Déise Ladies Seek Munster Final Spot

After recording back to back wins over Kerry in their two most recent competitive games, Ciaran Curran’s Waterford Senior Ladies Football team are back in action at the Cork IT Grounds on Sunday evening next (5pm) against reigning Cork.

For Ciaran Curran’s side who recently triumphed in the National League Division Two final against a fancied Kerry side at Parnell Park in Dublin and then beat the same opposition in the first round of games in this year’s Munster Championship at Ennis, a game that provided the curtain raiser to the Munster Championship game between Waterford and Clare they will know that should they avoid defeat in this game that they will guarantee for themselves a place in this year’s Munster Final.

However, while Waterford had to work hard to beat Kerry in their two most recent competitive outings, they will know that they will have to up their game another notch or two if they were to get something from this latest game.

Ephie Fitzgerald’s side on the same afternoon that Waterford beat Kerry in the National Football League Division Two final a Parnell Park overcame the challenge of Galway to take the Division One title at the same venue on a 1-12 to 2-7 score line.

The Rebellettes in the last number of years have proven to be the queen’s of Ladies football having enjoyed huge success over a number of years firstly under the care of Eamon Ryan and in more recent years Ephie Fitzgerald who before taking over from Ryan was working with the Waterford’s men’s Senior Football team.

Since 2005 Cork have appeared in 12 All-Ireland Finals, winning an incredible eleven of these titles, while at the same time they have appeared in 13 Division One National League Final’s winning all but one of them.

While Cork may no longer have the likes of Rena Buckley, Valerie Mulcahy, Briege Corkery, Juliet Murphy, Angela Walsh, Brid Stack and Elaine Harte in their team these days, they still have some outstanding players in the likes of Martina O’Brien, Hannah Looney, Niamh Cotter, Aisling Hutchings, Ciara O’Sullivan, Orlagh Farmer, Eimear Scally, Libby Coppinger and Orla Finn to call upon, all players that have won numerous honours between them in the red and white shirt of Cork.

Waterford will have a strong side out again for this game and they should be able to call on the seven players that were recently named in the National League Division 2 team of the year, Rosie Landers, Karen McGrath, Róisín Tobin, Emma Murray, Michelle Ryan, Maria Delahunty and Aileen Wall, as well as the likes of up and coming players as well as some more experienced players, the likes of Aisling Mullaney, Rebecca Casey, Kate McGrath, Megan Dunford, Katie Murray, Kelly Ann Hogan, Chloe Fennell, and Eimear Fennell.

This is going to be the toughest game that Waterford will have played this year one that many of the experts will give Waterford no chance of winning.

But the same happened just two years ago when Cork travelled to Dungarvan to play Waterford and on that occasion Waterford won 3-11 to 1-11 and had beat Kerry in the their previous game in the competition. Twelve months earlier Waterford pushed Cork all the way in Fermoy but on that occasion had to give second best.

That result from two years ago should give the side confidence going into this weekend’s game. Waterford will know having won promotion to play in division one of next year’s league they will have to get used to playing sides like Cork and the speed that they play the game if they are to retain their place in Division one at the end of next year’s league.

While many will not give Waterford much of a chance going into this game, right now this will be a Waterford side that are high on confidence, and for me if they were to get a positive result from the game on Sunday evening it would hardly be a shock.