Latest news with #Waterford
RTÉ News
22 minutes ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Déise record historic Kilkenny victory
Camogie history was made at UPMC Nowlan Park today, as Waterford recorded their first ever senior championship victory over Kilkenny since their introduction to the senior competition in 2015. The 0-17-to-0-10 win blows Group 2 of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland series wide open. Since gaining promotion back to senior in 2015, the record between the two counties made for grim reading for Déise supporters and players, with eight defeats and one draw in nine games in all competition. An early 0-04 to 0-01 lead for Tommy Shefflin's home side suggested that another similar encounter was in store here, but Waterford completely took control, with Niamh Rockett and Beth Carton quickly establishing themselves as the key players that would dictate the flow of the game. Eimear O'Neill also got on the scoresheet as Waterford rattled off seven points in a row, while Aoife Norris was just about keeping Kilkenny afloat with some incredible saves to deny Lorraine Bray, Annie Fitzgerald and Maggie Gostl goal attempts. Midway through the second half Kilkenny briefly got the deficit back to two points, but on an afternoon when they mustered a mere three points from play, Laura Murphy's free taking wasn't enough to get them the scores they needed. Carton finished with 0-04 while Rockett, who has taken over placed ball duties from the former player of the year, shot the last three points of the game to bring her tally to 0-09, ensuring that Mick Boland's charges powered over the finish line to give themselves a dream start to the championship, having had a bye in week one. At The Ragg, in the big game in Group 1, it took Amy O'Connor a mere 14 seconds to open the scoring for Cork against Tipperary, and the All-Ireland champions didn't let up from there as they ran out 3-21 to 1-09 winners in a real statement victory. The Rebels had the aid a tricky diagonal breeze in the opening half and Tipperary had some positive aspects, including a strong showing from their half-back line. However, once the ball got in behind, they struggled to contain a classy Cork attack and three green flags in the first ten minutes ensured that the home side always had a huge lead to chase. Katrina Mackey broke a tackle to set up Clodagh Finn for a close-range goal in the eighth minute of the game, O'Connor scored the second on the back of great work from Orlaith Cahalane and Saoirse McCarthy, with Finn repaying the favour to Mackey by setting up her inside forward colleague for goal number three. Mary Burke goaled in response for Tipp but seven points in a row from Ger Manley's crew made it 3-13 to 1-02 at the break, with no way back for the blue and gold. O'Connor continued to be a constant threat for Cork, ending the game with 1-13 in total, 1-05 from play, in a superb individual display. Ashling Thompson and Hannah Looney also played leading roles in controlling midfield, and Cork already look like they have a firm grip on top spot in the group and the automatic semi-final berth that comes with that. The battle between Limerick and Wexford at Rathkeale looked on paper like a vital contest in the battle for the last knockout spot alongside the two traditional Munster powers, and all roads now lead to Ennis for the meeting of Limerick and Clare next week, after the Treaty County secured a crucial 1-10 to 0-10 win today. Caoimhe Costelloe hit three first-half points but a pair each for Anais Curran and Joanne Dillon meant Wexford took an 0-06 to 0-04 advantage into the dressing room at the interval, though that looked inadequate given the strength of the breeze that blew down Mick Neville Park. Sarah Gillane's excellent save just before the break was to prove crucial, all the more so when Laura Southern hit the game's only goal five minutes into the second half. Limerick were heavily dependent on Costelloe for scores, with 0-8 coming from the stick of the Adare camog, but that proved to be just about enough as they bounced back well from their heavy defeat against Cork last weekend. In the other game in Group 2, Galway had things all their own way in Owenbeg as they ran out 4-25 to 0-05 winners on the back of a dominant attacking display against Derry. Mairéad Dillon's goal in the 15th minute and another from Aoife Donohue three minutes later left Derry on the back foot, and when Sabina Rabbitte added a third shortly before half-time, the hosts were shipping water all over the field. Orlaith Hull was the only scorer for the Oak Leaf County in the opening half, while Galway had nine scorers overall, with seven different players raising flags as they built up a 3-16 to 0-03 interval lead. Caoimhe Kelly got their fourth goal while Carrie Dolan (0-08) and Niamh Mallon (0-07) continued to do the bulk of the scoring damage.
