Déise Ladies Seek Double All-Ireland Glory Over Lilly Whites

In the 1990’s Waterford were the top side in Ladies Football.

Between 1991 and 2000, Waterford won five All-Ireland Finals. They lost a further one final against Monaghan and two to a brilliant Mayo side in that time. 1993 and 1996 was the only years when Waterford did not play in Croke Park, loosing out to Kerry in that year’s Munster Final.

In the same time Waterford won three Division 1 League Finals.

Waterford remained competitive for a number of years after this.

In the early years of the new Millennium Waterford won two Minor ‘A’ Championships (2000 and 2001), but the record books show that for the first of these titles, despite Waterford winning 7-12 to 1-6 against Tyrone, the title was taken off Waterford for fielding a sixth sub in the game.

A Division One league final was won in 2002 after Michael Ryan’s charges beat Mayo 2-9 to 1-9.

But the players that had served Waterford well for over a decade, many of whom in addition to the above titles as well as titles at Minor and under 16 level had helped Ballymacarbry to win nine All-Ireland Senior Club titles in ten years soon began to retire and for a while Waterford found it hard to find replacements up to the standard that those retiring were at.

Early in 2009 it was no real surprise to see Waterford loose their Senior Status for the first time since they beat Wexford in the 1986 All-Ireland Final, the first Ladies Football Final to be played in Croke Park.

Since loosing that relegation play off to Meath, there has been plenty of more honours won by Waterford at Adult and underage levels.

Winning seven Munster Senior Intermediate Finals in a row is the stand out achievement in this time. Waterford since dropping down to the Intermediate grade have made two trips to G.A.A. Headquarters at the end of the championship, loosing to Donegal 2-12 to 0-16 in 2010 and two years later lost out to a very strong Armagh side on a 1-12 to 1-5 score line.

After suffering three of their last five defeats to opposition from Ulster sides at Croke Park, Waterford will be somewhat happy that they are not playing opposition from the most Northern Provence this weekend.

While Waterford’s opponents will not be from Ulster when Ladies Football is a strong sport, in Kildare Waterford face very difficult opponents.

The Lilly-whites played in the senior grade since beating Sligo in the 2004 Junior All-Ireland Final at G.A.A. Headquarters until they were relegated at the end of 2014 and in that time they have for many years played in a division above Waterford in the National League so will come into the game as a very seasoned side.

They will come into this weekend’s decider fielding a very strong fifteen and will be able also to call from a strong bench for reinforcements.

Rebecca McGuirk will start between the posts, while Tara Hallinan, Aisling Savage, Aisling Curley, Rachel Reidy, Paula Keatley, Lydia Furey, Rachel Cribbin and Naoise Berry will fight it out for the defensive positions.

In the middle of the field, team captain Aisling Holton will partner Joanna Timmins but up front it is where Kildare are going to be at their strongest.

Ellen Dowling, Trina Duggan, Mikaela McKenna, Róisín Byrne, Eadaoin Connolly their hat-trick hero from their semi final win over Offaly, Maria Moolick, Niamh Mulhall and Grace Clifford will be all fighting it out for just six shirts.

The Lilly-whites have had a good year in 2015.

They finished in mid table in the Division 2 League and in the Leinster Championship they beat Wexford in the semi finals on a 4-11 to 0-6 score line and then Offaly in the final on a 2-22 to 5-7 score line.

In the All-Ireland quarter final, Kildare were again pitted against Wexford who they beat this time 2-18 to 2-7 and in the All-Ireland semi final a few weeks back they beat Offaly 5-5 to 0-6 at Parnell Park.

What can be said of Waterford that has not been said already? Very little is the answer.

At this point anyone that has seen the side play this year will know that Pat Sullivan and his selectors have put together a very good panel.

They have got players like Katie Hannon, Maria Delahunty and Sinead Ryan who have not played as much inter county ladies football as many would have liked to see them play back into the set up and they have made a huge difference.

Twenty-four year old Katie Hannon has established herself as the sides goalkeeper this year despite the fact she never played in goal in a Ladies Football game prior to this year, but she did play in goal for four years playing soccer in UCC something that would have given confidence to the management team.

Sinead Ryan has come in at Full Forward and has proven to the most dangerous player in front of the opposition’s goal since Aine Wall did so in the late 80’s and 90’s.

In front of her Maria Delahunty has been a revelation. She has tormented many sides with her speed and has also punished them for any indiscipline with some accurate kicking of frees both from her hands and more impressively off the ground from up to just over 45 metres from goal.

Moving established players to new positions has also worked for Waterford this year.

Who would have thought that the very successful centre field partnership of Elaine Power and Michelle McGrath would have been broken up?

Pat Sullivan and his management team did so earlier this year. I wonder did they know at the time that the move they made would prove to be as successful as it has proven.

Elaine Power has moved to the half back line and has proven to be outstanding there this year. Michelle McGrath in her new position of Full back has proven to be as an equally inspiring move.

And the movement around the team does not stop just there.

Linda Wall, one of the best forwards in the country for much of the past decade and a half has proven to be a revelation at corner back and still shows her attacking instinct by breaking forward to kick some important scores.

Mary Foley has made the opposite move. The Abbeyside player in the last few years was excellent at corner back or wing back but has moved to corner forward and has found a new lease of life.

Mairead Wall another player that played in attack in recent years has moved to play in the opposite corner to her older sister and is without doubt one of the most under rated players in the country.

