Waterford Best Camogie XV in the last ten years. (Unofficial)

In the past twenty five years, Waterford hurling supporters have experienced some great days.

From, the days we travelled to Croke Park and Nowlan Park for the Minor and Under 21 All-Ireland Finals in 1992, to travelling to Semple Stadium for the Under 21 All-Ireland Final in 2016 there has been many highlights, with some great performances served up by some great players.

W.L.R.fm recently ran a team of the past twenty-five years when it came to Waterford hurling. An expert selection committee as well listeners to the radio station were asked to pick Waterford’s best XV of the past twenty five years and in truth it is hard to argue to the team that was picked as Waterford’s best XV.

Sometimes sometime Waterford supporters for what ever reason forget that we have more Waterford teams that the Waterford senior hurlers.

These often forgotten teams by great Waterford supports are sides that are putting in the same effort as the Waterford senior hurling team, or the Minor or Under 21 teams when they are going well and sometimes the effort is put in is even greater.

In the past fifteen years or so, some great work is taking place in Camogie.

It all began with winning the Under 16 ‘B’ All-Ireland Final in 2003 against Armagh at Port Laoise.

That win inspired many on the team to go a step further and encourage a new group of young players to take up the game and try and repeat what teams mates within their clubs and their heroines had done before them.

Waterford contested three All-Ireland Junior Camogie Finals in a row between 2009 and 2011 before eventually winning the latter.

After this in the Intermediate grade Waterford contested three All-Ireland Semi Finals in a row before beating Meath at the fourth attempt and then going on to beat Kildare in the 2015 All-Ireland Final at Croke Park.

This year Waterford played in Division One of the National League and the Senior Camogie Championship. Waterford won just the one game in both competitions, but in both competitions it must be said that Waterford competed well and will have learned a lot from playing against the strongest inter county sides in the land going forward.

In the past ten years or so, Waterford has had some very good players on the Junior, then Intermediate and now senior teams.

I for one am not aware of any competition like what W.L.R.fm ran to pick Waterford’s best XV over the past twenty five years when it comes to Camogie, but as someone that have followed the fortunes of the Waterford Camogie team with some time now, I have picked my best XV of the past ten years.

To pick such a team is no easy task. So many players could feel that they could be included but only fifteen can be selected. So along the way, some tough calls will have to be made and some players will have to be left out that some will feel should have been included.

So who is in my best Waterford XV from the last ten years.

Since 2009 when Waterford first appeared in the Junior All-Ireland Final, eleven different players have won Soaring Stars. Soaring Stars for those not in the know are in effect Camogie All-Stars for those playing in the Intermediate and Junior grades.

On four different occasions Waterford have had players picked out. Two players were picked in 2009, three were picked in 2010, a year later when Waterford won the Junior All-Ireland Final seven Waterford players won Soaring Stars and last year following Waterford had three players picked out to be the winner of a soaring stars.

Yes I know, add these numbers up and you get more than 11 as your answer, but what might not be known is that Jennie Simpson, Trish Jackman, Karen Kelly and Áine Lyng have each won a soaring star twice, hence the 11 won by different players.

It would be hard and nearly impossible to overlook these eleven players and not to include them in Waterford’s best XV.

Because some of these players are so versatile where to fill them in on the overall team could well prove to be a difficult place.

Aisling O’Brien won a Soaring Star as a goalkeeper in 2011 so is selected as Waterford’s best goalkeeper of the past ten years on my team which of course is an unofficial team. Aisling is a player that I have seen play from a very young age and is always a player I was hugely impressed with.

Emma Hannon was selected as a soaring star winner in 2011 as well and is fitted in the team as the right corner back. The Gailltir player played right up to 2015 and was part of the Waterford panel that won the league, but missed out on a championship medal after she had left the country.  

Jennie Simpson is one of the most versatile players to wear the white and blue in the last number of years and is as comfortable playing in defence as in attack and has also played in the centre of the field. The Saint Anne’s player is picked at Full Back on the team.

Kate Marie Hearne has not won any Soaring Stars, but the Butlerstown Club player for a long number of years was part and parcel of different Waterford teams and played at left corner back on three All-Ireland Finals between 2009 and 2011 and was played in the same position the following year when Waterford played in the Intermediate Championship.

Another Lismore player to make the best XV is Grainne Kennelly. Grainne is a very versatile player who can play any place and is an equally as good a footballer as she is at Camogie. She won a soaring star in 2011, and three years later she helped her club win the All-Ireland Intermediate championship. She is fitted into the team at right half back.

The player selected at centre back is another player that can play anywhere on the team and would not be out of place. Trish Jackman is regarded as one of the best in the modern game. If she was with Cork or Kilkenny she would have senior All-Ireland medals in her collection, but hopefully that will happen yet in a white a blue shirt. The Gailltir player has won two Soaring Stars in 2011 and 2015 and is also well know for her exploits in the All-Ireland Puc Fada in the Cooley Mountains over the past decade.

Another versatile player on the Waterford panel over the years is Charlotte Raher. The Saint Anne’s Club Player is someone that always gives it her all and has helped the sides she has played on be it at club or county level to win a number of honours. She was chosen to Captain the Waterford senior team this year and makes this team at in the left half back position.

In the middle of the field is a combination of two players, one who gave great service to Waterford over many years, the other who is still young, but who even at this stage has achieved so much.

Mairead Murphy captained the Waterford team in 2010 when Waterford lost to Antrim after a replay. Twelve months later the Saint Anne’s player was a sub on the team that won the All-Ireland Final. Lorraine Bray from Cappoquin first came to my attention a few years back when she lined out for Waterford in the league against Wexford at Fraher Field and have been very impressed with her since. In the White and Blue of Waterford she has already won a string of honours including a Munster Minor ‘B’ title in 2012, a Munster Intermediate Medal in 2013, a Minor ‘B’ All-Ireland in 2014 and a Division Two league final medal and All-Ireland Medal in 2015. 2015 also saw her win a Soaring Star.  With Cappoquin she also has won a string of honours including Intermediate and Junior League and Championship medals as well as honours at Minor and Under 16 at A and B Level. She was selected on the Munster panel this year for the Inter provincials and also win a Munster Colleges Junior Medal in 2012.

Nicola Morrissey captained Waterford to win the All-Ireland Junior Camogie Final in 2011. She was also part of the Waterford team that won the 2015 All-Ireland Intermediate team that won the All-Ireland and in between she was part of the Lismore team that won the All-Ireland Club Championship in 2014 and part of the same club side that reached the final twelve months later but were beaten on the day. Another versatile player, she is picked at right half forward. Nicola won a Soaring Star award in 2011.

Gailltir are back in the County Senior Camogie Final this year and part of the team is Áine Lyng. She was a key member of the Waterford junior side that contested the 2009 and 2010 Junior All-Ireland’s, winning a Soaring Star in both years.  She has played for Munster at Junior and Senior levels and won inter provincial medals in both levels. She is also the owner of medals won with Mercy Secondary School in Waterford and with U.L and also has won national league and under 16 medals with Waterford as well as Munster medals playing for Waterford. At Club level she has won Under 14, Under 16, Minor and Senior County Final medals with Gailltir and also is the older of an All-Ireland 7’s medal. She is selected at Centre forward on this team.

There can be no disputing the left half forward on the team. Beth Carton is a player that has the brightest of bright future ahead of her. Only 18 years of age, she has won so much in her career to date. She recently won her second County Final medal playing in adult competitions with her club De La Salle, and has also won many honours with the side that wears white and red shirts. On the inter county scene she has also won so much. A Munster Under 16 Medal, Under 16 and Minor All-Ireland medals, a National League medal and an All-Ireland Intermediate All-Ireland medal are all in her collection and surly its only a matter of time before the brilliant De La Salle player adds to that collection.

Another hugely versatile player is Shona Curran. The Lismore club player is someone that can play in any number of positions and is also a very accomplished footballer. She won a soaring star in 2010. She has served both club and county well over the years. She was not long on the field in the 2015 All-Ireland against Kildare when she was making an impact setting up Aisling Power for Waterford’s first goal just before the break. In 2014 she captained Lismore to win the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship, which surly will have to be the highlight or one of the highlights of her career to date.

At Full forward is Karen Kelly. The Saint Annes player was for a long number of years a key member for both club and county. She won Soaring Stars in 2009 and 2010 and played a part in Waterford’s three All-Ireland finals between 2009 and 2011. She remained a key part of the Waterford set up until 2014 when she retired from the inter county game after giving the county a number of years of fantastic service.

Niamh Rockett from the Saint Anne’s Club is another very experienced member of the panel winning a Junior All-Ireland medal there in 2011 when Waterford beat Down and a Intermediate All-Ireland in 2015. She is the holder of three league medals with Waterford as well and a Munster Intermediate medal won in 2013. With Saint Annes she has won Munster a Munster Intermediate Medal with Waterford and won county senior medal in 2009 and 2011. She also has in her collection a County Senior League medal and also has medals from the under 16 and minor grades. She also has in her collection Munster and All-Ireland colleges medals from 2012.

As pointed out already, some will argue for other names to be included in this team. Players like Vicky Gaffney, Deirdre Brennan, Sally O’Grady, Shauna Kiernan, Pauline Cunningham, Claire Whyte, Caithriona McGlone and Fiona Morrissey amongst others could very well be included on another team.

In another few years time, it would be interesting to look back and see how many of the current young players like Brianna O’Regan, Iona Heffernan, Sibeal Harney, Kate McMahon, Anne Corcoran, Courtney Healy, Kaeisha Tobin, Molly Curran, Saoirse Bonner, Aisling Power, Niamh Murphy, Ellen Curran amongst others could well find themselves included in Waterford’s best XV in the past fifteen or twenty years. I have no doubt some will.