Déise Ladies March On

Waterford became the first team to reach the last four of this year’s TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies Football Championship semi final when they overcame the challenge of Division Three league champions Sligo at Birr.

As a result of this win, Pat Sullivan and his charges are just sixty minutes for a first return to Croke Park since 2012 where they lost out to a very strong Armagh side in that years Intermediate Final.

This was expected to be a tough battle for both sides, but in the end it resulted in a comprehensive win for Waterford, one they were full value for.

Waterford were always on top in this game, but did receive an early scare in the first quarter of the game when Denise McGrath put the ball in the Waterford net when Waterford were a point up, but County Laois referee Niall McCormack and his officials quickly ruled the score out for an infringement within the Waterford square.

Anybody that have read what I have to say with the past few years will know that when it comes to the Black Card in men’s football, I think the whole thing is an utter joke. To remove one man off the field for what is often a rough foul and to replace him with another player for me serves no purpose. The only thing it does do however is maybe reduce the amount of subs you can in the game.

I have said on more that one occasion that G.A.A. Officials should seriously look at how players are dealt with in Ladies Football. When a player in Ladies Football is deemed to have committed a cynical foul she is ordered to the sideline or the stand for ten minutes and her team is forced to play the next ten minutes with a numerical disadvantage, and if the player is ordered off before the break, the clock stops during the interval and restarts when the game starts.

Should the same happen in the men’s game? I would say 100% yes, but I know of not one official who would purpose at Club Level or County Board Level for it to happen and for them to gain enough support for it to make it to be discussed at Congress.

In the league final between the two sides, Waterford twice had the same player very harshly yellow carded meaning Waterford twice at the end of either half had to play with a player less.

In this game it was the league champions that had to play an important portion of this game with a numerical disadvantage Stephanie O’Reilly one of their most crucial players had to sit out most of the last quarter of the game, in which time Waterford kicked the scores that ensured that victory was going to be theirs.

Waterford in this game never tailed.

The very impressive Maria Delahunty opened the scoring with a free only for Katie Walsh to cancel it out with a free for the Connacht side.

When the sides met at Parnell Park in the League Final back in May, it was Katie Walsh that was the difference between the two sides as she hit 2-4 of her sides 2-12 on the day.

Here however she was never given the same room and while she did finish as her side’s top scorer on the day, all of her four points was from frees.

the Impressive Maria Delahunty would put Waterford back in front soon afterwards with another point from a free, but soon afterwards it looked as disaster had stuck for Waterford when Denise McGrath finished to the Waterford net but her effort was ruled out for an infringement within the Waterford square.

Maria Delahunty put Waterford two in front with another free and the hugely impressive Abbeyside player who was part of the Waterford set up when the county won the first of its seven in a row of Munster Final’s at this grade back in 2010 put over a fourth free to give Waterford a three point advantage.

Waterford went six up when the side won a penalty after Ballyduff’s Gráinne Kennelly was fouled and her club mate Katie Hannon was brought up the entire length of the field to go one on one with Noelle Gormley from twelve metres and she made no mistake in putting the ball past the Saint Nathy’s player.

The first score of the game from play came when Sinead McTiernan split the Waterford posts but Waterford hit back with an effort from Linda Wall before the break. The brilliant long serving Ballymacarbry player is playing a lot in defence for Waterford this year but she has shown more than once this year that in the white and blue shirt she has lost none of her attacking abilities as she kicked her sides first from play in this game to give Waterford a 1-5 to 0-2 cushion at the break.

Waterford began the second half with a two quick points from Maria Delahunty and Sinead Ryan to stretch their sides lead to eight, but Sligo hit their best patch of the game soon afterwards as Katie Walsh put over a brace of points and Stephanie O’Reilly also got her name on the score sheet but the latter would have her time on the field cut soon afterwards as she was sin binned by the Co Laois Referee.

Maria Delahunty and Rachel Monaghan swapped scores for their respective sides before Michelle Ryan on for Mary Foley and Emma Hansbury who missed the two previous games with Waterford also got their names on the score sheet.

Further points for Maria Delahunty and Michelle Ryan followed for Waterford before Katie Walsh hit her fourth of the game and her sides last of the game to leave six between the sides with time running down.

Waterford in the time that remained had points from Aileen Wall, Maria Delahunty, Sinead Ryan and another from the brilliant Maria Delahunty to run out winners by ten points on a 1-15 to 0-8 score line.

Waterford now play Leitrim in the semi finals after the Connacht champions overcame the challenge of Clare on a 4-7 to 1-12 score line in the second game to be played at Birr on Saturday afternoon.

In the other two quarter finals next weekend Kildare play Wexford at 1-30pm at Crettyard, while last years beaten finalists Fermanagh play Offaly at Mullahoran.

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

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 0-9 (7f), Hannah Landers 1-0 (Pen), Sinead Ryan, Michelle Ryan 0-2 each, Linda Wall, Aileen Wall 0-1 each.

Sligo: Noelle Gormley; Orla McGowan, Gráinne O’Loughlin, Jacqui Mulligan; Colley Casey, Elsie Codd, Ruth Goodwin; Sinead McTiernan, Bernice Byrne; Denise McGrath, Stephanie O’Reilly, Elaine O’Reilly; Rachel Monaghan, Katie Walsh, Emma Hansbury. Sub: Lisa Casey for Rachel Monaghan.

Scorers: Katie Walsh 0-4 (4f), Sinead McTiernan, Stephanie O’Reilly, Rachel Monaghan, Emma Hansbury 0-1 each.

Referee: Niall McCormack (Laois).