Dublin Prove To Strong For Waterford Women In Nowlan Park

Waterford are out of this year’s TG4 Senior Ladies Football Championship after a 2-15 to 1-7 defeat against a very fancied Dublin side at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny today, but when all involved with the Waterford set up sit down in the days, weeks or months to come and review the 2017 Inter county year they can do so with some pride.

Ok, Waterford did not having the best of National Leagues, finishing seventh of eight teams in Division two, but remember Waterford played in a Division higher this year than they did last year, and were at different times over the league were without different players for different reasons, but this allowed manager Pat Sullivan who has done a tremendous job with this group of players in the last three seasons, give an opportunity to players who may not always be an automatic first choice player to start games to get game time and once more they did not let him down, as players like Jessica Fitzgerald who when needed in the Munster Championship fitted into the set up and showed no sign of nerves playing in some big games.

          The Munster Championship was also a success for Waterford as the side recorded wins over both Kerry and All-Ireland Champions Cork at Fraher Field, before going under to Kerry in the Munster Final at Mallow, a game Waterford could well have won another day, as Kerry came from behind to kick three very late points to win the game.

Waterford regrouped well after that game and they performed excellently in the first round of the All-Ireland Championship to come from behind late on in the game against Cavan at Clane with Aileen Wall, a player no stranger to kicking big scores kicking a very late goal to seal a two point win for Waterford.

To beat Dublin was always going to be a big task, but Waterford had things gone right for them, particularly in the opening half when a number of shots that Waterford hit at the Dublin goals either fell short or just wide of the uprights, the result might have been different, or at least closer than the eleven points between the sides at the end of the game.

Waterford’s chances were not helped either with the fact that they came up against a side who had Sinead Ahearne who kicked 1-9 and Nicole Owens who scored 1-4 in fine form on the day, and if the pair were to play as well as they did today in the upcoming semi final against Kerry, then the Sky Blues will feel that they stand an excellent chance of reaching this year’s All-Ireland Final at the end of September.

Waterford finished this game with thirteen players after Grainne Kenneally was sent off on a straight red card mid way through the second half for a kick on Lauren Magee off the ball after it was cleared which was spotted by the lineswoman who brought it to the attention of the referee, while Megan Dunford was also to finish the game on the sideline after she was sin binned by the referee with just a minute to play for what he was appearing to indicate a third personal foul in the game.

The winners opened the scoring in this game with a Sinead Ahearne free in the first minute and a minute later Nicole Owens doubled the Dublin lead. And when Sinead Ahearne put over another point on seven minutes, Waterford appeared to be in trouble.

But this is a never give up Waterford side and Pat Sullivan’s side hit back with the next four scores in a six minute spell.

Aoife Murray opened Waterford’s account on eleven minutes and seconds later Eimear Fennell made it a one point game. Katie Murray became the second of the three Murray sisters to get her name on the score sheet on fifteen minutes and two minutes later Michelle Ryan who had a fantastic year for Waterford in 2017 edged Waterford in front.

But this was to be Waterford’s last score of the opening half and in the last eleven minutes of the half Dublin tagged on 1-5 to their tally on the scoreboard.

Sinead Ahearne kicked a hat-trick of frees between the eighteenth and twenty sixth minutes after which Noelle Healy gave the side from the Capital a 0-7 to 0-4 advantage.

The game’s first goal came three minutes from the break which started with a Carla Rowe free kick in the middle of the field and when the ball was worked in quick around the Waterford goal in a movement that involved Niamh McEvoy, Sinead Ahearne and Noelle Healy with the latter picking out Nicole Owens unmarked on the right had side of the Waterford goal she fisted the ball across to her and she in turn used her fists to flick the ball past Katie Hannon.

Sinead Ahearne kicked the last score of the first half from a free which gave her side a 1-8 to 0-4 advantage on the scoreboard as the sides headed to the dressing rooms.

The second half with Dublin losing Leah Caffrey to a sin binning and from the resulting free Maria Delahunty kicked her first score of the afternoon.

But with a player advantage Waterford found it very hard to make it tell as Nicolle Owens kicked the next score which was followed with three in a row from the boot of Sinead Ahearne, one of which was from a placed ball.

Just after Grainne Kenneally was sent off, Dublin goalkeeper Ciara Trant kicked straight into the hands of Michelle Ryan who picked out Róisín Tobin, one of several Waterford players who have made a big impact this year hit across Ciara Trant who was racing back into her goalmouth to dry and cover the near post for the Abbeyside player who made no mistake in finding the back of the Dublin net.

But Dublin soon began to make their numerical advantage count. Nicolle Owens pointed with nine minutes to play, which was followed by Noelle Healy’s second score of the game.

With four minutes remaining Dublin struck a second goal. The move started deep in their own half of the field from a Leah Caffrey free kick against the sideline and the sky blues quickly worked the ball up field to Sinead Ahearne who rattled the Waterford net with the help of the underside of the Waterford crossbar.

Maria Delahunty got her second score of the afternoon with a minute of normal time to play with was followed with an effort from Nicolle Owens who was a much deserved Player of the Match. The last score of the afternoon came from a Maria Delahunty free.

All involved with Waterford will be disappointed with this defeat, but in time when they sit down and look back on the year just ended, they can do so with pride, knowing that progress has been made this year. The county are moving in the right direction, and success has already come for the will know that there is enough material in this team and coming up through the ranks to build on what was achieved this year and Waterford are not far off becoming a major force in the game in the years ahead once more.

WATERFORD: Katie Hannon; Megan Dunford, Caoimhe McGrath, Kate McGrath; Dearbhaile Ni hAodha, Karen McGrath, Aoife Murray; Mairead Wall, Emma Murray; Róisín Tobin, Grainne Kenneally, Kate Murray; Eimear Fennell, Maria Delahunty, Michelle Ryan. Subs: Aileen Wall for Eimear Fennell (26), Michelle McGrath for Dearbhaile Ni hAodha (26), Rebecca Casey for Kate McGrath (41), Lauren McGregor for Aoife Murray (50), Geraldine Power for Mairead Wall (51).

Scorers: Róisín Tobin 1-0, Maria Delahunty 0-3 (3f), Katie Murray, Michelle Ryan, Eimear Fennell and Aoife Murray 0-1 each.

DUBLIN: Ciara Trant; Martha Byrne, Sinead Finnegan, Rachel Ruddy; Olwen Carey, Niamh Collins, Leah Caffrey; Lauren Magee, Niamh McEvoy; Carla Rowe, Lyndsey Davey, Nicolle Owens; Sinead Aherne, Aoife Kane, Noelle Healy. Subs: Deirdre Murphy for Aoife Kane (37), Hannah O’Neill for Lyndsey Davey (42), Molly Lamb for Noelle Healy (50), Fiona Hudson for Niamh Collins (52), Siobhan Woods for Niamh McEvoy (53).

Scorers: Sinead Aherne 1-9 (0-6f), Nicole Owens 1-4, Noelle Healy 0-2.

Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry)