan converted, but there was no card. Was there a little play acting involved in an attempt to distract the referee?

When the Ballymacarbry player was fouled the Sligo player also went to ground, holding the area of her leg just below her shorts, but as the Sligo player was attended to when the clock was stopped, an ice pack was put against the area of the player’s leg just above the top of her football.

Waterford in 2014 were beaten by a better Armagh side but mistakes on the day and some desertion of Lady Luck on the day meant that the final gap on the score board was wider than it could have being. On Saturday last had the game being fought out 15 V 15 for the full hour, maybe the outcome could have been different.

Sligo had suffered a 5-13 to 0-6 loss to Waterford in the league section of the competition at Fraher Field. This was not a true account of how close the sides are. What has not being told so much in the last few days was that twelve months ago, when Waterford travelled to play Sligo at the grounds of I.T. Sligo, the home side ran out winners. When players travel long distances to the game be it the night before, meaning the players are sleeping in beds that they are not used to or whether they travel on the day when a long journey on a bus or by car can take its toll, its not easy on the away team.

Early in the game it looked as if the difference between the sides after the game at Fraher Field could well be between the sides in Parnell Park on Saturday as Waterford made all the early running.

There was less than two minutes played when Waterford had registered the first score of the game.

Sligo attempted to put the ball over the Waterford cross bar but it did not have the required height. Katie Hannon on the Waterford goal was able to take the ball down and playing the ball out towards the stand side of the field, Waterford worked the ball up field to the industrious Maria Delahunty who ran at the Sligo defence laying the ball off to Sinead Ryan who played a double 1-2 with older sister Michelle who laid the ball off to Grainne Kenneally and the Ballyduff Upper player made no mistake in splitting the posts.

Sligo levelled matters on five minutes when Sinead McTiernan was fouled in front of goal and Player of the Match Katie Walsh who played a roll in almost everything that Sligo did on the day put over the resulting free.

On eight minutes Maria Delahunty again caused problems to the Sligo defence when again the ball was played out of the Waterford half of the field, the Abbeyside player again ran at the Sligo defence laying the ball off to Sinead Ryan who extended Waterford’s lead to two.

On nine minutes, Waterford hit the first goal of the game. Michelle Ryan attempted for a point but her effort came crashing off the upright and into the path of Sinead Ryan who beat Noelle Gormley to give Waterford a 1-2 to 0-1 lead.

Waterford went five in front after again some good football. Maria Delahunty was again involved doing a lot of unselfish work. She laid the ball off to Sinead Ryan raced out of her full forward position collected a pass from Maria Delahunty and quickly laid it off to Aileen Wall who made no mistake in finding the range.

Moments later Waterford had the ball in the Sligo net for the second time. Again the ball was played with pace out of the Waterford defence and again reached Maria Delahunty who played the ball across the field to Aileen Wall who danced through the Sligo defence drawing Ruth Goodwin and Jacqui Mulligan with her and the Ballymacarbry player noticing Sinead Ryan in a good position played the ball over the heads of the two Sligo defenders in the direction of the on-running Sinead Ryan who collected, rounded some of the Sligo backs and shot past Noelle Gormley.

It was this score that Sligo needed as a wake up call. The way Waterford were playing, could have meant that the game would end in a cricket score.

The Magpies however would hit a purple patch as Karen Maloney, Elaine O’Reilly and Stephane O’Reilly landed scores to get Sligo to within five of Waterford.

As pointed out there was a number of controversial moments in this game and the first of the big ones came with three and a half minutes left on the clock. Sinead McTiernan and Katie Walsh played a good 1-2 as McTiernan got in on the Waterford goal. As the Geevagh player went to pull the trigger, Emma Murray came across and at first glance seemed to put in a good timely interception but maybe brushed off the Sligo player who went to ground and the Carlow referee awarded a penalty.

To add insult to injury from a Waterford perspective the Carlow official flashed a yellow card at the Comeragh Rangers player meaning that she would have to sit out the next ten plus minutes of the game.

Katie Walsh was given responsibility to strike the penalty putting the ball low and hard down the middle of the goal past Katie Hannon in the Waterford goal despite a Bruce Grobbellar impersonation.

Leading by two points, Waterford kicked the last point of the first half, courtesy of their best player on the day Aileen Wall which sent Waterford to the dressing rooms with a 2-4 to 1-4 advantage.

