Lots to Play For In Last Round of Games in Division Two of National Ladies Football League

The group section of this year’s Lidl Ladies National Football League draws to a conclusion this coming weekend when games which were called off a few weeks back owing to the bad weather conditions at the time are rescheduled.

For Waterford that means a game against table toppers Tipperary at Sean Treacy Park in Tipperary where the only thing to play for is to see which of these two terrific sides will top the table, as both sides in advance of this game secured their places in the semi finals, in which these two sides will be kept apart regardless of what happens in this game or in other games down for decision this coming weekend.

Tipperary go into this game with a one hundred per cent record from their six games played up to now, having recorded wins over Armagh, Laois, Tyrone, Cavan, Sligo and last weekend against Clare.

Waterford have dropped just three points in the league to date, that happening away to Tyrone in the opening round of fixtures, and since then they have beaten Clare, Laois, Sligo, Cavan and last weekend away to Armagh.

Had both sides not already reached the semi finals ahead of this game, going on this year’s result’s Waterford would have much preferred to have Tipperary travelling for the game.

While the Premier County side who won last year’s All-Ireland Intermediate Championship have a one hundred per cent record in this competition, they have won their two games played at home to date by twenty one (Laois) and twenty four (Sligo) points, while they have found things much tougher on their travels, beating Armagh by two points, Tyrone and Cavan by three points and last time out against Clare by two points.

But Waterford are in fine form this year. In their only defeat to date they registered 2-11 on the scoreboard and in their other five games they again hit some impressive tallies winning by various margins from one point last weekend against Armagh scoring 2-9, the smallest tally they have registered this year to fourteen points which they beat Clare by in round two where the side scored 3-12.

The Premier County Ladies have impressed throughout the field this year. Their attacking players have hit an impressive fourteen goals and at the other end of the field the Premier Ladies have equally impressed conceding nine goals in their six games to date.

But Waterford has been equally as impressive. While Waterford have conceded four more goals that what Tipperary have, at the other end of the field Waterford have scored four more goals than what Tipperary have.

While Waterford has played at a higher grade than Tipperary in the last year or two, the two sides will know each other reasonably well.

The home side will have the likes of Mairead Morrissey, Jennifer Grant and Caoimhe Condon all from the Brian Borus Club, Sarah Everard and Niamh Lonergan from Moyle Rovers, Róisín Howard and Aisling Moloney from Cahir, Samantha Lambert from Ardfinnan, Brid Condon from Aherlow and of course Lauren Fitzpatrick who plays her club football with Ballymacarbry amongst their best players.

Waterford after a very good run last year in the championship where they reached the Munster Final where they narrowly lost out to Kerry at Mallow and put up a good showing against a Dublin side in the All-Ireland Quarter Final, a side that would go on to win the All-Ireland Final later in the Autumn.

Waterford will be looking to build on what they achieved last year and one way to do that would be to get out of Division Two of the National League this year and to play against the strongest sides in the country week in week out in the early part of year from next year on.

Waterford have a great mix of youth and experience in their set up with players like Gráinne Kenneally, Michelle and Karen McGrath, Michelle and Sinead Ryan, Emma, Emma, Aoife and Kate Murray, Aileen and Mairead Wall, Geraldine Power, Rebecca Casey, Megan Dunford, Kate McGrath, Maria Delahunty, Liz Devine, Lauren McGregor and Eimear Fennell who is in outstanding form for Waterford this year.

What sort of game will we see these two terrific sides fight out on Sunday afternoon in Tipperary town?

Right now it’s hard to tell. With both sides already through to the semi finals and with the possibility that they could meet again in the final will both sides want to show their full hand to the other this weekend.

Tipperary might want to end the campaign with a perfect record, and if this was to happen, one thing is for certain Waterford won’t be too put out, as they will know that when two sides meet in quick succession in Ladies Football and indeed the same happens in Camogie, the side that lose the first day is often the side that wins the second day, and this is something Waterford would much prefer, as would Tipperary if they were to lose on Sunday afternoon.

But in saying this, all sides would like to go into the knockout stages of a competition on the back of a win, and for this reason the question has to be asked, will there be any shadow boxing happening in this game.

A win for Waterford would see them head the group at the end of seven rounds of games by virtue of winning the head to head between the two sides as they both would finish the campaign on eighteen points each. Anything other than a Waterford win would see Tipperary finish the round robin section of the competition as table toppers, finishing four or six points better than Waterford.

A defeat for Waterford this weekend a win for Tyrone at home to Cavan would see Waterford drop to third place as Tyrone would top the pair by virtue of winning the head to head between the two sides.

Should Cavan beat Tyrone and as expected Armagh prove too strong away to Clare, then it would mean that Tyrone would drop out of the semi final positions, as both would finish with thirteen points while Tyrone would finish with twelve.

While Tipperary and Waterford to some degree might well prove to be a dead rubber game of sorts, elsewhere in the Division there is plenty to play for, including at the bottom of the table anything other than a win for Sligo at home to Laois would see them relegated and even a win might not save them from relegation as of Clare lose to Armagh all three sides would finish on three points, and the Connacht side have the inferior score difference by some distance if this was to happen.