Waterford ladies to make it third time lucky

Waterford and Tipperary clash at the unusual venue of Clane in Co Kildare on Saturday afternoon in the final of this years Lidl National Ladies Football League Division three final, a game that could well prove to be one of the best games played in 2016.

The two sides in the group section of the competition proved to be the best two sides in the Division and in their respective semi finals against Leitrim and Wexford, Waterford and Tipperary once more proved to be the best two sides in the competition with both recording good wins.

This will be the second meeting of the two neighbouring counties this year. They played in the opening round of games back in the last weekend of January at Piltown in Co. Kilkenny.

It was Tipperary that lead for much of the game and were in control at the break having played with the wind at their backs. But Waterford in the second half were able to call on some of their big guns as for the second year in a row, Waterford manager Pat Sullivan having worked with some exciting young prospects on the under age scene in the last few years gave some of them the chance to show what they could do on the bigger stage, but withdrew some of them from the action as the game went on in favour of the more experienced players and this experience stood to the team as they began to eat into the Tipperary lead built up at the interval.

Going into the closing minutes of the game the Premier ladies lead by a point buy a point from the experienced Linda Wall levelled matters and just as it was looking that both sides would have to settle for a share of the spoils, younger sister Aileen kicked the winner in a 0-18 to 2-11 win for Waterford.

This is Tipperary’s biggest game since they lost to Cavan in the All-Ireland Intermediate Final at Croke Park in 2013. After that game they appointed former inter county hurler John Leahy as their manager a controversial appointment in some quarters.

This year they are under the guidance Donegal man Gerry McGill who lead the Dublin Senior Ladies Footballers to the All-Ireland finals in 2009 and 2010 winning the latter against Tyrone.

Since then he was ad advisor to the Tipperary ladies football team in 2013 and has also held position in different male football teams in his adopted county where he teaches.

He has seen a remarkable turn around in the fortunes of Tipperary and has got experienced players back into the set up as well bringing in some of the hugely exciting players within the county that have played on successful colleges teams in Carrick-on-Suir, Clonmel and Cahir in recent years.

Under his guidance with Waterford now out of the way having won the last seven Intermediate ladies football finals, he and his side will be very confident that they can win this years final later in the year and to even go on to greater things later in the year.

Ladies Football in Waterford is on a bit of a crest of a wave right now. The county has won a number of underage titles at provincial and national levels and some of players involved in these successes have been brought into the senior set up since Pat Sullivan took over the team at the start of last year and the players many of whom he worked with on the underage front have not left him down for the faith he has shown in them.

Like Tipperary, many of the Waterford players that are coming through at the moment have come through from successful college sides in Carrick-on-Suir, Dungarvan and Ring.

Waterford go into this weekend’s final with a perfect record beating Tipperary, Offaly, Fermanagh, Leitrim, Wexford, Down and Roscommon in the league section of the competition and last time out they had an excellent win over Leitrim at Portarlington.  Tipperary’s only defeat so far coming against Waterford.

Both sides have named strong teams for Saturday’s game. Tipperary look to be set to start with the stronger side. They have named Patricia Hickey (Brian Borus) in goal ahead of Ballymacarbry’s Lauren Fitzpatrick, but apart from that the team printed on the programme for Saturday is along expected lines.

Brid Condon (Aherlow), Samantha Lambert (Ardfinnan) and Sinead Delahunty (Foxrock-Cabinteely) make up the full back line with Ann O’Dwyer (Cappawhite), Jennifer Grant (Brian Borus) and Claire Carroll (Galtee Rovers) playing in front of them.

In the middle of the field the Premier management team have a solid look to it with Lorraine O’Shea (Mullinahone) and Sheelagh Carew (Cappawhite) set to contest the throw in.

In attack Tipperary could case Waterford’s defenders a lot of heartache. Catriona Walsh (Na Fianna), Mairead Morrissey (Brian Borus) and Niamh Lonergan (Moyle Rovers) are named in the half forward line with Aisling Moloney (Cahir) Gillian O’Brien (Moyle Rovers) and Edel Hanley (Aherlow) playing closest to the Waterford goal.

