Waterford reach seventh Munster Final in a row with big win over Tipperary

It was all one way traffic at Fraher Field on Saturday afternoon last as the Waterford Intermediate Ladies Football Team booked a seventh Munster Final appearance in a row with a comprehensive win over neighbours Tipperary.

When the sides met last year at Carrick-on-Suir Waterford again recorded a very big win, but in the league this year when the two sides clashed at Ardfinnan just four points separated the sides in Waterford’s favour who were pushed hard all the way by the home side who at half time enjoyed a six point advantage on the score board.

Waterford began the game in Ardfinnan with an understrength team but when the big guns were called for, the delivered. Hope was that this game would prove to be close, but it was not to be.

For the visitors they started well, as their busiest forward on the day Gillian O’Brien put over the first score of the game inside a minute of the game starting.

Waterford however, wasted no time in responding and points from Player of the Match Sinead Ryan and Maria Delahunty kicked points in the fourth and fifth minute to give Waterford a lead that they would never loose.

Waterford hit six goals in this game and could have hit more but for some good defending by the visitors backs.

On five minutes Grainne Kenneally got inside the Tipperary backs and attempted to beat Lauren Fitzpatrick one of three Tipperary players involved with Tipperary who play their club football with Ballymacarbry, the visiting number 1 doing well to go low and block the Ballyduff Upper club players attempt.

Sinead Ryan and Aisling McCarthy swapped scores in the sixth and eight minute to keep just one between the sides in a very close opening to this game.

Sinead Ryan and Gillian O’Brien then traded scores to give Waterford a 0-4 to 0-3 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

From here on in however it was Waterford all the way.

Sinead Ryan’s fourth point of the game was followed with similar scores from Emma Murray and Maria Delahunty to give Waterford a 0-7 to 0-3 lead after nineteen minutes.

Waterford split open the Tipperary defence on twenty minutes as Maria Delahunty and Aileen Wall combined to set up Sinead Ryan and once through on goal there was only one thing on the mind of the Ballymacarbry player and she made no mistake.

Maria Delahunty followed up with a free that the likes of former Kerry and Dublin greats Maurice Fitzgerald and Barney Rock would have been proud off kicking from twenty metres out off the ground against the sideline at dressing room corner of the ground.

The same player followed with Waterford’s second goal of the game on twenty six minutes after an excellent team build up, and then landed a point to give Waterford a 2-9 to 0-3 lead after twenty-seven minutes.

Waterford however refused to relent on the pressure and Sinead Ryan landed a brace of goals in the twenty-eight minutes and the Ballymacarbry player further extended Waterford’s lead with a point on the half hour mark.

In added time at the end of the first half, both sides kicked a point each. Sarah Everard was first off the mark in the first added minute and a minute later Aileen Wall kicked her first of the game to give Waterford a 4-11 to 0-4 lead at the end of the break.

Waterford began the second half with Aileen Wall and Maria Delahunty kicking points.

Gillian O’Brien pulled a goal back for Tipperary on thirty eight minutes as the Premier ladies worked the ball up the field well after Delahunty’s score but it was to prove to be the visitors only score of the second half.

Aileen Wall hit another Waterford point before Mary Foley kicked a brace of points in a two minute spell which helped Waterford to a 4-16 to 1-4 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Sinead Ryan hit her final score of the game nine minutes from time, but Waterford yet as Hannah Landers who had come on as a first half sub hit Waterford’s fifth goal of the game four minutes from time, then followed up with a point and the Ballyduff Upper player rounded off the game by kicking Waterford’s sixth goal of the game two minutes into added time.

Waterford will now play Clare in the Munster Final on July 11 after the Banner ladies this weekend also recorded a second win of the championship beating Limerick 4-9 to 3-8.

The two sides meet in the round robin series this Saturday at 2-30pm in Fraher Field while twenty-four hours later Limerick and Tipperary do battle to see who finishes the year with the ‘wooden spoon’.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Mairead Wall, Michelle McGrath, Linda Wall; Elaine Power, Megan Dunford, Emma Murray; Louise Ryan, Karen McGrath, Mary-Kate Morrissey, Maria Delahunty, Grainne Kenneally: Aileen Wall, Sinead Ryan, Mary Foley. Subs: Hannah Landers for Mary-Kate Morrissey, Michelle Ryan for Louise Ryan, Nicola Fennell for Mairead Wall, Nora Dunphy for Linda Wall, Kate McGrath for Karen McGrath.

Scorers:   Sinead Ryan 3-6, Maria Delahunty 1-5 (0-2f), Hannah Landers 2-1, Aileen Wall 0-3, Mary Foley 0-2, Emma Murray 0-1.

Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Bernie Ryan, Marie Curley, Sinead Delahunty; Niamh Lonergan, Louise Cadell, Roisin McGrath; Anne O'Dwyer, Lorraine O'Shea; Breda Feeney, Gillian O'Brien, Aoife Ryan; Aimee Pollard, Aisling McCarthy, Sarah Everard. Subs: Laura Dillon for Sinead Delahunty, Sheelagh Carew for Breda Feeney, Shauna Ryan for Aimee Pollard, Elaine Butler for Aisling McCarthy and Gemma O’Dwyer for Sheelagh Carew.

Scorers: Gillian O’Brien 1-2, Aisling McCarthy, Sarah Everard 0-1 each.

Referee: Maurice Mulcahy (Cork).