Heartbreak for Waterford for Second Year in a Row at All-Ireland Quarter Finals

Waterford’s interest in this year’s All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship came to an end this evening at Semple Stadium when Donal O’Rourke’s side went under to a strong Galway side by eight points.

Waterford were in contention in this game up to the final five minutes of this game despite the fact that they only hit one score in the second half of this game. However it should be pointed out that while Waterford were finding it hard to get the scores that they so richly deserve in the second half, they were creating chances, and in particular chances for goal, but Galway’s experience shone in the second half as one more than one occasion they were able to get that telling touch when Waterford looked like they were going to score, and were also able to clear the danger zone having made a telling intervention.

Make no mistake Waterford getting to this stage of the competition for the second year in a row and while they will be back again next year, hopefully with the same panel and with a number of new players creating extra competition for a place in the starting team it can only be good for the side.

Having lead Waterford to this stage of the competition for the second year in a row, there is bound to be some rumblings with a new manager for the county senior hurling team to be named in the coming weeks after Pauric Fanning stood down after one year in the job in the last 24 hours if the new manager is to come from inside the county, having seen what the Cappoquin Club man has achieved with this group of players in the last two years there may be some that suggest that his name be thrown into the hat for the job, but no doubt many would rather if he was to stay with this group of players and continue the work that he has put in over the past few years, as this is a side that will very soon make many of the bigger and stronger counties sit up and take notice after they pull off a major win or two in a major knockout game be it in the National League or the Championship.

 It was only in the closing five minutes of this game that the eventual winners could say with any degree of certainty that they were going to be in the bowl for the semi final draw which took place after the game.

At the break it was Donal O’Rourke’s side that were holding a richly deserved 2-7 to 1-6 lead having kept a tight rein on what was a dangerous Galway forward line who took the bulk of their first half scores from placed balls as the Waterford defence stopped their opponents having shots at goal from play by whatever means they could.

It was the winners that hit the first score of the game, a goal inside 16 seconds of the game starting, Aoife Donohue showing how dangerous the Galway attack could be in finishing past Brianna O’Regan.

Waterford however went straight up field and as Beth Carton laid siege on the Galway goal Heather Cooney fouled the talented De La Salle player and from 20 metres having dusted herself down made no mistake in the wet conditions in firing past a three woman line on between the uprights to level matters, with just under two minutes played.

The same player fired over from play on two minutes to give Waterford the lead for the first time from a Fiona Morrissey cross after good work by Annie Fitzgerald before this, but almost straight away the De La Salle Club players effort was cancelled out with Carrie Dolan’s first score of the evening.

Beth Carton edged Waterford in front with a free on six minutes and two minutes later the Waterford lead was stretched with an effort from Áine Lyng. Noreen Coen and Áine Lyng with a huge effort swapped scores to keep Waterford in front at the end of the opening quarter of this game.

Carrie Dolan and Fiona Morrissey with a huge score for the Déise side had Waterford two points in front with the game in the final ten minutes of the opening half in this game, but two converted frees in as many minutes soon had the eventual winners on level terms. Another exchange of scores this time from Niamh Rockett and another Carrie Dolan free with five minutes of the half remaining kept things very tight in the rain in Thurles.

Waterford however would steal a march before the break when a long range Shona Curran free was dropped in around the Galway goal and when the greasy ball took a bounce in front of Sarah Healy the Saint Thomas’ club player was powerless to keep the Lismore players effort from passing her.

And things would get even better for Donal O’Rourke’s side in stoppage time at the end of the opening half as Beth Carton nailed a free to give her side a deserved 2-7 to 1-6 lead at the break.

Waterford began the second half lively. Sarah Lacey who has been outstanding all year for Waterford had a hand passed effort for a third Waterford goal deflected out for a ’45 at the town end of the ground and from the resulting strike Beth Carton made no mistake in opening up a five point lead for Waterford.

However, this was to prove to be Waterford’s last score of the game, but it should be pointed out that the side did create chances and in particular goal efforts but Galway’s greater experience on the day helped them to cut off the danger in front of their own goal with a number of telling interventions.

At the other end, Carrie Dolan put over four frees in a seven minute spell to leave her side trailing 2-8 to 1-10 at the end of the third quarter, and with Waterford creating chances you could not but feel that if Waterford kept the goals out and maybe strike one of their own, that they would be in the bowl alongside Tipperary for the All-Ireland semi final draw with Cork and Kilkenny in the other bowl.

Niamh Kilkenny leveled matters with 12 minutes of the hour remaining and almost straight away the same player again split the post to give her side the lead for the first time Fiona Morrissey’s point leveled matters 20 minutes into the first half. And they were to go further in front when Carrie Dolan split the posts once more with 8 minutes of the hour remaining.

Waterford’s chances of getting something from this game were all but ended with just over five minutes to play when Ailish O’Reilly finished past Brianna O’Regan for Galway’s second goal in this game, putting her side six points up.

The Tribes ladies would finish the game with the final scores of the game as Ciara Murphy and Rebecca Hennelly having come off the bench in the second half did their chances of staking a place in the team from the start in the semi finals no harm with a point each.

WATERFORD: Briana O’Regan; Sibheal Harney, Iona Heffernan, Kate Lynch; Caoimhe McGrath, Shona Curran, Lorraine Bray; Orla Hickey, Beth Carton; Fiona Morrissey, Niamh Rockett, Trish Jackman; Áine Lyng, Annie Fitzgerald, Sarah Lacey

Subs: Keeley Corbett Barry for Fiona Morrissey (41), Claire Whyte for Orla Hickey (49), Mairead Power for Sibheal Harney (59), Emma Roche for Caoimhe McGrath (64)

SCORERS: Beth Carton 1-4(0-2fs, 0-1 45, 1-0 pen); Shona Curran 1-0(f); Áine Lyng 0-2; Fiona Morrissey, Niamh Rockett 0-1 each

GALWAY: Sarah Healy; Shauna Healy, Sarah Dervan, Heather Cooney; Tara Kenney, Emma Helebert, Lorraine Ryan; Aoife Donohue, Anne Marie Starr; Carrie Dolan, Sarah Spellman, Niamh Kilkenny; Noreen Coen, Maria Cooney, Ailish O’Reilly

Subs: Catriona Cormican for Maria Cooney (ht), Ciara Murphy for Anne Marie Starr (40), Catherine Finnerty for Sarah Spellman (59), Rebecca Hennelly for Aoife Donohue (60)

SCORERS: Carrie Dolan 0-10(fs); Aoife Donohue, Ailish O’Reilly 1-0 each; Niamh Kilkenny, Noreen Coen 0-2 each; Ciara Murphy, Rebecca Hennelly 0-1 each

REFEREE: Owen Elliott (Antrim)