Déise Ladies Seek Semi Final Spot

            The biggest game of Camogie that Waterford have played in a long number of years, maybe the biggest game ever will take place this Saturday evening at Pairc Ui Chaoimh when Donal O’Rourke’s side take on Tipperary in the first of this year’s All-Ireland Senior Quarter Finals.

            Regardless of what happens in this game, Waterford have achieved at the start of the year in reaching the knockout stages of the championship, and whatever happens from here on in is a bonus.

            With both Cork and Kilkenny already in the semi finals and with Galway expected to come through in the second of the double header at the new look headquarters of the G.A.A. in Cork when they face Dublin, this fixture would give the Déise Ladies a chance to be in the top four sides for the year.

            Few outside of Waterford would have expected Donal O’Rourke’s side to be involved in the championship this weekend. I expect that if we are honest there would be even some within the Déise County who would not expect Waterford to be involved, and sadly I would expect that there is a sizeable amount of people in the county who do not know that Waterford are involved in an All-Ireland Quarter Final this weekend.

Great progress has been made in Waterford in the last number of years when it comes to Camogie.

It’s only a few short years that Waterford was playing in the Junior Championship. There is some that will argue that a side have to lose a final to win one. Well to get out of the Junior grade Waterford had to play in four finals, losing two, drawing one and winning at the third time of asking in 2011.

Heading into the 2011 final I am sure that there would be some that might be asking themselves will it ever happen. But the players involved in 2011 believed that they could move up to the Intermediate grade and they did, and this present group of players if they believe that big things can happen, they will.

It might be a big ask for Waterford to win the O’Duffy Cup this year, but if Waterford get over this weekend’s game who knows what will happen.

In 2015 when Waterford won the Division Two National League and the Intermediate All-Ireland there was a belief there and since coming up the players that were involved then and who are still involved have improved year on year, and now rightly are where they deserve to be.

Since coming up to play the top teams Waterford under different managers and different management team have made steady progress slowly getting up to the speed that the top sides play the game and they are showing this year that they can hold their own with the best sides.

The bookies will be making Tipperary the favourites to advance to the next phase of the competition (and I assume a game with Kilkenny).

It would be hard for neutrals to go against the bookies. They after all are the more experienced sides, playing at this grade of Camogie much longer than what Waterford are. They have within their ranks some experienced players and are also able to draw from players who have impressed with their second string side in recent years playing in the Intermediate grade.

But Waterford have produced some exceptional young players in the last few years who bring a great deal of experience into the senior team having played and won underage All-Ireland Final’s in recent years and also some excellent club sides have been produced in the last number of years and there is several players from these clubs involved within the Waterford set up.

 Donal O’Rourke’s side while they will respect the challenge that Tipperary will put up on Saturday they should not fear this Tipperary side and some of the big name players that they can call on.

The Premier Ladies needed to call on all their experience to see them through their last two games.

Their second last game was against neighbour Offaly who put it up to the Premier Ladies. The Faithful County went up Intermediate and Senior before Waterford did. In fact Waterford lost the 2009 All-Ireland Junior Final to Offaly but it could be argued that since coming up to the senior grade, Waterford have made the better progress.

Against Offaly at The Ragg Offaly lead 2-3 to 0-8 at the break and with nine minutes to go they lead 2-10 to 0-11, but in those closing minutes the home side found the scores that saw them win 1-14 to 2-10, the goal coming from Grace O’Brien while Cáit Devane would nail a late free to earn the points on offer.

Last time out, Tipperary were once more again pushed to the limit and once more they needed a late score from Devane to earn a share of the spoils against Dublin at Parnell Park.

 Had these result’s gone against Tipperary, and more over the game with Dublin it would be Dublin that Waterford would be playing this weekend, a side that Waterford would know more about as they have played in the League, Championship and Challenge games in the last few years.

The last meeting between Waterford and Tipperary in a competitive game came just over twelve months ago when the sides clashed in the Munster Championship a game that Tipperary won 4-14 to 2-10, but Waterford this weekend will be a much tougher side.

 The year has been very good to Waterford so far. In the National League Waterford only lost out on a place in the semi finals on score difference after they drew with Limerick in their last game, a result that was good enough to send their opponents through to the last four.

In the Munster Championship at Modeligo, Waterford really put it up to the All-Ireland Champions, losing out by four points. I’m not one for talking about the performance of the match officials on here or anywhere when I write about what I see, but did that day as the performance of the referee was deplorable and maybe with a different official on the day Waterford could have advanced.

The All-Ireland Championship draw was very good to Waterford this year in that Donal O’Rourke’s side got to play the toughest two teams first and all involved knew that if they lost these two games (which they did) a place in the knockout stages of the competition could be won if they won their last two games against Limerick and Clare, and could have got away with a draw in their last game with Clare after the two sides either side of the Shannon drew their game in the first round of the championship and subsequently like Waterford lost out to both Kilkenny and Galway.

There can be no disputing that for both sides the performances of Beth Carton and Cáit Devane are going to be crucial.

So far Waterford have relied on the De La Salle Club player for the bulk of their scores in the four games played to date, but if they can get two or three other players to chip in with three or four points each and maybe a goal or two, then Waterford stand an excellent chance of winning this game.

The only real comparing that can be done between the sides is on how both sides did in the Munster Championship when both played All-Ireland Champions – Cork.

Waterford as pointed out already lost out by four points. I have already stated that in different circumstances things could well have been different that day and I stand over that.

Cork went on to contest the Munster Final where they played Tipperary and the All-Ireland Champions that day proved considerably better than Bill Mullaney’s side winning 1-27 to 1-12.  

After Waterford lost their Munster Championship game with Cork I said that this is a Waterford side if they believe and keep believing then anything is possible for them.

Waterford team secretary Majella Pollard that day told me that she keeps telling the players to keep thinking that the next team that they are playing is just another team.

If the players can put to the back of their minds what opposing players might or might not have won, thinking them to be any other player or side, they can be a match for most.

We have seen twice this year that Waterford proved more than a match for Kilkenny in the League and Championship. The same is true of Cork in the Munster Championship, and while the final score might suggest otherwise when Waterford played Galway in the Championship a few weeks back they put it up to the home side that day, even playing most of the match with a player less on the field.

In previewing this game for this week’s ‘Munster Express’ I finished by asking the question, can Waterford win on Saturday.

I sign off here asking the same question and I give the same answer here as I did for my piece for the Munster Express, asking another question and answering it. What was that slogan that former President of the United States Barack Obama used a few years back? Yes we can.

 

Waterford's game with Tipperary at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Saturday evening next has a 5-30pm throw in. It would be good to think that a bumber support would travel to Cork to support the Ladies in the same way that numbers would travel to an All-Ireland Quarter Final if our Senior Hurlers were playing at the same venue. For those however that can't for what ever reason get to Cork, the game is live on RTE2.