McGrath and Wall Outstanding For Waterford Who Reach First Munster Senior Final in a Decade

Let me quote you the last line of my preview of this afternoon’s TG4 Munster Senior Ladies Football Championship game between Waterford and Cork at Fraher Field:

Can Waterford win this game? You can bet your bottom dollar as they say, they can.

This afternoon Waterford Senior Ladies Football team qualified for their first Munster Senior Football Final since 2007 when they proved too strong for a Cork side that included 13 players that had won the Division One National Ladies Football League Final against Donegal last month, and were able to welcome Brid Stack back into the starting lineup as the Saint Mary’s Club Player was a late casualty to the side that they had submitted for the programme for that game, while Waterford gave a vote of confidence to the side that had so brilliantly beaten Kerry at the same venue a few weeks previous.

As good as that win was for Waterford, it pails into significance to what this win means.

While Cork may only have had nine of the players used to beat Monaghan in last year’s All-Ireland Final starting this game, such is the success that the Rebel County have had in recent years in Ladies Football at Adult and Underage levels, they travelled over the county boundary as the warmest of favourites.

But anybody that is watching Waterford Ladies Footballers in recent years knows that this is a good group of players assembled by Pat Sullivan and his management team.

In the last two or three years players like Louise and Sinead Ryan, Linda Wall, Elaine Power and Nora Dunphy amongst others who have given outstanding service to the county down the years have become unavailable for selection, but those that have come in for them have shown that those that love the game of Ladies Football need have no fear for the future for the game in Waterford as they are as good as what have come before them and are as good to win the honours that those before them have won and with some luck if you are a Waterford supporter maybe to win even greater honours.

This win is possibly as big a shock in the game as we have seen in over two decades. Not since 1991 have we seen an underdog as Waterford were for this game beat the reigning All-Ireland Champions in such a manner, when Waterford again pulled off a great shock beating the then champions Kerry in the Munster Final on a 2-11 to 2-6 score line bringing an end to the dominance of the great Kerry side that so dominated the game of Ladies Football right throughout the 1980’s.

Will this win for Waterford bring an end to the dominance of Cork over the past decade and open up a new chapter in the history of the game in Waterford. To be honest, right now it is hard to tell. To be honest it is hard to see Cork going anywhere in a hurry fast, but while Waterford are under the guidance of Pat Sullivan, the possibilities for Waterford are endless as he will have each side believing that they can beat anyone, and wont fear anyone.

From start to finish Waterford were on top in this game.

Cork played into the strong wind in the first half after they appeared to have won the toss and must have regretted the decision very early in the game.

The game was only 14 second old when the brilliant Aileen Wall who the Cork commentators on C103fm while doing live commentary on the game from Fraher Field raved about on the day, put the ball over the Cork crossbar.

The Ballymacarbry player in the last decade or so has put in some many fine performances in the white and blue shirt, and even at times the blue and white shirt of Waterford, but she saved her very best for this game.

Over the course of the game she was a constant thorn in the side of the Cork defence and when she was taken off with the game in added time she received a warmly deserved round of applause as she made her way to the stand from the supporters of both sides, such was their admiration for her and her performance on the day.

On the day it would be very hard to find fault with the performance of any of the Waterford players used, but it would only be fair to really signal the performances of some players on the day.

If Aileen Wall was outstanding in attack, the same could well be said of Caoimhe McGrath in defence.

Readers of what I have to say down the years will know that I have been a long time admirer of the Abbeyside player and have often felt that she could make the centre back position her own but going on what we saw from her today, full back is clearly her position when it comes to playing for Waterford.

On three minutes, Waterford had the ball in the net for the first time in this game.

Grainne Kenneally won a free out near the sideline and took it herself and in a move involving Maria Delahunty and Aileen Wall, Róisín Tobin who is having her best ever year for Waterford was picked out and she gave Martina O’Brien no chance with a well drilled shot.

Brid O’Sullivan opened Cork’s account on ten minutes and when Libby Coppiner and Áine O’Sullivan followed up with points, it looked like Cork would begin to show what they were capable of doing.

But Waterford responded well. Maria Delahunty put over the first of her scores of the afternoon with a trademark perfectly struck free kick, and second later the same player found Grainne Kenneally who struck a brilliant goal to give Waterford a 2-2 to 0-3 lead with just thirteen minutes played.

Katie Murray scored a brilliant point on 17 minutes and two minutes later Michelle Ryan became the sixth Waterford forward to score when she put over an equally delightful score putting Waterford 2-4 to 0-3 in front.

