Déise Ladies Impress Against Banner County

Donal O’Rourke’s Waterford Senior Camogie team remain unbeaten in this year’s National League after they secured a draw in their second game of this year competition on Saturday last at the WIT Arena in Carriganore against Clare.

Waterford however are unlucky not to have maximum points from their two games played to date as it took a successfully converted second half free deep in stoppage time from the visiting side to secure a share of the spoils from this game.

The Waterford management team clearly intend to give every player in their care this year as much time as is possible to impress during the course of the league for the championship which comes later in the year as they made five changes to the side which beat Meath in the opening round of games bringing in the Gailltir pair of Ciara Jackman and Annie Fitzgerald, the Saint Anne’s duo of Claire Whyte and Claire Murphy and Cappoquin’s Jenny McCarthy for this game.

Playing with the breeze at their backs in the opening half, Waterford opened the scoring through the impressive Niamh Rockett but the Saint Anne’s player had her score cancelled out with a similar effort from Orla Devitt.

The Waterford management team have brought Kaisha Tobin into their plans this year and she showed why some many think so highly of her within the county when on three minutes she reacted quickest to a Beth Carton free which fell short and which was blocked on the Clare goal line, but the Dungarvan player got enough power on the sliotar in a crowded goalmouth to register the first goal of the game.

Beth Carton followed up with a converted free for Waterford to extend the Home Counties lead, which was followed with a point from Andrea O’Keeffe for the visiting side which was followed with a similar effort from Niamh O’Dea after some good work by Orlaith Duggan, which left two between the sides.

A brace of points from frees struck by Beth Carton helped double Waterford’s lead, but the visitors soon pulled one back through Róisín McMahon.

Waterford hit a purple patch over the next ten minutes as Beth Carton with a brace, Annie Fitzgerald and Aisling Power with one each all found the range to extend their sides lead.

A brace of Chloe Morey points for Clare made it a five points game before Niamh Rockett put some further day light between the side with a delightful score from out on the wing on 28 minutes.

Róisín McMahon won the restart after Niamh Rockett’s delightful score and laid the ball off with a hand pass to Orlaith Duggan who ran at the Waterford defence and as she approached the edge of the Waterford square she hand-passed past Ciara Jackman and into the Waterford net for a score which is perfectly allowed in Camogie, but one that many of the top defenders would like to see dispensed with, to leave her side tailing 1-9 to 1-6 at the break.

With the floodlights turned on around the astro-turf surface at the Carriganore venue, the visitors had the wind at their backs in the second half, but it was Waterford who had the first meaningful attack of the second half as Beth Carton from a free stuck low and hard as only she can do but she saw her effort somehow saved by Lauran Solon in the Clare goal who laid the ball off to Eimear Kelly who burst forward and with the wind at her back split the Waterford posts for the halves opening score, to which Deirdre Fahy who had replaced Claire Murphy split the posts to put Waterford back in front by three.

Clare made a number of changes, the main one being the moving of Róisín McMahon into the half back line where she showed that the apple did not fall far from the tree, and she soon made an impact winning a high ball and then set up a movement that ended with Chloe Morey putting the sliotar over the head of Ciara Jackman.

Niamh O’Dea won the resulting puck out which was hit short out of the Waterford defence, and once she had the ball in hand there was only one thing on her mind and she made no mistake finishing to the net and giving the visitors the lead for the first time after 46 minutes.

Chloe Morey and Niamh O’Dea further stretched the visitors lead but Beth Carton pulled one back for the home side when she converted a free, but it was followed with points from Morey and Orlaith Duggan with a response from the De La Salle sharp shooter in between with four minutes of normal time remaining on the referee’s watch.

 Lorraine Bray, a player that has impressed immensely in the white and blue of Waterford since she burst onto the scene a number of years back now, won the resulting restart and played in Beth Carton who running at the Clare goal stoke to the corner of the Clare net to level matters on the score board.

A minute later the De La Salle Club player put over another point which looked as if it was to be the winning score, but the visitors refused to give up till referee Ray Kelly had his full time whistle blown and they were rewarded when they won a free in stoppage time as Chloe Morey put over a free from 40 metres to level matters and for both sides to share the points that were on offer in this game.

Next up for Waterford is an away game against Kilkenny this Sunday.

Waterford: Ciara Jackman; Jenny McCarthy, Iona Heffernan, Sibeal Harney; Aoife Landers, Áine Lyng, Claire Whyte; Lorraine Bray, Clara Griffin; Claire Murphy, Annie Fitzgerald, Niamh Rockett; Aisling Power, Beth Carton, Kaisha Tobin. Subs: Deirdre Fahy for Claire Murphy, Becky Kavanagh for Clara Griffin, Mairead Power for Claire Whyte

Scorers: Beth Carton 1-8 (0-6F), Kaiesha Tobin 1-0, Niamh Rockett 0-3, Annie Fitzgerald, Deirdre Fahy 0-1 each.

Clare: Lauran Solon; Eimear Kelly, Clare Hehir, Carol O’Leary;  Ciara Grogan, Máire McGrath, Laura McMahon; Róisín McMahon, Orlaith Duggan; Andrea O’Keeffe, Niamh O’Dea, Orla Devitt; Chloe Morey, Amy Keating, Doireann Murphy, Sub: Regan Conway for Amy Keating.

Scorers: Chloe Morey 0-6 (5f), Niamh O’Dea 1-2, Orlaith Duggan 1-1, Orla Devitt, Andrea O’Keeffe, Róisín McMahon, Eimear Kelly 0-1 each.

Referee: Ray Kelly, Kildare