Irish Independent
36 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Camogie round-up: Waterford skin Cats to make championship history
Camogie history was made at UPMC Nowlan Park today, as Waterford recorded their first-ever senior championship victory over Kilkenny, the 0-17 to 0-10 win blowing Group 2 of the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland series wide open.
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Mairead O'Brien warns Kilkenny that Waterford ‘running faster than ever' after skorts row ahead of All-Ireland clash
MAIRÉAD O'BRIEN has warned Kilkenny that Waterford are ready to hit the ground running — and they have been running faster than ever before. Today, Michael Boland's Suirsiders get their Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship Group 2 campaign underway against the Cats, who already have a win under their belt after thumping Derry last weekend. 2 Dual star Mairead O'Brien warned Kilkenny that Waterford are working harder than ever Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile 2 Kilkenny players return to the changing room before the Leinster Senior Camogie final against Wexford Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile The action throws in at UPMC Nowlan Park at 12.30pm and O'Brien cannot wait to don her shorts and try to take down the Cats. The game's postponement — after the players insisted they would be lining out in shorts — was a regrettable plotline but ultimately led to the alteration of the rule on playing kit by a 98 per cent majority at a Special Congress, allowing players to choose shorts or skorts. And O'Brien, 22, said: 'Yeah, we were delighted. We got the news at training and we were just about to do our running bloc. I swear we've never run so fast all year. Read More on Camogie 'It is a massive step. There was an issue with comfort levels but the players were listened to and the results were pretty significant. And any step forward for keeping younger girls involved is great. It was frustrating to have the Munster final postponed 16 hours before when all the preparations had been made to optimise our performance. We had been training well and had a good win over Tipperary to get there. 'I suppose as a group we're just driving it forward and just focusing on the Championship now. And I think the management team we have currently is phenomenal. 'The commitment they've shown is as much as the girls'. We're all just kind of working together and pushing forward as a group and trying to get the best out of each other.' The postponing of the Munster final and the fact they had a bye for the first week of the Championship means Waterford are perhaps more rested up than they would like to be. Most read in GAA Hurling But given she hit the Cats for a brace of goals on the way to defeat in the league in March, Tommy Shefflin and Co will definitely be forewarned about O'Brien's threat — and even if they were not, Caoimhe Keher Murtagh would inform them. Cats star Keher Murtagh was a colleague of O'Brien as UL won the Ashbourne Cup for a second season on the trot, and they were both in the third level Team of the Year. Young Kerry LGFA fan steals the show with sign during All-Ireland final win over Galway But whereas Keher Murtagh's Rower-Inistioge are a storied, traditional The camogie club was only established in 2011 to field an Under-12 team but O'Brien has been at the core of everything that has been good about them since, highlighted by her tally of 1-4 as they defeated Tipperary outfit Fethard by 2-5 to 0-10 in the Munster junior club final last November. She explained: 'The first adult team was put out in 2017, we won the junior in 2019 and then obviously last year we had a good run of luck. 'As a group, our main aim was to get back to the county final and try and win it. We probably bottled a lot of disappointment from the year previous. But to be fair, we used it to our advantage and went back training that bit earlier and worked really hard through the year. 'Once we got out of the county, we were definitely in bonus territory, and unknown territory. 'The lads involved were great when it came to the big days. They never kind of picked up on the occasion too much. Their main point is just to go out and enjoy it and work really hard. And that's what happened.' 'UNBELIEVABLE' The smile breaks out just thinking about Modeligo's odyssey and what it meant in the small country parish. She added: 'It was just unbelievable. We had a few good celebrations. We just enjoyed it. When we were enjoying it, we were just playing well. The whole community was behind us. 'And in the Munster final, they were definitely a 16th player. We were struggling for scores in the second half and had phenomenal support that got us over the line.' With that club success behind her, and experience of playing in one All-Ireland final already at a young age when the Déise went down to Cork in 2023, O'Brien is at the top of her game at the moment, alongside celebrated camogie county stars such as Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett, Lorraine Bray and Brianna O'Regan. But football has also been part of her story — a former dual operator, O'Brien stepped away from the big-ball squad this year as she was completing her final year in physiotherapy at UL. Everything right now is zoned in on the next couple of months with Waterford camogie — and today's date with the Cats ensures that it is no soft launch. She said: 'They beat us in the league but we would be looking to improve our performance from then. We got off to a good start but in the second half we didn't maintain it. 'I don't think we've ever actually beaten them in Championship so hopefully we will put that right this time.'
