Heartbreak For Waterford In Mallow

Waterford were denied a first Munster Senior Ladies Football crown since 2002 at Mallow on Saturday afternoon, as Kerry who won their third title in five years came with a late surge, kicking the last three scores of the game inside the last three minutes to win this exciting game by two points.

Cork have dominated this grade of football in the last decade and going by what we saw here and in this year’s championship, while Cork lost both their games in the Round Robin series, they are still going to be a stronghold of the game for a number of years to come yet, but they might not have things all their own way as both of these sides could well be in the hunt for major honours in the years to come, and maybe one of these two sides could be the side that will climb the Hogan Stand at the end of September.

This was the first meeting of these two sides in a provincial title since 2003 and just as they played out an exciting contest at Fraher Field in the Round Robin series of games, they played out another exciting contest here where the final outcome was in doubt right to the end.

In fact it would be said that had both sides finished level on the day and needed further time to decide the winner of this year’s championship few if any inside the ground would have complained.

Both sides it could be argued were slow to settle in this game but it could also be argued that both sides did settle fast but it was the defensive players on both sides that were on top early on.

The Waterford defensive unit it could be argued was particularly strong early on in the game as the team on the line had their homework down on their opponents and were often heard telling their charges to force their opponents onto their weaker leg which resulted in the side from the Kingdom missing many chances that they would normally be expected to take.

While defeat was Waterford’s lot on the day, the whole team can hold their heads high with the performance that they put in and they will go into the All-Ireland qualifier first round game against the winners of Laois and Cavan in a confident mood, knowing that since they played both in the league, beating Laois and losing narrowly to Cavan that they have improved considerably as a unit and no side will be underestimating them for the remainder of the year, even if they are one of the least experienced sides playing at this level of football having only moved up to the senior grade last year after nearly a decade away in the Intermediate grade and playing for a while in the lower grades of the National League.

Kerry were dealt a blow early in this game when they had Anna Galvin sin binned by the Limerick referee for a high challenge on Megan Dunford, a call which could have resulted in a straight red card on another day.

Waterford opened the scoring on twelve minutes when Maria Delahunty put over a free from just inside the Kerry forty five metre line. Minutes earlier the same player saw another free from about the same distance fall just short of its intended target.

On the quarter of an hour mark Michelle Ryan kicked an excellent point for Waterford from a move that began at the other end of the field with a Katie Hannon kick out which was worked up the field in a movement involving Caoimhe McGrath, Maria Delahunty, Aileen Wall and Katie Murray before Aileen Wall for the second time in the movement found her Ballymacarbry club player who slotted over the crossbar to give Waterford a two point lead.

Kerry enjoyed a bit of a purple patch after this as they kicked the next five points in a row.

Sarah Houlihan got the ball rolling on sixteen minutes when Kerry attacked straight from the restart after Michelle Ryan’s score.

Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh off her right levelled matters a minute later and seconds later Kerry went in front when Lorraine Scanlon pointed.

Another Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh point cutting in from the stand of the side the field gave Kerry a double score lead on twenty one minutes and two minutes later Sarah Houlihan got her second of the game to give Kerry a 0-5 to 0-2 lead.

But near the start of this run Waterford were somewhat unlucky not to have scored a goal. The ball was played in around the Kerry goal and when Róisín Tobin got the ball she was judged to have over held the ball before she got a chance to shoot. Had the Abbeyside player rattled the net as she looked she was going to do we will never know now how this game would have ended.

Waterford did score a goal six minutes from the break. Grainne Kenneally who has made a big impact since she returned to the set up after serving a stint on United Nations Peace Keeping Duty was pulled down in the Kerry box resulting in a penalty awarded.

Katie Hannon who returned to the team for this game after missing the round robin games against Kerry and Cork journeyed up the field and she made no mistake coolly slotting past Laura Fitzgerald into the Kerry net minders bottom right hand corner to level matters 1-2 to 0-5.

Amanda Brosnan edged Kerry back in front but three minutes from the break Maria Delahunty following a foul on Grainne Kenneally levelled matters once more, sending the sides to the dressing rooms locked 1-3 to 0-6.

