Kilkenny Win but Lots to Play For Yet For Waterford

Great progress has been made in the promotion and development of Camogie in Waterford in the last number of years, and while the final score showing on the scoreboard at Walsh Park after Saturday’s First Round game in this year’s All-Ireland Championship showed that the home side had lost to Kilkenny, it’s fair to say that Waterford and the game will have learned from the defeat.

There can be no disputing that Waterford are in a tough group when it comes to the championship this year, the main aim would be to finish in the top three in the group of five and in doing so win a place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Kilkenny this year are bidding to win a four successive National title in Camogie, as they look to defend the title that they won last September beating Cork at G.A.A. Headquarters, and adding to the National League and Leinster Championship titles that they have won in recent weeks.

Nobody in the Waterford camp will need telling that Kilkenny are the strongest team in the group and are the team to beat, but they also will know that now they have played the side can look forward to the remainder of the games, starting with this weekend’s clash away to Clare and try and put a string of results which hopefully at worst give them third spot in the group and therefore a quarter final spot against the second placed team in the opposite group in the league section of the competition and if that can be achieved, who knows what can and would happen.

Kilkenny made the short journey to Waterford meaning business on Saturday afternoon and they included thirteen members of last year’s All-Ireland winning team in their starting fifteen for this game.

Their forwards in particular looked lively throughout and struck a goal in each half, through Shelly Farrell and Katie Power.

Kilkenny could have won the game by more than they actually did, but some brilliant defending at times from Waterford kept the Kilkenny total on the scoreboard down.

The visitors defence was also very good at times as Collette Dormer in particular put in an excellent performance keeping the dangerous Beth Carton very much at bay.

Waterford on the day were not allowed any sufficient attacking threats and all six of the sides scores came from placed balls, four from the stick of Beth Carton and two from Áine Lyng who was playing her first game at this level despite being one of the most experienced players in the Waterford set up, winning an All-Ireland under 16 title back in 2003 and playing in the Junior All-Ireland Finals of 2009 and 2010.

At the other end of the field Waterford had fine performances from the likes of Brianna O’Regan between the posts and Claire Whyte at Corner Back and Aoife Landers in the middle of the field.

Kilkenny never trailed in this game having opened the scoring in the first minute through for WIT Ashbourne Cup player Katie Power.

Denise Gaule and Julie Ann Malone followed up with further quick scores for the visiting side before Áine Lyng pointed from a free on eight minutes.

Kilkenny quickly cancelled out the Gailltir Club ladies score with a point from Shelly Farrell and the same player on 12 minutes was in the right place to capitalise after Brianna O’Regan saved from Farrell and then Michelle Quilty but the De La Salle teenager was unable to keep the Cat’s third effort in seconds from entering her net.

Leading 1-4 to 0-1, Kilkenny pressed on in the second quarter with a brace of Julie Ann Malone scores with one from Katie Power on eighteen minutes sandwiched in between to extend their sides lead.

With seven minutes of the first half remaining Beth Carton landed her first score of the game but it was followed with efforts from Anna Farrell and Denise Gaule.

In added time at the end of the first half, Waterford landed two further scores through Áine Lyng and Beth Carton which sent them to the dressing rooms trailing 1-9 to 0-4.

Waterford proved to be the better side in the third quarter but for all their efforts the home side added just one point, from a Beth Carton free, while at the other end of the field Waterford restricted the All-Ireland Champions to just one point through Danielle Morrissey, fourteen minutes after the restart.

Such was Waterford’s determination during this time was that Marie Russell and Jenny McCarthy took yellow cards stopping the visitors breaking through on the Waterford goal, while the Cappoquin club player and Brianna O’Regan did extremely well to keep efforts from Michelle Quilty and Miriam Walsh from reaching their intended destination.

In the final quarter, the visitors however were well on top as Miriam Walsh, Anna Farrell and Danielle Morrissey added a brace of scores between the forty sixth and fifty fifth minutes to extend their lead.

Three minutes from time, Katie Power and Michelle Quilty swapped passes and Katie Power finished past Brianna O’Regan for a second Kilkenny goal.

The same player a minute from time put the sliotar over the Waterford crossbar and on the hour mark Beth Carton ended a twenty five minute spell without a Waterford score when she put over her fourth score of the afternoon from a free.

Kilkenny: Emma Kavanagh; Catherine Foley, Davina Tobin, Collette Dormer; Claire Phelan, Anne Dalton, Grace Walsh; Meighan Farrell, Anna Farrell; Julie Ann Malone, Katie Power, Denise Gaule; Shelly Farrell, Miriam Walsh, Michelle Quilty.

Subs: Danielle Morrissey for Julie Ann Malone, Jenny Clifford for Shelly Farrell, Jenny Reddy for Anna Farrell, Grace O’Donnell for Denise Gaule.

Scorers: Katie Power 1-3, Shelly Farrell 1-1, Julie Ann Malone, Danielle Morrissey (2fs) 0-3 each, Anna Farrell, Denise Gaule (2fs) 0-2 each, Miriam Walsh 0-1.

Waterford: Brianna O’Regan; Marie Russell, Fiona Morrissey, Claire Whyte; Mairead Power, Shauna Kiernan, Iona Heffernan; Kate McMahon, Aoife Landers; Áine Lyng, Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett; Caitriona McGlone, Jenny McCarthy, Lorraine Bray. Subs: Niamh Ahearne for Kate McMahon, Valerie O’Brien for Aoife Landers, Becky Kavanagh for Áine Lyng.

Scorers: Beth Carton 0-4 (4fs), Áine Lyng 0-2 (2fs).

Referee: Eamon Cassidy (Derry)