Waterford and Kerry Renew Ladies Football Rivalry

Rivals from the mid 80’s and into the 90’s when both sides dominated the game of Ladies Football, Kerry and Waterford renew rivalry on Saturday afternoon when they clash in the first round of this years TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship with Birr the unusual setting for the staging of the game.

These two sides have met already in this year’s championship meeting in the third round of the round robin part of the Munster Championship when Kerry ran out winners. The ladies from the Kingdom will go into the game as favourites but they will have seen from the earlier game between the two sides, Waterford are more than capable of causing a major shock in this game.

The ladies from the Kingdom lost their Munster Championship Crown to All-Ireland Champions Cork a few weeks back, something that they will not like to have seen happening, but they will know that on that day they were in fact the second best team in a two horse race and will look to get back to winning ways in this game.

Waterford will need no telling as to how strong this Kerry side are. Aislinn Desmond and Caroline Kelly are set to fill the central spots in the Kerry defence and with Denise Hallissey and Eilis Lynch set to flank Caroline Kelly the Waterford attackers will have to be at their very best to get something from these players.

Bernie Breen will be in the middle of the field and is another player that will need no introduction to supporters of Ladies Football while in attack Sarah Houlihan and Louise Ni Mhuicheartaigh are ream match winners when given the opportunity.

Waterford are back in the Senior Ranks after seven years playing in the Intermediate Grade. In those seven years, the Déise Ladies won seven provincial titles in the grade and played in three All-Ireland Finals in that time, winning at the third attempt last September beating Kildare at Croke Park.

Waterford in this time have also had some successful underage sides in the ‘B’ Championships and in many of these successes current senior manager Pat Sullivan was involved and knowing the calibre of players he worked with in the underage competitions he has had no hesitation giving the players their chance in the Intermediate team last year and with the senior team this year and they have so far not let him down for the confidence shown in them.

Waterford are having a good year in 2016. They won nine of the ten games played in the National League, drawing the one that they did not win.

In the Munster championship, while they lost to both Cork and Kerry on away soil in both, Pat Sullivan’s charges in both games gave very good accounts of themselves.

Their recent preliminary round win in this years championship two weeks ago was described by some as a surprise but how much of a surprise was it. In truth a well organised Waterford side were two strong for a fancied Armagh side who had beaten Waterford in the two previous big clashes between the two, the 2012 All-Ireland Intermediate Final and the 2014 Division three National League final.

Waterford will know that they will have to be at their very best to get something from this game. But this is something that this side is more than capable of.

Pat Sullivan has a fantastic team which includes youth and experience.

Waterford’s most crucial line in this game could well be the full back line and it is no coincident that this is also possibly Waterford strongest line with Michelle McGrath playing in the middle of the two oldest Wall sisters Linda and Mairead.

Waterford’s named half back line of Megan Dunford flanked by Aisling Mullaney and Hannah Power is a very young line. All three have come off successful underage teams with the Abbeyside club player the most experienced of the three. Against what could be a very experienced Kerry forward outfit some might say that we could see changes in this line before the throw in.

Karen McGrath and Emma Murray form what is a strong centre field pairing. And if the Waterford full back line is important, the same could well be said of their half forward line as Maria Delahunty playing in between Gráinne Kenneally and Katie Murray form a line that could prove the Kerry defence lots of problems.

Aileen Wall is named at full forward. The Ballymacarbry player was judged to be the best player in the Intermediate Championship last year and this year in the higher grade she is showing that she is equally as good having put in a number of very impressive performances.

She is named to start between Caoimhe McGrath and Lauren McGregor, two rising starts of the game.  

In the last few games, supporters of Ladies Football have seen some good games fought out and this could well prove to be another one.

Recent tradition would suggest that Kerry should prove too strong for Waterford and therefore advance to a quarter final meeting with Monaghan, but tradition has never won a game. The better side on the day and they team that makes the most of the breaks they get win most games.

Waterford’s recent win over Armagh will have made Kerry sit up and take note as to how strong and hungry side this Waterford side are.

Few if any gave them a chance against Armagh and the same will happen here with the neutrals. A quarter final spot against Monaghan await the winners. Don’t be surprised if Like Waterford and Kerry renewing rivalry in this game as they did in the 80’s and 90’s, if Waterford were to renew rivalry with another of their rivals from the 90’s next time out.