Waterford Ladies Record Fine Win

Waterford Senior Ladies Footballers collected their first points in this year’s National League on Saturday afternoon last when they easily accounted for Clare at the WIT Arena at Carriganore.

When the two sides clashed in the league last year, Waterford were brought well into North Clare for a game that was played in strong winds at Carron and it was no surprise therefore that the game proved to be a game of two halves with the side that had the wind at their backs making the best possible use of it.

That game therefore could not give an indication as to how this game would pan out, and there were not all that many other league or championship games to go on in recent years as the two often played in different competitions.

A week previous to this game, Pat Sullivan’s side made the long journey to Drumragh in Tyrone for a meeting with the host county, where despite serving up a good performance, the Déise Ladies had to settle for second best on the day.

The Waterford Management team named 11 of the side that lost to Tyrone in the opening fixture for this game and after this game drew to a end on Saturday last of the twenty nine players listed on the programme the Waterford management team had seen all but three in competitive action this year and are sure to give these players a run out somewhere along the sides five remaining games and may even bring extra players currently not involved to create extra competition for places and ensuring that complacency does not set in.

The home side back in their familiar white shirts for this game were always in control of this game and never looked as if they were going to drop points for the second weekend in a row.

From the side that started against Tyrone, Kate Hahessey, Laura Cusack, Keeley Barry-Corbett and Aileen Wall sat out this game with Karen McGrath, Lauren McGregor, Michelle Ryan and Liz Devine that came in for them and it was one of these players, Lauren McGregor that got proceedings under way with a goal inside five minutes of the throw in.

One of Clare’s most experienced players Niamh O’Dea responded with a point, but this was followed with a brace of Sinead Ryan points and one each from her older sister Michelle and Róisín Tobin which put Waterford well in front with a 1-5 to 0-1 advantage showing on the scoreboard.

In the last number of years Lauren McGregor has made a name for herself in the games she has contributed to, kicking some important scores for Pat Sullivan’s side and she did the same again in this game as she added to her early goal with a second which put Waterford 2-5 to 0-1 in front, but the visitors would hit the last two scores of the half through Ailish Considine and Grainne Nolan which left their side trailing 2-5 to 0-3 at the break.

The visitors needed a good start to the second half if they were going to get back into this game and they enjoyed the better start to the second thirty minutes.

Róisín Looney and Aoife Murray swapped early scores before Orla Devitt one of a few players on the Clare side visiting the WIT Arena for the second time in a week beat Sally Kelly for a goal to leave Clare trailing 2-6 to 1-4.

Devitt was part of the Clare Camogie team that got a draw at the same venue a week earlier against Waterford in the League. With Ladies Football and Camogie able to accommodate duel players, you have to wonder why it does not in the men’s game. Yes I know some will point to the commitment made by the country’s top hurlers and footballers, but it must be remembered that those playing Ladies Football and Camogie are putting in the same effort and maybe even a greater effort than their male counterparts so if it can happen in the Ladies games why can’t it happen with the men.

However this was as good as it got for the visitors as they failed to score for the remainder of the game, while at the other end Waterford continued to press the Clare defence hard and kicked a number of further scores which could well prove important at the end of the seven rounds of games in the round robin section of the competition.

Maria Delahunty who has hit some important scores for Waterford and after she got her name on the score sheet after she had replaced  Michelle Ryan Eimear Fennell put over a brace of scores before her fellow Abbeyside club player Maria Delahunty put over another brace of scores to put Waterford well in control.

Geraldine Power who played in last year’s league with Waterford did her chances of winning a place in the team for the sides next outing against Laois on Sunday next no harm when after replacing Lauren McGregor she hit Waterford’s third goal of the afternoon, bringing a fine afternoon’s work by the team to an end.

Waterford: Sally Kelly; Rebecca Casey, Michelle McGrath, Karen McGrath; Lauren McGregor, Emma Murray, Megan Dunford; Mairead Wall, Aisling Hahessey; Róisín Tobin, Michelle Ryan, Katie Murray; Sinead Ryan, Eimear Fennell, Liz Devine. Subs: Aoife Murray for Liz Devine, Maria Delahunty for Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall for Sinéad Ryan, Geraldine Power for Lauren McGregor, Caragh McCarthy for Aisling Hahessey, Laura Cusack for Mairéad Wall, Dearbhaile Ní hAodha for Karen McGrath.

Scorers: Lauren McGregor 2-0, Geraldine Power 1-0, Sinead Ryan (3F), Maria Delahunty, Eimear Fennell 0-3 each, Michelle Ryan, Róisín Tobin, Aoife Murray 0-1 each.

Clare: Ciara Harvey; Kate Harrington, Laurie Ryan, Amanda Mulcair; Louise Woods, Grainne Harvey, Laura Egan; Tara Kelly, Róisín Looney; Orla Devitt, Grainne Nolan, Niamh O’Dea; Caithriona Cullinan, Fidelma Marrinan, Ailish Considine. Subs: Emma McMahon for Caithriona Cullinan, Ciara Hickey for Ailish Considine, Kayleigh McCormack for Róisín Considine, Áine Keane for Amanda Mulcair, Becky McMahon for Tara Kelly, Sarah Bohannon for Louise Woods, Rebecca Doohan for Orla Devitt.

Scorers: Orla Devitt 1-0, Niamh O’Dea, Ailish Considine, Grainne Nolan (F), Róisín Looney 0-1 each

Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford)