Five Star Déise Ladies Win League Title

Back in 1991 a glorious chapter in the history of Ladies Football began when a team comprising mostly from the Ballymacarbry Club beat Kerry to win a first ever Munster Senior Ladies Football Final, ending a ten year period of dominance by the Ladies of the Kingdom after they had won ten Munster Finals and nine All-Ireland Finals in a row.

That side, with additions along the way and with some dropping out over the next decade achieved so much culminating in five All-Ireland titles between 1991 and 1998.

This year’s league saw Waterford play some good football along the way saved their very best for this game and from the off in this game Ciaran Curran’s side were always the better of the two sides and were full value for their eight point winning margin.

Waterford netted five goals for the second game in a row, four of which came in the opening half and there were times we saw that this present group of players can go on and have some even better days in the months and years ahead. Whether however they will replicate what the great side of the 90’s achieved is very hard to tell. Just like that great team there is some hugely talented players in this present team but the biggest thing that will stop them is that right now there is more teams competing at the time than there was in the 90’s when a team came along and for two or three years challenging Waterford hardest and then broke up before another team came along. We saw it with Kerry back in the 90’s then Laois, Monaghan and finally Mayo. 

If Waterford is to be successful in the years ahead then they will have to be beating the likes of Monaghan, Tipperary, Kerry, Armagh, Westmeath, Mayo, Donegal, Dublin, Galway and this year’s Division One champions Cork. To beat one in any competition will be tough, to have to get the better of all sides will be a big ask not just for Waterford but all sides playing in the top flight.

Coincidently the two sides are to meet again in the Munster Championship at Ennis on Saturday next in the first round of the Munster Championship, a curtain raiser to the Waterford and Clare game in the Men’s code and for that game both sides will know that the result of this game will have little significance on the result of that game, but what this result will do will give Waterford plenty of confidence going into the game.

 Waterford were outstanding in the first half and turned around with an incredible four clear goal cushion showing on the score board as Michelle Ryan, Kelly Ann Hogan, Maria Delahunty and Eimear Fennell all netted goals for Waterford in the opening 30 minutes.

Waterford went in front inside the opening minute of the game when Maria Delahunty pointed after she was picked out by Aileen Wall and on three minutes the Waterford attack gave Kerry a taste of what was to come for the remainder of the half as Roisin Tobin and Katie Murray combined to set up hat-trick here from their semi final win over Cavan Michelle Ryan for the Déise sides first green flag of the afternoon.

The industrious Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh pointed at the other end before Chloe Fennell pointed for Waterford before Kelly Ann Hogan scored a fine goal where she done much of the hard work herself on seven minutes to give Waterford a seven point lead.

Hannah O’Donoghue and Maria Delahunty swapped scores before Miriam O’Keefe and Amanda Brosnan hit points for the side from the Kingdom but it was not enough to see them end the first quarter trailing 2-3 to 0-4.

Waterford over the next six minutes played some of their best football in this game. Róisín Tobin and Maria Delahunty slotted points before Róisín Tobin hit her second of the game and it was Maria Delahunty who scored next a decisive third goal for Waterford after Aileen Wall had done some good work in the build up, and when Katie Murray followed up with a point on 22 minutes Waterford had a 3-7 to 0-4 lead.

Kerry throughout the league this year made changes for the second half but they were forced to make changes before the break here. After Miriam O’Keeffe pointed for Kerry with six minutes of the first half remaining, the Kerry selectors sent on Sophie Lynch for Sarah Murphy in defence and also replaced goalkeeper Robyn White with Kayleigh Cronin after the keeper picked up a hamstring injury.

Kerry did come more into the game after this. Michelle Ryan pointed with five minutes to go and when the ball went up the other end the crossbar came to Waterford’s rescue from a Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh effort and when the ball fell back to her Caoimhe McGrath took the ball off the line and cleared the danger.

Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh did point with Kerry’s next attack from a free but within seconds Waterford had the ball in the Kerry net for a fourth time when Aileen Wall played in Eimear Fennell who was unmarked in front of the Kerry goal.

Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Sarah Houlihan added late first half scores for the side from the Kingdom but it was not enough to stop them turning around trailing Ciaran Curran’s side 4-8 to 0-8.

Waterford goalkeeper Rosie Landers made an excellent save from Hannah O’Donoghue and when Katie Murray and Maria Delahunty followed up with points things were looking extremely good for Waterford.

But Kerry did make Waterford work hard for this win. Sarah Houlihan and Eimear Fennell swapped points before Hannah O’Donoghue and Aileen Wall did likewise. Karen McGrath took an effort from Hannah O’Donoghue off the Waterford goal line on 41 minutes which was followed with white flags from Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Sarah Houlihan on 44 minutes.

Waterford’s fifth goal came at the three quarter way mark in this game when Eimear Fennell crashed the size 4 off the crossbar with Kelly Cronin beating it fell nicely to Aileen Wall who slotted home from just inside the small box to give Waterford a 5-12 to 0-12 lead.

Fiadhna Tagney and Sarah Houlihan pulled points back for Kerry before substitute Aisling Mullaney hit Waterford’s last score of the game on 51 minutes.

Kerry finished strong and while they scored a goal on 51 minutes when Lorraine Scanlon won a contest against Rosie Landers and Louise Ni Mhuircheartaigh and Sarah Houlihan hit further minor scores for Kerry, Waterford held on for an excellent win and will now compete in Division one of next year’s league.

The players and Management of the Waterford side have to be congratulated on this win and it would be nice to think that the side will receive some recognition on the win when it comes to the various sporting awards handed out in the county and in the region in the weeks and months ahead.

The Kerry side should also be recognised for the part that they played in this fine sporting game. In every game there has to be a winner and there has to be a side that does not win. To use the word loser at times is too strong a word and it would certainly be the case here. Kerry at one point found themselves 15 points down against Waterford but fought back to get within eight. On another day things could be much closer. In this game both Caoimhe and Karen McGrath took the ball off the Waterford goal line it looked as if a goal was going to be scored.

And someone else deserves recognition. It is often very easy to criticise the referee and the officials on duty at a game.

Today referee Gus Chapman refereed the game using a lot of common sense. The players of course made it easy for him. But how often have we seen in recent years a player issued with a yellow card and having to sit out the next ten minutes in which time a game can often be won or lost. Today the Sligo man did not have to flash any yellow card so well done to the referee on his part in a sporting spectacle.  

Waterford: Rosie Landers; Rebecca Casey, Caoimhe McGrath, Megan Dunford; Róisín Tobin, Karen McGrath, Kate McGrath; Michelle Ryan, Kelly Ann Hogan; Emma Murray, Katie Murray, Maria Delahunty; Eimear Fennell, Chloe Fennell, Aileen Wall.

Subs: Aisling Mullaney for Megan Dunford (36), Shauna  Dunphy for Eimear Fennell (60), Caragh McCarthy for Róisín Tobin (63).

Scorers: M Delahunty 1-04 (0-01f), M Ryan, E Fennell, A Wall 1-01 each, KA Hogan 1-00, R Tobin, K Murray 0-02 each, C Fennell, A Mullaney 0-01 each.

Kerry: Robyn White; Tara Breen, Aislinn Desmond, Ciara O’Brien; Sarah Murphy, Aisling O’Connell, Anna Galvin; Lorraine Scanlon, Amanda Brosnan; Ciara Murphy, Hannah O’Donoghue, Niamh Carmody; Sarah Houlihan, Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Miriam O’Keeffe.

Subs: Kayleigh Cronin for Robyn White (26), Sophie Lynch for Sarah Murphy (26), Fiadhna Tangney for Miriam O’Keeffe (34), Emma Dineen for Anna Galvin (45), Eilis Lynch for Aislinn Desmond (60).

Referee: Gus Chapman (Sligo).