Irish Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Shamrock Rovers hold the lead as season reaches its halfway point – what we learned from Friday's League of Ireland
Mid-season break may have its benefits Damien Duff questioned the merit of the League of Ireland 's mid-season break this week, but results on Friday night suggest a small rest might be appropriate. Eight goals were scored across the five games, with half of them coming in Waterford and Drogheda's 2-2 draw at the RSC. Even the imperious league leaders, Shamrock Rovers , looked lethargic as they played out a 0-0 against an admittedly impressive Galway United defensive unit. Duff's comments disregarded that the break coincides with a round of international fixtures, for which the league pauses at other points throughout the year. Joseph Anang was on the bench for Ghana against Nigeria on Wednesday and flew back to take part in a 1-0 victory for St Pat's in Sligo. Others, including Josh Honohan, have games to look forward to in a week's time. Regardless of international commitments, this interval has been part of the league's schedule for years. Still, on the evidence of last night, some sides could use a small rest. READ MORE Shamrock Rovers finally held but lead remains intact You have to go back to March to find the last game in which Shamrock Rovers failed to score a goal, but the league leaders were frustrated by a resilient Galway side in Tallaght on Friday night. The Tribesmen seemed to take a lot from their hard-fought victory over Cork City last week, coming out with a confident zip to their play belying a run of four defeats in five. Gradually, the Hoops did take control, but aside from one impressive save to deny Danny Grant, Evan Watts didn't look overly stretched in Galway's goal. Rovers' lead at the top stays at six points, and confidence will be high heading into the second half of the campaign. Galway will hope to build off an organised, disciplined performance – the sort of foundation that John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan demand. Late goal specialists flip the script Bohemians have developed a reputation for winning games late on this season, with memorable victories arriving at the death against the likes of Shamrock Rovers, St Pat's and Galway United. The moment of consequence in their game against Derry City, however, arrived within 30 seconds. James Clarke's strike from the edge of the area hit Mark Connolly's arm, and referee Rob Hennessy pointed to the penalty spot. It felt harsh in the moment, and Connolly would argue he had no time to adjust. As he did against Shelbourne two weeks ago, Dayle Rooney converted. Bohemians' Dayle Rooney scores a penalty against Derry City. Photograph: INPHO/James Lawlor Bohs deserved their victory and should have scored more. Derry were unusually disordered, emphasised by Tiernan Lynch making four substitutions by the time the second half began. To make matters worse, his fifth change Robbie Benson managed to collect two yellow cards in 20 minutes – neither the product of particularly harsh challenges. The home side can now look back on an impressive first half of the season. If they manage to wholly avoid a repeat of the poor form they showed in the opening seven games, European football looks likely. Drogheda remain tough to beat Drogheda United's scintillating early season form may have cooled, but their cockroach qualities are going nowhere. Like many sides before them, Waterford discovered how difficult it is to bury the Drogs, who twice scored from corners to escape the RSC with a point. Conor Keeley's injury time goal, smashed in from all of two yards, will haunt John Coleman as he looks to address his side's Achilles heel – set pieces. Pádraig Amond, who set up Tommy Lonergan early on, looked to have won the game when he cleverly diverted Dean McMenamy's drive past Luke Dennison. The away side though, despite a late red card for Elicha Ahui, remain in second place thanks to a valuable draw. Nash's Cork City show signs of life Ger Nash claimed his first point as Cork City manager but may feel as though his side could have taken more in an impressive showing against the champions. Damien Duff talked up the weight of Shelbourne's trip to Cork in