Waterford Ladies Seek Revenge Against Sligo

Waterford and Sligo renew rivalries in the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies Intermediate Football Championship at the quarter final stages of the competition when they meet this Saturday in Birr with a throw-in time of 2pm.

The two sides have met twice so far this year and the current standing is one win each.

When the sides met in the group stages of the League, Waterford had a very comprehensive win at Fraher Field, and when the sides clashed in the League Final at Parnell Park in Dublin a few weeks later it was the Westerns that ran out winners with four points to spare.

The first clash of the two this year gave a false reading as to the difference between the two sides.

For that game, Sligo travelled to Dungarvan without a number of regulars in their starting team.

For the league final, Grainne O’Loughlin, Colley Casey, Ruth Goodwin, Elsie Codd and Karen Moloney were in the team that started that did not start at Fraher Field, and since then they have made further changes to their team as last time out when beating Roscommon 2-15 to 2-13 at Ballinamore they had Emma Hansbury in the team. the Republic of Ireland Soccer International started none of the two previous games with Waterford and is a player that Waterford will have to keep an eye on. For that game Denise McGrath put over three points for Sligo and Rachel Monaghan started at corner forward and played for 43 minutes before she was replaced by Lisa Casey and both will be hoping to have done enough to stay in the starting team for Saturday’s game.

Right throughout the team Sligo could cause Waterford many problems.

Noelle Gormley is an excellent goalkeeper as many will have seen in the League Final between the two sides.

Elise Codd will be at Centre back, Grainne O’Loughlin should start behind her with Orla McGowan in one of the corners. Ruth Goodwin is likely to start at wing back and Jacqui Mulligan could start in a wing or corner back position, with Colley Casey filling the remaining position in defence.

Sinead McTiernan and Bernice Byrne all going well will start in the middle of the field, while in attack the Sligo management team will be spoilt for choice as they will be able to call in the likes of Elaine and Stephanie O’Reilly, Katie Walsh who put in a player of the match performance in league final scoring 2-4 playing at full forward while Emma Hansbury is most likely to start in the corner.

There will be plenty of competition for the other two remaining places in attack with the likes of Rachel Monaghan, Grainne Carty, Sarah Reynolds, Laura Ann Laffrey, Denise McGrath, Lisa Casey, Karen Maloney and Louise Brett all fighting it out for a place in the starting team.

There can be no disputing that in the last number of years, Waterford have proven to be the most consistent team in the intermediate grade of Ladies Football, winning seven Munster Titles in a row, and have reached All-Ireland finals in both 2010 and 2012 along the way but the All-Ireland title that this panel are looking for and that so many of the panel would deserve for their commitment to the game over a number of years still eludes Waterford.

In the last number of years the championship format has not been kind to Waterford as they have gone into the All-Ireland quarter finals without a competitive game for four or five weeks between the Munster Final and the All-Ireland Quarter Final game while their opponents have played a game almost every two weeks after going out of the Provincial championship, and all involved in the Waterford set up will be hoping for a change of fortune this weekend.

Waterford no doubt will be looking for revenge for the league final defeat between the two sides back in May.

That was a game that Waterford will know that they should have won.

Waterford had a fantastic start to the game as they tore Sligo apart with some excellent running at their defence coming out of the Waterford half of the field, and hit a brace of goals through the impressive Sinead Ryan, but Sligo came storming back, with the help maybe of some questionable calls by the match officials as Sligo hit two goals from Katie Walsh, the first from a very questionable penalty which saw Waterford had their numbers cut for ten minutes after the awarding of the penalty and later in the game, when Sligo brought the ball out of their own defence from the goal mouth and scored with 13 movements with their hands and without once kicking the ball. Waterford would also finish that game with a numerical disadvantage after another very questionable call by the officials.

12 months ago, both sides went out of the competition at this stage of the competition. Waterford lost to Fermanagh while Sligo lost to Down with both Ulster sides going on to contest the All-Ireland Final last September. The winner of this game will be hoping to go on and win at Croke Park at the end of September but first they will know that they face two more stiff tests after this game.

Pat Sullivan since he was appointed as Manager of the team has re-energised the team, moving players to new positions which has instilled a new lease of life into the players and has also introduced some of the most exciting young prospects into the panel with many of them staking a place for themselves in the starting line up, while a number of players who were regulars in the starting line up for a number of years are now providing back up to what starts the game and when they enter the game they are adding considerable experience to the side.

From an early stage this year Waterford have a fairly settled starting fifteen an the side that takes to the field will look fairly familiar to the side that beat Clare in the Munster Final at Mallow back in July and the league final loss to Sligo in May.

That will mean that Katie Hannon will start between the posts. Michelle McGrath will start at full back while the Wall sisters Mairead and Linda could start in the corner back positions.

Elaine Power and Megan Dunford will be in the half back line with one from Emma Murray and Louise Ryan filling a wing back and a centre field position where Karen McGrath will also start.

In attack Maria Delahunty will be a centre forward and Sinead Ryan will be full forward. After that a number of players could well feature with some experienced players missing out.

Grainne Kenneally, Waterford’s goal scorer in the Munster Final win over Clare would be expected to start as would Aileen Wall, one of the most exciting prospects within the game.

Mary Foley has received a new lease of life since moving from defence to attack and has proven to be key to Waterford this year.

Hannah Landers completed the forwards last time out and she could well be given the nod once more again this time out, but the likes if there is a chance the likes of Shauna Dunphy, Aoife Murray or Michelle Ryan could get the call.

Others that could play a vital roll in this game could be the likes of Nicola Fennell, Caoimhe McGrath, Kate McGrath, Nora Dunphy, Emer Scanlon, Lauren McGregor, Aoife Landers and Aoife Dunne amongst others.

Waterford will know that this is a tough a quarter final game that they could have got in the draw, but they will also know that if they are to win the All-Ireland that they so crave for that they will have to beat the best teams and that some of them will have to be beaten before the final itself.

On paper little separates the two sides and this is a game that could well go to the wire.

Ladies football is on the up once more in Waterford and a win here would give the game an even bigger boost.

There is a hunger in the Waterford team and that should stand to them. they have played some good football this year along the way in both the league and the championship.

Goals will be scored in this game. Waterford will know that if they can keep the likes of Katie Walsh and Emma Hansbury quite and also remained disciplined that they stand a great chance of advancing in this game.