Clinical Waterford Prove Too Strong For Under Strength Monaghan

The Waterford Senior Ladies Football team will have got many to sit up and take notice on Saturday afternoon when they proved too strong for a Monaghan side who were playing on home soil in the second round of games in this year’s Round Robin Section of the All-Ireland Football Championship.

Ciaran Curran fielded 13 of the side which lost out to Dublin a week earlier, bringing in Mairead Wall into the attack and Caoimhe McGrath into the defence after the latter player missed last week’s game having opted to play Camogie when the two sides which she is involved in were down to play on the same afternoon.

While it was the home side that got off to the best start in this game going 0-3 to 0-1 in front, Waterford once they began to get on top proved to be the better of the two sides and once corner forward Eimear Fennell netted a hat-trick of goals inside a five minute spell before the end of the first quarter the outcome of this game was never going to be in doubt.

All year long the Waterford full forward line of Michelle Ryan with the Abbeyside pairing of Eimear Fennell and Maria Delahunty either side of her are in fine form and nothing changed in this game as the three players shared 4-13 of Waterford’s tally.

Waterford in this game had nine different scorers in this game, an impressive tally of scorers in any game and could have won this game by an even greater margin as they missed two chances for goals before Eimear Fennell struck her hat-trick.

Credit their opponents too however. They lined out without a number of their younger players who were due to play in Sunday’s All-Ireland Minor Semi Final against Meath and also lined out without team captain Cora Courtney because of injury. It should also be pointed out that they did create goal chances and when they did manage to get inside the Waterford full back line they found it very difficult to get past Rosie Landers who is one of a few young players in their first season playing at this level and the Ballyduff Upper player is making a bit of a name for herself with a string of fine performances.

The home side opened the scoring with points from Louise Kerley, Ciara McAnespie and Abbie McCarey with Waterford’s first score coming from Chloe Fennell.

Waterford however came bouncing back with Eimear Fennell hitting a five minute hat-trick for Ciaran Curran’s side by the end of the first quarter.

Waterford had spurned two early chances to hit goals but perseverance eventually paid off as the talented Abbeyside tallies player netted three goals in quick succession to put Waterford into a deserved 3-1 to 0-3 lead from which they never looked back.

The home side would close the gap with points from Ciara McAnespie and Louise Kerley it was not to be enough for their side however. Michelle Ryan and Chloe McBride swapped scores before Maria Delahunty put Waterford 3-3 to 0-6 up with her first score of the afternoon.

Chloe Fennell edged Waterford further in front before the home side struck for their only goal of the game when Casey Treanor netted before the break, but Waterford would go up field and hit the final score of the half, a point from Michelle Ryan which gave her side a 3-5 to 1-6 lead at the break.

Waterford produced a brilliant third quarter in this game, one where the real spade work was done to secure this win.

Maria Delahunty straight from the restart netted Waterford’s fourth goal of the game with less than 30 second played. Katie Murray, Maria Delahunty with a hat-trick of points, Michelle Ryan and Eimear Fennell from a free gave Waterford a comprehensive 4-11 to 1-6 lead and if there was any doubting how this game would end, all bets were off on 38 minutes when Aileen Wall stuck Waterford’s five major score of the game.

Michelle Ryan, Kelly Ann Hogan and Maria Delahunty from a free would follow up with points for Ciaran Curran’s side before Louise Kerley hit the home side’s first score of the second half.

Kate McGrath and Eimear McAnespie swapped scores before Shauna Coyle and Lauren McGregor did likewise. Another Ciara McAnespie point followed for the home side before Eimear Fennell slotted over two points in a row, the first from a placed ball.

Kelly Anne Hogan, another player in her debut season at this level stuck her first championship goal to give Waterford a 6-18 to 1-10 lead with time running down, and Waterford would finish this game with a Maria Delahunty effort from a free before Chloe Fennell rounded off a faultless afternoon’s work with her side’s seventh goal right at the end of this game.

Waterford: Rosie Landers; Caoimhe McGrath, Emma Murray, Kate McGrath; Róisín Tobin, Karen McGrath, Aisling Mullaney; Katie Murray, Chloe Fennell; Aileen Wall, Kelly Anne Hogan, Mairead Wall; Eimear Fennell, Michelle Ryan, Maria Delahunty.

Subs: Brigita Valuntaite for Aisling Mullaney (42), Lauren McGregor for Róisín Tobin (45), Emma Gildea for Mairead Wall (55), Kelly Moroney for Rosie Landers (55), Denise Curran for Michelle Ryan (60).

Scorers: Eimear Fennell 3-4 (2f), Maria Delahunty 1-5 (0-2f), Chloe Fennell 1-2, Michelle Ryan 0-4, Kelly Anne Hogan 1-1, Aileen Wall 1-0, Katie Murray, Kate McGrath, Lauren McGregor 0-1 each

Monaghan: Bridín Tierney; Karla Lambe, Sarah Boyd, Rebecca Hughes; Aoife McAnespie, Hannah McSkane, Niamh Kerr; Abbie McCarey, Eimear McAnespie; Shauna Coyle, Noeleen McGuirk, Chloe McBride; Eva Woods, Louise Kerley, Ciara McAnespie.

Subs: Casey Treanor for Noeleen McGuirk (27), Gráinne McNally for Rebecca Hughes (29), Lisa Flynn for Lambe (47), Rebecca Hughes for Coyle (58), Noeleen McGuirk for Eva Woods (59).

Scorers: Casey Treanor 1-0, Louise Kerley (1f) Ciara McAnespie 0-3 each, Abbie McCarey 0-2, Chloe McBride, Shauna Coyle 0-1 each.

Referee: Gerry Carmody (Mayo).