Kerry began the second half brightly kicking the first three scores of the second half.

Lorraine Scanlon got the ball rolling with a point on thirty two minutes and seconds late Sarah Houlihan pointed for the Kingdom.

On thirty four minutes came a very controversial moment, one that could well be the difference between the sides at the end. Katie Hannon was kicking the ball out after Kerry had kicked a wide but before she managed to kick it out, the County Limerick referee on the day blew his whistle and awarded Kerry a free in which Sarah Houlihan put over the crossbar.

Three points down, just four points into the second half, Credit Waterford they never gave up against their more experienced opponents at this level who were winning a third Munster Final at this level in Five years.

Mairead Wall and younger sister Aileen combined with Michelle Ryan who in turn found Maria Delahunty who attempted to cut Kerry’s lead but she saw the size four come crashing back off the crossbar and when it fell to Emma Murray she saw her shot blocked with thirty six minutes played.

Five minutes later Waterford did manage to put the ball in the Kerry net for the second time as Aileen Wall attacked down the right hand side of the field before cutting in front of the Kerry goal and she fist passed across the face of the goal and with Maria Delahunty and Grainne Kenneally racing in on goal from the stand side of the field, the Abbeyside player it was that got the final touch with her hands to level matters once more.

But Kerry would attack from the restart and went up the field like a bolt of lightning and it was Emma Sherwood who found Sarah Houlihan who slotted home low past the advancing Katie Hannon to give her side a 1-9 to 2-3 lead.

Aoife Murray set up by her triplet sister Emma pointed to leave two between the sides but that went out to three just before the three quarter stage mark of this game Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh put over a free to leave three between the sides once more.

Michelle Ryan from a Maria Delahunty ’45 that fell short slotted over to leave two between the sides once more. From the resulting restart Waterford won the ball and Aoife Murray who has done her chances of staking a place in the team next time out no harm with a solid display after coming on, found Grainne Kenneally who finished to the net with her fists to give Waterford what was a deserved lead.

With eleven minutes to go, Waterford had the chance of a fourth goal. Aileen Wall had kicked wide and from the short kick out, the ball fell between Aileen Wall and Caroline Kelly which the Ballymacarbry player won, but just as she appeared to shoot she seemed to lose her footing and the ball was cleared.

Lorraine Ní Mhuircheartaigh levelled matters once more with ten minutes to go but five minutes later Maria Delahunty put over a free following a foul on Michelle McGrath. The Ballymacarbry player would depart the game soon afterwards replaced by Stradbally’s Rebecca Casey.

Kerry would finish the game the stronger of the two sides as Laura Rogers pointed to level matters with three minutes to go, and in the last two minutes, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh slotted over twice to seal victory for Kerry.

Waterford: Katie Hannon; Kate McGrath, Caoimhe McGrath, Megan Dunford; Dearbhaile Ni hAodha, Karen McGrath, Michelle McGrath; Mairead Wall, Emma Murray; Róisín Tobin, Grainne Kenneally, Katie Murray; Aileen Wall, Maria Delahunty, Michelle Ryan. Subs: Aoife Murray for Katie Murray (41), Eimear Fennell for Róisín Tobin (45), Rebecca Casey for Michelle McGrath (57).

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 1-3 (0-3f), Katie Hannon (pen), Grainne Kenneally 1-0 each, Michelle Ryan 0-2, Aoife Murray 0-1.

Kerry: Laura Fitzgerald; Eilish Lynch, Aislinn Desmond, Aisling Leonard; Denise Hallissey, Ciara Murphy, Caroline Kelly; Lorraine Scanlon, Emma Sherwood; Amanda Brosnan, Anna Galvin, Sarah Leahy; Sarah Houlihan, Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Laura Rogers. Sub: Aisling O’Connell for Sarah Leahy (27).

Scorers: Sarah Houlihan 1-4 (0-1f), Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh 0-6 (2f), Lorraine Scanlon 0-2, Amanda Brosnan, Laura Rogers 0-1 each.

Referee: Jason Mullins (Limerick).