Louise Ryan who was a mascot for the senior team along with her sister Michelle in the 90’s has also found a regular place in the team this year at wing back.

And then there are younger players.

Aileen Wall is a player that many are aware of. She has put in many fine performances over the past few years. This year she is again outstanding. Emma Murray, one of a set of triplets involved in the panel this year has come in and is playing like a player that has been involved for many years in the set up. She has formed a formidable centre of the field partnership with Karen McGrath younger sister of former captain Michelle.

Megan Dunford has been outstanding all year. In parts of the league final loss to Sligo back in May, the 16 year old was outstanding and Waterford could have lost by more than the four points they did without her.

Hannah Landers is known about with a few years now, but at the age of 20 is coming into her best years, and what can be said of the brilliant Gráinne Kenneally. The Ballyduff player is without doubt one of the most brave players in the game at any level, often putting her body where some of the top men footballers may think twice about, all in a bid to do whatever she has to for the team.

And no team is complete without back up.

Nora Dunphy, Nicola Fennell, Ciara Kearney, Emer Scanlon, Aoife Landers and Michelle Ryan are all players between 20 and 29 who have clocked up many hours between them playing ladies football.

Shauna Dunphy, Caoimhe McGrath, Kate McGrath, Mary Kate Morrissey as well as sisters Aoife and Katie Murray are all teenagers who have got time to show what they can do this year and did not fail to impress and if called upon at G.A.A. Headquarters this weekend again will not leave the side down.

It’s hard to see Pat Sullivan and his management team make any changes to the team for Sunday’s encounter unless they are forced to do so.

That will mean Katie Hannon will start between the posts. The two elder of the Wall sisters Mairead and Linda will be in the corner back positions with Michelle McGrath in the middle.

The half back line will see Elaine Power, Megan Dunford and Louise Ryan line up alongside each other with Emma Murray and Karen McGrath in the middle of the field.

Maria Delahunty will continue at centre forward, with Aileen Wall on one wing with one from Hannah Landers or Gráinne Kenneally starting on the other wing and the other in the corner behind her. Sinead Ryan will be at full forward and Mary Foley will complete the line up.

To predict the outcome is not easy.

Either side are going to be worthy champions.

Kildare playing Senior with the past decade and playing in a higher grade in the league to Waterford for the past few years has to be a help to them.

But this is a hungry Waterford side.

Some of the older players in the panel have experience of playing senior football for Waterford and I have no doubt that before they call a day to their inter county career that they would love to be playing in the top flight for another year or two and if Waterford were to come out on top, their experience in helping the younger players to move up to the next level would be vital.

A great deal of the panel have five, six or seven Munster medals at this grade and some have them at senior level, but it would be terrible to see them in a few years to retire without having at least one All-Ireland medal in a collection. It would be a bit like many see great hurlers like Ken McGrath, John Mullane, Dan Shanahan, Paul Flynn and Tony Browne retired without a Celtic Cross. (The latter two do have under 21 medals)

So who will win?

The bookies will probably side with the Leinster Champions. After all they are just down from Senior and as I have pointed out, that has to count for something.

But I feel that this could be Waterford’s year.

I have been watching Ladies Football going back to the 80’s and have seen some good players and some good teams.

All year I am impressed with what I have seen from this Waterford side.

Since Waterford qualified for this game, I had a feeling that I could see a Déise Double happen at G.A.A. Headquarters this autumn. The Waterford Intermediate Camogie team have helped to make the first part of it happen just over a week ago. I believe in the next few days their football counterparts will complete the feeling I have had.

 

Kildare and Waterford – the Story of 2015

 

National League - Round 1	Kildare	2	9	Meath	1	11
National League - Round 2	Kildare	1	8	Cavan	4	13
National League - Round 3	Kildare	2	8	Armagh	2	19
National League - Round 4	Kildare	1	2	Donegal	5	19
National League - Round 5	Kildare	2	3	Westmeath	0	13
National League - Round 6	Kildare	10	17	Down	3	10
National League - Round 7	Kildare	2	19	Clare	1	12
Leinster Semi Final	Kildare	4	11	Wexford	0	6
Leinster Final	Kildare	2	22	Offaly	5	7
All-Ireland Quarter Final	Kildare	2	18	Wexford	2	7
All-Ireland Semi Final	Kildare	5	5	Offaly	0	6
	Totals	33	122		23	123
Average For	20.1 Points
Average Against	17.5 Points

 

National League - Round 1	Waterford	0	9	Wexford	2	2
National League - Round 2	Waterford	5	12	Fermanagh	0	3
National League - Round 3	Waterford	5	13	Sligo	0	6
National League - Round 4	Waterford	2	12	Tipperary	3	5
National League - Round 5	Waterford	5	6	Roscommon	2	9
National League - Round 6	Waterford	0	0	Longford	0	0
National League - Round 7	Waterford	5	11	Leitrim	3	9
League Semi Final	Waterford	4	15	Roscommon	0	9
League Final	Waterford	2	8	Sligo	2	12
Munster Round 1	Waterford	3	16	Limerick	4	7
Munster Round 2	Waterford	6	18	Tipperary	1	4
Munster Round 3	Waterford	2	12	Clare	0	11
Munster Final	Waterford	1	14	Clare	2	7
All-Ireland Quarter Final	Waterford	1	15	Sligo	0	8
All-Ireland Semi Final	Waterford	2	17	Leitrim	2	6
		43	178		21	98
Average For	20.5 Points
Average Against	10.8Points