Waterford made changes at the break as Caoimhe McGrath came on for Nicola Fennell.

Still a player down it was Sligo that made the best start to the second half as Sarah Reynolds kicked the first point of the half three minutes after the resumption. Four minutes later Waterford missed a chance for a point as a Mairead Wall effort fell just short of the target.

Sligo goalkeeper Noelle Gormley gathered the ball and in a sign of the times when it comes to football, the Magpies quickly worked the ball up field. 12 fist passes and four foot-taps and no kick of the ball later, the ball was in the Waterford net for a second time, Katie Walsh again the scorer, pushing the ball over the line from close range to give her side the lead (2-5 to 2-4) for the first time.

Sligo were now in control and points from Sarah Reynolds and Katie Walsh who cut in from the dressing room corner of the ground for a good score to extent Sligo’s lead.

With just over a quarter of an hour to play Grainne Kenneally became the second Waterford player to be sin binned. If Emma Murray’s sin binning was harsh, this one was very harsh.

The Ballyduff Upper player contested for a ball which the Sligo player tried to play away with her hand and the Waterford player attempted to clear with her foot. Yes, maybe the Ballyduff Upper player might have made connection to the Sligo player, resulting in a free but by no means deserved a yellow card.

A Michelle Point on sixteen minutes helped cut Sligo’s advantage, but Waterford were playing an up-hill battle having their numbers cut.

Waterford however refused to throw in the towel. Denise McGrath did edge Sligo further in front before Noelle Gormley denied Shauna Dunphy a goal saving with the inside of her foot.

Katie Walsh pointed again after some good work by Sarah Reynolds and Louise Brett. Sinead Ryan put over a free for Waterford keeping her side in touch after Aileen Wall was tripped by Colley Casey but the referee nor his officials saw the trip as a yellow card offence.

Maria Delahunty made a two point game with just over eight minutes to play when she put over a free from the edge of the arc outside the twenty metre line but this was to be Waterford’s last score of the game.

Katie Walsh made it a three point game before Grainne Kenneally was allowed back on by the match officials. Sinead Ryan would soon afterwards convert another free for Waterford.

Waterford however would soon be back down to 14 once more, again a very controversial call as Emma Murray was red carded after she was sin binned for the second time in the game after she went to contest a ball with Stephanie O’Reilly. As the two players leapt for the ball, the Comeragh Rangers players was deemed to have made contact with the Sligo Captain and as a result the referee gave the young Comeragh Rangers player a second yellow card meaning a red was to follow.

Bernice Byrne hit the last score of the game with just under four minutes left on the clock which helped Sligo to a 2-12 to 2-8 victory.

Let me repeat something already said. I don’t like to be critical of match officials. There job is hard enough. The better team over the hour came out on top, but a little bit of balance when it comes to making calls would have been nice, if you were watching the game as a Waterford supporters and even from a neutral point of view.

WATERFORD: Katie Hannon; Linda Wall, Karen McGrath, Emma Murray; Michelle McGrath, Elaine Power, Megan Dunford; Nicola Fennell, Mairéad Wall; Grainne Kenneally, Maria Delahunty, Aileen Wall; Michelle Ryan, Sinead Ryan, Aoife Murray. Subs: Caoimhe McGrath for Nicola Fennell (h.t.), Shauna Dunphy for Mairead Wall (42), Hannah Landers for Aoife Murray (53).
Scorers: Sinead Ryan 2-3 (0-2f), Aileen Wall 0-2, Grainne Kenneally, Maria Delahunty (f) & Michelle Ryan 0-1 each.

SLIGO: Noelle Gormley; Orla McGowan, Grainne O’Loughlin, Colley Casey; Ruth Goodwin, Elise Codd, Jacqui Mulligan; Sinead McTiernan, Bernice Byrne; Elaine O’Reilly, Stephanie O’Reilly, Sarah Reynolds; Laura Anne Laffey, Katie Walsh, Karen Moloney. Subs: Louise Brett for Karen Moloney (22), Denise McGrath for Laura Anne Laffey (40), Grainne Carty for Louise Brett (57).
Scorers: Katie Walsh 2-4 (1-0 pen, 0-1f), Sarah Reynolds & Stephanie O’Reilly 0-2 each, Bernice Byrne, Elaine O’Reilly, Karen Moloney & Denise McGrath 0-1 each.
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow)