Déise Ladies Beaten In Killarney, But There Is Still Plenty to Play For

There was no joy for Waterford on their travels to Killarney for a meeting with Kerry in the Munster Senior Ladies Football Final on Sunday afternoon as corner forward Sarah Houlihan produced a player of the match performance to help her side to a Munster Final clash with Cork later this month.

In the first half of this game, little separated the sides as Kerry went to the dressing rooms holding a 1-4 to 0-4 lead with that all important goal coming from a penalty six minutes from the break.

Waterford started this game without a number of key players including Caoimhe McGrath, Maria Delahunty and Emma Murray, and before the game made another change replacing Geraldine Power with the vastly experienced Michelle Ryan.

In that first half Kerry relied on Sarah Houlihan for scores as she kicked all five of her sides scores in those opening thirty minutes.

They also needed a big save from goalkeeper Laura Fitzgerald who pushed the ball over her own crossbar from a Michelle Ryan effort to keep her side in the game at the time. That score from the experienced Ballymacarbry club player gave Waterford for the first and only side in this game.

As a result of this loss, Waterford now find themselves in group three of a new look All-Ireland Championship where they will play the Connacht Champions who will be either Galway or Mayo as well as the Leinster Runners up which will be either Westmeath or Dublin, from which two sides will go through to the All-Ireland quarter finals later this year.

It was the highly impressive Beaufort Club player that opened the scoring in this game but her effort was quickly cancelled out with a Lauren McGregor free.

When Michelle Ryan gave Waterford the lead soon afterwards it was hoped that the side could push on and win a place in the Munster Final against Cork who beat Tipperary in the first semi final played at Ardfinnan twenty four hour earlier, but in the end it was the home side spurred on by a big local support coming into the ground to see their men’s side beat Clare in the Munster semi final in the second game played at the venue on the day, and the performance of Sarah Houlihan that proved to be the better of the two sides.

Houlihan would put two more points over for the home side to edge them back in front before she beat Grainne Kenneally from the penalty spot after she was fouled in the build up.

Eimear Fennell who is having a very impressive year for Waterford made it a two point game when she kicked a brace of scores, but Houlihan would strike once more before the half time whistle which gave her side a 1-4 to 0-4 lead at the interval.

Kerry came out for the second half by extending their lead. The brilliant Sarah Houlihan would kick two of the first three scores of the second half with Emma Dineen striking in between to help extend the home sides advantage on the score board to six.

Just short of the half way point in the second half the home side all but secured their passage to the Munster Final when following an excellent attacking move Andrea Murphy send the umpire reaching for his green flag to wave at the growing attendance.

Sarah Houlihan pointed again before Aileen Wall struck for Waterford’s first score of the second half.

With time running down Andrea Murphy followed up with a brace of scores before Maria Delahunty pointed shortly after she had replaced Katie Murray.

Sarah Houlihan, Lorraine Scanlon with the first of her late scores and Aoife O’Callaghan who had replaced Amanda Brosnan all split the Waterford posts before Houlihan and Scanlon pointed again for the home side.

Maria Delahunty did manage a late score for Waterford when she finished to the net, but it was to be a mere consolation score and in the time that remained Lorraine Scanlon again split the posts to give here side a win that nobody would deny them on the day.

Defeat might be Waterford’s lot on the day, but Waterford will be back again this year. The sides had injuries going into this game, and all involved with the side and those that follow Ladies Football in the county will know that if Waterford can go into the round robin section of the All-Ireland Championship with a clean bill of health, Pat Sullivan’s side could take beating, and no side will relish taking them on.

Kerry: Laura Fitzgerald; Laoise Coughlan, Sarah Murphy, Eilis Lynch; Deirdre Kearney, Aislinn Desmond, Aisling O’Connell; Lorraine Scanlon, Amanda Brosnan; Amy Foley, Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh, Emma Dineen; Andrea Murphy, Eilish O’Leary, Sarah Houlihan. Subs: Siobhan Burns for Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh (inj, 12), Kate O’Sullivan for Siobhan Burns (47), Aoife O’Callaghan for Amanda Brosnan (48), Clodagh O’Connor for Amy Foley (56), Meabh Barry for Andrea Murphy (58).

Scorers: Sarah Houlihan 1-9 (1-0 pen, 3f), Andrea Murphy 1-2, Lorraine Scanlon 0-3 (1f), Emma Dineen 0-1, Aoife O’Callaghan 0-1.

Waterford: Grainne Kenneally; Rebecca Casey, Michelle McGrath, Kate McGrath; Mairead Wall, Carragh McCarthy, Megan Dunford; Karen McGrath, Katie Murray; Aoife Murray, Michelle Ryan, Lauren McGregor; Aileen Wall, Eimear Fennell, Keeley Corbett Barry. Subs: Sinead Ryan for Eimear Fennell (39), Aisling Mullaney for Carragh McCarthy, Maria Delahunty for Katie Murray (47), Caoimhe McGrath for Lauren McGregor (53)

Scorers: Maria Delahunty 1-2, Eimear Fennell 0-1 (1f), Aileen Wall 0-1, Lauren McGregor 0-1f, Michelle Ryan 0-1

Referee: Jason Mullins (Limerick)

(Image - Sportsfile).