Waterford’s
Senior Ladies Football team are within touching distance of reaching the
Division Two semi finals of the National Football League for the second year in
a row after they survived a late scare against a Laois side that refused to
give up at Fraher Field today.
Ciaran Curran’s
side got off to a dream start in this game hitting two goals within 90 seconds
of the throw in which proved to be the difference between the sides at the end
of the hour.
Referee Jonathan
Murphy added seven minutes for stoppages and injuries at the end of the hour
and in this time the visitors cancelled out Waterford’s great start to this
game with two goals of their own, in a game that saw eight goals scored, shared
equally by the two sides.
With the game
nearing half time it looked as if Waterford had suffered a major blow when full
back Caoimhe McGrath was forced off with a hand injury. Katie Murray came on
for the Abbeyside club player and went into the middle of the field with Megan
Dunford moving to full back in the absence of her club mate.
However while
the subs went out for a kick around at the break, Caoimhe McGrath went to the
dressing room with the other outfield player and whatever work was carried out
there on her in those ten or so minutes, it paid off as she came out with the
rest of the players taking her place in the team at full back in front of
teenager Rosie Landers who impressed in goal in what was only her second
competitive outing at this level.
In other codes
Waterford have often found that they have struggled to fill the vital full back
position, and while in Ladies Football, the different managers have found
players who have filled the position successfully, but it can be said that none
have looked as natural to the position as Caoimhe McGrath is. She is without
doubt one of the best in that position in the country at the moment and surly
there is long standing fans of Ladies Football such as myself who are asking
themselves right now as to whether if the Abbeyside club player is as good or
even better than Martina O’Ryan who filled the number three shirt so
successfully for a number of years during the era of the great team that
Michael Ryan had in the 1990’s.
Waterford were
always the better of the two sides in this contest and in truth on another day
with Waterford having the same amount of procession they could have won this
game by a much greater margin than they won today.
Waterford won the toss in this game and opted
to play against the stiff breeze which blew into the town end of the ground,
and the home side got off to a dream start with two goals with the two first
two attacks of the game.
There was just
34 seconds played when Waterford had the size 4 in the back of the Laois net.
Wing forward Maria Delahunty Garryowned an effort in front of the Laois goal
and was on hand to collect the ball as it dropped back down from the sky and
cooly finish past Fiona Kelly in the visitors goal.
Laois
responded with a point from a Mo Nearey free and from the restart Waterford
again attacked down field and Kelly Ann Hogan finished to the net less than 90
seconds after Waterford hit their first goal.
Eimear Fennell
from a short Maria Delahunty ’45 raised Waterford’s first white flag of the
game to put six between the sides once more.
Aileen Wall
edged Waterford further in front on 12 minutes and it was at this point that we
saw the pressure that Laois were under as they made their first change of the
afternoon.
Mo Nearey got
her second just short of the half way point in the first half and she struck a
third on 19 minutes to leave 5 between the sides.
Maria
Delahunty extended Waterford’s lead once more on 20 minutes but almost straight
away Mo Nearey again pointed this time with the help of the upright. Maria
Delahunty from a free restored a six point lead for Waterford before Caoimhe
McGrath who is showing signs to be Waterford’s best full back since Martina
O’Ryan filled the number three shirt back in the 90’s was forced off with a
hand injury with 27 minutes played.
Chloe Fennell
extended Waterford’s lead on 28 minutes and three minutes later Liz Devine got
her name on the score sheet to pit eight between the sides.
But in the
time that remained the visitors hit two more scores the first a goal from Mo
Nearey after some good work by Erone Fitzpatrick in the third added minute at
the end of the 30 and almost straight away Shannon Costello pointed to leave
her side trailing 2-5 to 1-4 at the break.
Maria Delahunty
put over the first two scores of the half to extend Waterford’s lead but they
were cancelled out on 36 minutes when Mo Nearey finished past Rosie Landers
from a tight angle after some good work by Erone Fitzpatrick.
Eimear Fennell
split the posts with a free on 40 minutes, but we had to wait a further 10
minutes for the next score which came from a penalty after a foul on Chloe
Fennell. Regular free taker Maria Delahunty took the ball in her hands to
strike the resulting one on one which she slotted past Fiona Kelly to give
Waterford a 3-9 to 2-5 lead, referee Jonathan Murphy had to step out the 12
metres from under the Laois crossbar as the 12 metre spot was not clearly
marked.
The Abbeyside
Club player put over two more frees before Aileen Wall a late call up for
Michelle Ryan on the published team which game gave Waterford a 3-12 to 2-5
lead with 54 minutes played.
Katie Hannon
who played in goal for a number of years in recent years came on as a sub after
Aileen Wall’s effort and within three minutes she got her name on the score
sheet with a point and seconds later she had the ball in the Laois net for the
fourth time in this game to give Waterford what looked like an unassailable
4-13 to 2-6 lead.
Laois however
were not going to give up without a fight and on the hour mark Mo Nearey
finished to the net for her third goal of the game and moments later Erone
Fitzpatrick split the posts.
In the fourth
minute of added time Erone Fitzpatrick finished to the net leaving six between
the sides, and with no one to indicate how much time remained Waterford at this
point were starting to sweat. Three minutes later Laura Nearey split the
uprights to leave five between the sides, but soon afterwards a nervous end to
this game for the Waterford defenders came to an end.
Waterford’s
last game of the round robin section is in two weeks time away to Clare, where
if Ciaran Curran’s side as would be expected will win and Armagh were to lose
out to Wexford (an unlikely event) then Waterford would top the group and play
who ever finishes fourth in the group. Should Armagh beat Wexford and Waterford
beat Clare they will play the third team in the group in the semi finals which
possibly will be Kerry.
Waterford: Rosie Landers; Cora Murray, Caoimhe
McGrath, Rebecca Casey; Katy Hayes, Karen McGrath, Kate McGrath; Megan Dunford,
Emma Murray; Kelly Ann Hogan, Chloe Fennell, Maria Delahunty; Eimear Fennell,
Liz Devine, Aileen Wall.
Subs: Katie Murray for Caoimhe McGrath
(27), Caoimhe McGrath for Katie Murray (HT), Katie Murray for Eimear Fennell
(43), Lauren McGregor for Liz Devine (49), Becky Hogan for Cora Murray (57),
Emma Gildea for Rebecca Casey (57), Chloe Fennell for Becky Hogan (66).
Scorers: Maria Delahunty 2-6 (1-0 Pen, 0-4 f),
Katie Hannon 1-1, Kelly Ann Hogan 1-0, Eimear Fennell (0-1F), Aileen Wall 0-2
each, Chloe Fennell, Liz Devine 0-1 each.
Laois: Fiona Kelly; Clodagh Dunne, Maureen
Young, Mary Cotter; Ellen Healy, Jane Moore, Laura Peake; Laura Nearey, Anna
Healy; Alanna Havill, Joyce Dunne, Emma Lawlor; Mo Nearey, Shannon Costello,
Meagan Dunne.
Subs: Erone Fitzpatrick for Laura Peake
(12), Sinead Cullen for Alana Havill (18), Aisling Keogh for Joyce Dunne (43),
Niamh O’Rourke for Mary Cotter (54).
Scorers: Mo Nearey 3-4 (0-1F), Erone
Fitzpatrick 1-1, Shannon Costello 0-2, Laura Nearey 0-1.
Referee: Jonathan Murphy (Carlow)
