Heartbreak for Déise Ladies at Nenagh

Waterford’s Senior Ladies Football team will have to beat Galway in Birr on Saturday afternoon next if they are to stand a chance of progressing to the quarter final stages of this year’s All-Ireland Championship after they narrowly lost out to Westmeath at Nenagh on Saturday last.

The Déise ladies will have felt disappointed to have made the journey back home after that game empty handed, but will be the first to admit that over the hour, the midlander’s were marginally the better of the two sides over the course of the hour, especially in the opening half.

The winners in this one went into the game on the back of a heavy defeat to Dublin in the recent Leinster Final at Dr Cullen Park in Carlow and intent on getting that defeat out of their system as quickly as possible.

Waterford on the other hand did not have a competitive outing in five weeks since they lost to Kerry in the Munster Semi Final, but while they would have worked hard in those five weeks, when it comes to playing big games like this, nothing beats playing in competitive games.

Waterford made four changes in personnel to the side which lost out to Kerry for this game, bringing in Kelly Moroney for her Championship debut, Caoimhe McGrath, Emma Murray and Maria Delahunty in place of Carragh McCarthy, Aoife Murray, Lauren McGregor and Eimear Fennell, and also made a number of positional changes.

Westmeath for their part kept the changes to the minimum as teenager Caoimhe Clarke McMahon came into the team in place of Vicky Carr.

Waterford started this game the brighter of the two sides racing into an early 0-3 to 0-1 lead as Maria Delahunty hit a hat-trick of scores with Leanne Slevin pulling one back for the midlander’s after the Abbeyside players first score.

Annie Dolan and Keeley Corbett Barry swapped scores to keep Waterford two in front, but in the minutes that followed it was the midland county that enjoyed a purple patch as they would land 1-3 before Waterford would score again.

Leanne Slevin put a free between the uprights before Maud Annie Foley and Annie Dolan scored from play with twenty five minutes played. Dolan’s score gave the midlander’s the lead for the first time in this game, one that they would never give up.

With four minutes of normal time to play the first goal of the game came along when Laura Lee Walsh waltzed through the Waterford defence to beat Kelly Moroney.

But Waterford quickly cancelled out that score almost straight away as Aileen Wall, a player who is no stranger to causing opposition defences all sorts of troubles ran at the Westmeath backs and finished past Karen Walsh to leave just one between the sides.

The sides however would go to the dressing rooms with two between them on the scoreboard as Aoife Connolly nailed a free to give her side a 1-6 to 1-4 lead at the interval.

The eventual winners began the second half once more the stronger of the two sides hitting points from Leanne Slevin and Maud Anne Foley, and they would stretch their lead to a double score advantage with an Aoife Connolly goal on thirty seven minutes.

It was now Waterford’s turn to enjoy a purple patch as Michelle Ryan, Maria Delahunty and Kate McGrath all landed scores for the Déise Ladies before Aileen Wall netted a second goal on forty seven minutes to leave her side trailing by just one.

Sinead Ryan levelled matters before Maud Annie Foley and Leanne Slevin from a free kicked points putting Westmeath two in front. Eimear Fennell and Aoife Connolly swapped scores before Maria Delahunty put over a brace of points to level matters deep in stoppage time.

But no game is up till the final whistle blows and with literally the last kick of the game Annie Dolan pointed from a free to give her side the full quota of points on offer in this game.

Westmeath: Karen Walsh; Lucy Power, Rachel Dillon, Nicole Feery; Fiona Coyle, Jennie Rogers, Caoimhe Clarke McMahon; Karen McDermott, Maud Annie Foley; Fiona Claffey, Leanne Slevin, Annie Dolan; Aoife Connolly, Lucy McCartan, Laura Lee Walsh.

Subs: Anna Jones for McDermott (50), Johanna Maher for Connolly (55), Ciara Blundell for McCartan (62).

Scorers: Aoife Connolly 1-2 (0-1f), Leanne Slevin 0-5 (5f), Laura Lee Walsh 1-0, Maud Annie Foley 0-3, Annie Dolan 0-2

Waterford: Kelly Moroney; Megan Dunford, Caoimhe McGrath, Rebecca Casey; Kate McGrath, Karen McGrath, Michelle McGrath; Emma Murray, Keeley Corbett Barry; Mairead Wall, Grainne Kenneally, Katie Murray; Aileen Wall, Maria Delahunty, Michelle Ryan.

Subs: Kelly Anne Hogan for Keeley Corbett Barry (30), Kate Hahessy for Katie Murray (50), Sinead Ryan for Michelle Ryan (50), Eimear Fennell for Mairead Wall (56), Geraldine Power for Kelly Anne Hogan (61).

Scorers: Aileen Wall 2-0, Maria Delahunty 0-6 (4f), Keeley Corbett Barry, Michelle Ryan, Kate McGrath, Sinead Ryan, Eimear Fennell 0-1 each

Referee: John Gallagher (Dublin).