No side is complete without backup and the Tipperary management team for this game will be able to call on Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry), Grainne Condon (Aherlow), Bernie and Aoife Ryan (Cappawhite), Eimear Myles (Brian Borus), Edith Carroll (Galtee Rovers), Maria Curley (Templemore), Kelly Hackett (Moycarkey Borris), Roisin Crowe (Thurles Gaels), Claire Mullins (Aherlow), Erin Slattery (Gortnahoe/Glengoole), Siobhan Condon (Aherlow), Aoibhe O’Shea (Mullinahone) and Aisling McCarthy (Cahir).

The Waterford management team have named a team with a mix of youth and experience.

Katie Hannon (Ballyduff Upper) will start between the posts. In front of her Mairead Wall, Michelle McGrath and Linda Wall (all Ballymacarbry) remain in tact from last year All-Ireland Intermediate Final win against Kildare. In front of them Emma Murray (Comeragh Rangers) is joined with Louise Ryan (Ballymacarbry) and Aisling Mullaney (Stradbally) in the half back line.

In the middle of the field there is a youthful but experienced look to it with Megan Dunford (Abbeyside) and Katie Murray (Comeragh Rangers) are set to start.

In attack just like with Tipperary Waterford has a dangerous look to it for opposing defenders.

Maria Delahunty (Abbeyside), Michelle Ryan (Ballymacarbry) and Caoimhe McGrath (Abbeyside) will fill the shirt numbers from ten to twelve while inside them in Aileen Wall (Ballymacarbry), Liz Devine (Kilrossanty/Brickeys) and Sinead Ryan (Ballymacarbry) who captains the team this year are players that know where the posts are.

In the past, Waterford’s bench has won many a game and this time around things are expected to be no different.

Roisin Tobin (Abbeyside), Hannah Power (St. Pats), Grainne Kenneally (Ballyduff Upper), Ciara Hurley (Dungarvan), Nicola Fennell (Stradbally), Caragh McCarthy (Abbeyside), Aoife Landers (St. Pats), Chloe Fennell (Stradbally), Lauren McGregor (Dungarvan), Laura Mulcahy (Ballymacarbry), Bronagh Condon (Na Déise), Shauna Dunphy (Comeragh Rangers), Niamh Power (Stradbally), Hannah Power (Old Parish) and Becky Hogan (Ballymacarbry) are all players that have played a roll to get to Waterford to this weekend’s game with Tipperary and if they were to get a run in this game or maybe even from the start it would hardly come as a surprise.

Don’t be surprised either if others that have played for the side throughout the league but who are not named on the programme were to be added to the team sheet before the game and also to get a run out.

Some statistics suggest that this could well be a very high scoring game as both sets of forwards have been literally on fire in the seven games played to date, but at the other end of the field both defences have proven to be hard to break down and if the defenders on both sides were once more to be on top of their game on Saturday afternoon it could well prove to be a low scoring game.

In their eight games to date Waterford have hit 23 goals and kept four clean sheets at the back. Tipperary in their eight games has raised 30 green flags and has four clean sheets at the back.

Waterford have averaged just over 22.5 points per game and conceded just under 10.5 points a game while Tipperary’s average in their eight games sees them hit just over 23.5 points per game and concede just over 11.5 points per game.

This is Waterford’s third league final in a row. This year’s side will travel to the Kildare venue intent on making up for the disappointments of 2014 when they lost to Armagh and last year to Sligo.

The experience of winning last years All-Ireland Intermediate title will stand to the team in this game and will know that the best way to go into the upcoming Munster Championship and All-Ireland series is on a high and how high can you go into a game other that safe in the knowledge that you won your last competitive game, a game that would mean that another medal is to be added to an already collection of honours for many.

Waterford have it in them to make up for the disappointments of 2014 and 2015. If as expected the game will go to the wire and is not won till the final minutes or even seconds of the game just like back in January when the two sides clashed, experience will be important and so will the bench and Waterford look to be the stronger in both cases but the side wont need telling that they wont have thing easy in this game.