Áine O’Sullivan pulled a goal back for Cork on twenty five minutes to leave just four between the sides, but Aileen Wall and then Maria Delahunty with the last kick of the half kicked points for Waterford to give the home a 2-6 to 1-3 advantage at the break.

The Cork selectors were very slow to go to the dressing rooms at the break as they debated on the field what they would do for the second half. Whatever they said in the dressing-rooms was very quickly delivered as the visitors were first out for the second half.

The question that was being asked at the break was if a double score advantage enough for Waterford with another 30 plus minutes still to play.

Very early in the second half it looked as if Waterford would need every single point they were ahead as the visitors hit the first score after the restart through Áine O’Sullivan after just 34 seconds.

But Waterford in this game each time Cork looked as if they could eat into the lead that Waterford had built up, hit back with a crucial score or two.

A brace of Michelle Ryan points followed from the full forward position to extend Waterford’s lead and in doing so, the Cork management team made a quick move, withdrawing Róisín Phelan as the towering Ballymacarbry player began to cause trouble to the Cork defence.

Róisín Tobin set up by Aileen Wall looked certain to rattle the Cork net for a third time in this game and to register her second major of the game, but her shot just rose too high at the last minute and went over the crossbar.

It would be careless of me at this point not to make mention of the Abbeyside player this year, as she is having her best year since she joined the Waterford Panel some years ago and was very unlucky not to have been included on the Division Two National League Team of the Year.

Michelle Ryan hit her four score of the afternoon on thirty five minutes and the sizeable Waterford support in the stand must have been asking themselves at this point what will Waterford win this game by, while the equally sizeable Cork support must have been asking themselves what is happening to the side in the Red and White Shirts that have dominated the game over the past decade, and of with wind assistance could they come back into this game.

This is exactly what they did as Eimear Scally got her first score of the game on thirty five minutes and five minutes later, Orla Finn who was outstanding for Cork in their recent League Final win over Donegal got her first score of the afternoon.

Scally pointed again for the visitors after which Finn pointed twice in four minutes to leave Cork trailing 2-10 to 1-9 with ten minutes remaining.

The next score was now going to be important for both sides.

Cork were on somewhat of a roll while Waterford had not scored since the fourth minute of the half.

That next score came for Waterford and what a score it was, as the home side attacked down the bank side of the field. Grainne Kenneally found Aileen Wall and as she raced down on the Cork goal there was only one thing on her mind and she made no mistake in blasting past Martina O’Brien for a third Waterford goal.

Michelle Ryan followed up with another point for Waterford on fifty six minutes, a score which was to be her sides last of the afternoon.

Cork continued to fight hard in the time that remained and attacked with every chance, but they could not manage to put the size four in the Waterford net, which if it happened would have made the time left a nervous period for the home side.

Cork did manage to tag on two further scores, both points and both from Jessica O’Shea, but they were to be mere consolation scores.

While Waterford are safely through to this year’s Munster Final, they have to wait a little longer to see who they will play as Cork and Kerry have to play on June 17 at a venue in Kerry.

Waterford: Jessica Fitzgerald; Kate McGrath, Caoimhe McGrath, Megan Dunford; Dearbhaile Ní hAodha, Karen McGrath, Michelle McGrath; Mairead Wall, Emma Murray; Katie Murray, Grainne Kenneally, Róisín Tobin; Aileen Wall, Maria Delahunty, Michelle Ryan.

Subs: Aoife Murray for Róisín Tobin (43), Nicola Fennell for Katie Murray (53), Eimear Fennell for Grainne Kenneally (58), Lauren McGregor for Aileen Wall (61).

Scorers: Aileen Wall 1-2, Michelle Ryan 0-5. Róisín Tobin 1-1, Grainne Kenneally 1-0, Maria Delahunty 0-2 (2f), Katie Murray 0-1

Cork: Martina O’Brien; Marie Ambrose, Róisín Phelan, Emma Spillane; Melissa Duggan, Brid Stack, Shauna Kelly; Niamh Cotter, Jessica O’Shea; Libby Coppiner, Brid O’Sullivan, Aishling Hutchings; Eimear Scally, Áine O’Sullivan, Orla Finn.

Subs: Aisling Barrett for Róisín Phelan (35), Annie Walsh for Libby Coppiner (39), Marie O’Callaghan for Niamh Cotter (40), Saoirse Moore for Brid O’Sullivan (43), Niamh Cotter for Saoirse Moore (50),

Scorers: Áine O’Sullivan 1-2, Orla Finn 0-3 (1f), Eimear Scally, Jessica O’Shea 0-2 each, Brid O’Sullivan, Libby Coppiner 0-1 each.

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry).