Comeragh Rangers take Junior Ladies Football County Final despite trailing Na Déise for almost 55 minutes.

Comeragh Rangers Junior Footballer s pulled off a dramatic comeback to win this year’s Ladies Football Championship at Dungarvan’s Fraher Field on Saturday afternoon.

In the early stages of this game it looked as if it was the club from West Waterford would win this game by what ever margin they set their minds to but in the end training with their Senior side was to prove to be a major plus for the mid county side as they hit a number of late goals to win the game by three points.

For almost fifty five minutes of this game it was Na Déise that lead in this game, but as Comeragh Rangers showed here no game is over till the final whistle is sounded and their persistence would pay off.

Na Déise had a great start to this game kicking 1-3 inside the opening four minutes.

Clodagh Ryan opened the scoring on two minutes with a point. Marion Troy who was involved in with the great Waterford senior side of the 90’s in its latter years extended her sides lead a minute later and within seconds their lead was stretched again as Margurita McCarthy who has played senior camogie with Limerick where she is living but who continues to play football with her home club slotted between the posts.

And when Bronagh Condon who has played under 14 and 16 for Waterford in the last couple of years hammered in the first goal of the game on four minutes it was looking as though the side in green and yellow would win the game by a massive score as they were tearing the Comeragh Rangers defence apart.

Comeragh Rangers however steadied the ship with a brace of points both from frees off the boot of Belinda O’Neill with six minutes played.

Another brace from Bronagh Condon was sit for Na Déise which gave them a 1-5 to 0-2 lead with only ten minutes played.

The scoring rate in the first half slowed down after this.

Clodagh Ryan and Katie Buckley landed further points for Na Déise by the eighteenth minute but Comeragh Rangers would finish the half slightly the stronger of the sides.

Clodagh Power knocked over her sides third score of the game on twenty minutes and five minutes later Catherine Power from a misdirected free out finished to the Na Déise net to give her side hope going into the second half as they trailed by just four points (1-7 to 1-3).

The third quarter proved to be a low scoring affair which Na Déise just shaded on the score board.

Katie Buckley opened the scoring on thirty-five minutes only for her score to be cancelled out five minutes later by Belinda O’Neill’s third score of the game from a free.

Abbey Dalton another player to play under 14 and 16 with Waterford in the last few years and Mary Kate Morrissey a panel member with the current Waterford Intermediate team helped increase Waterford’s lead to six on forty-four minutes but it was cut by one a minute later when Jodie Nugent split the Na Déise posts.

Mary Kate Morrissey from a free and Catherine Power swapped scores to keep Na Déise five in front with just over ten minutes to play, but it would be Comeragh Rangers finished the stronger of the two sides.

With eight minutes to play the mid county side won a penalty and from twelve metres Shauna Power made no mistake in beating Helen Walsh in the Na Déise goal to leave two between the sides.

A point from a Belinda O’Neill free made life a little more uncomfortable for Comeragh Rangers heading into the last five minutes and moments later Comeragh Rangers took the lead for the first time when they won a free from about thirty-five metres and when Catherine Power kicked her effort it looked as if it was going to go over the crossbar but dipped and fell into the Na Déise net.

Now trailing 3-7 to 1-11 Na Déise pulled a point back from a Mary Kate Morrissey free with three minutes remaining and moments later when her side won another free in front of goal it looked as if the Inter County player would level matters but she never connected right with the ball and it was easily cleared.

In added time, Shauna Power secured the win for Comeragh Rangers when she finished to the net for a fourth goal for her side and while Na Déise would hit one more point through Bronagh Condon it was too little too late.

It has to be confirmed by the County Board but there could be some good news yet for the West Waterford club as their season might not be over just yet.

In the men’s championship’s if a second string side wins a county final they are not permitted to take part in the Provincial championships and if it’s the same in Ladies Football, the county board will have to nominate someone to represent the county  in the Munster Club Championships and normally when this happens, the side beaten in the final or the none second string side that goes the furthest in the county championship are given first option at representing the county.

Comeragh Rangers: Cailin Power; Claire Hennebry, Annette O’Connell, Lauren Galvin; Helena Power, Jodie Nugent, Keeley Corbett Barry; Maria Power, Shauna Power; Eileen Fitzpatrick, Orla Kelly, Halannah White; Beth Norris, Catherine Power, Belinda O’Neill. Subs: Aoife Flynn for Helena Power, Emma Curry for Eileen Fitzpatrick, Trisha Kelly for Claire Hennebry.

Scorers: Catherine Power 2-2, Shauna Power 2-0, Belinda O’Neill 0-4 (4f), Jodie Nugent 0-1.

Na Déise: Helen Walsh; Michelle Condon, Maria O’Donovan, Michelle Walsh; Linda Foley, Trish Kiely, Nicole O’Byrne; Margurita McCarthy, Mary Kate Morrissey; Abbey Dalton, Marion Troy, Katie Buckley; Bronagh Condon, Clodagh Ryan, Catherine Fitzgerald.

Scorers: Bronagh Condon 1-3, Mary Kate Morrissey 0-3 (2f), Katie Buckley, Clodagh Ryan 0-2 each, Marion Troy, Margurita McCarthy, Abbey Dalton 0-1 each.

Referee: Tommy O’Sullivan