the build-up, but his side struggled to echo his message on the pitch in a lacklustre first-half performance. Cork were the better side, with Djenairo Daniels and Seani Maguire looking like a cohesive pairing and playing into each other's strengths. Shels looked solid but docile. Shelbourne's JJ Lunney and Djenairo Daniels of Cork City. Photograph: INPHO/Bryan Keane Despite his best efforts, Mark Coyle has looked understandably uncomfortable at times in his makeshift centre-half position this season. Another such occasion arrived near the hour mark – Maguire, making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury against Waterford at the beginning of March, leapt high above the Shels captain to head home a looping cross from Milan Mbeng. Plenty of times this season, Shelbourne have patiently controlled the ball and struggled to unlock well organised defences. Here though, Cork looked comfortable at 1-0 and may have gone on to win had there not been a moment of inspiration from Ali Coote. On as a substitute, Coote twisted on the edge of the area and arrowed a low strike in off Tein Troost's far post. Neither side will be thrilled with a point, and both have plenty to improve on in the second half of the season. Still, with David Meyler now in alongside Nash as Cork's number two, there may be something to build on. Looking ominous for Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers didn't play badly but came away with nothing on Friday night, in a familiar and disheartening story for the league's bottom-placed side. Like Bohemians, St Pat's took advantage of an early penalty (converted by Aidan Keena) and never needed to build on their lead. The Bit O'Red had decent half-chances without ever mounting a barrage on their visitors. Sligo now have one win in eight games and sit 11 points behind eighth place Waterford. With the constraints of their fully supporter-owned model, it is difficult to imagine much can be solved in the July transfer window. Still, games like last night's make it feel like the gap on the pitch is only marginal.
RTÉ News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Mairéad O'Brien is Waterford's silent assassin
Ask your general camogie supporter to name a few Waterford players, and the names will trip off the tongue. Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett, Lorraine Bray, Brianna O'Regan. High calibre operators, the first three All-Stars, the latter an annual nominee who somehow is still awaiting the coveted individual recognition. It is no reflection on Mairéad O'Brien's talent or influence that that she seems to fly under the radar. Nor does it bother her one iota. The likelihood is she hasn't spent a millisecond thinking about it. It takes a lot more to knock the almost horizontally laidback Modeligo sharpshooter out of her equilibrium. That makes her a positive addition to any dressing room but her contribution to the Déise cause is far, far more than what she brings in terms of serenity and personality. Like much of what she does, the 22-year-old's feat of concluding the National League as the leading scorer from play in Division 1A with 3-04 would have escaped the attention of many. Given Waterford only won two games, it was a notable achievement. It is particularly so when O'Brien is such a team player, powerful in the air and over the sliotar, happy to get down and dirty to supply those around her. But the nose for a goal has been showcased ever since Derek Lyons called her into the senior panel. Despite her youth, she nabbed three goals in the group stages alone as Waterford moved onto a first All-Ireland senior final in 78 years in 2023. That has continued unabated and opposition defences have surely cottoned on now. Today, the Suirsiders get their Glen Dimplex All-Ireland Championship Group 2 campaign under way against neighbours Kilkenny, who already have a win under their belt, at UPMC Nowlan Park (throw-in 12.30pm) and O'Brien cannot wait. Given she hit the Cats for a brace of goals on the way to defeat in the League in March, Tommy Shefflin and co will definitely be forewarned about her threat but even if they weren't, the likes of Caoimhe Keher Murtagh would inform them. Keher Murtagh was a colleague of O'Brien's as UL won the Ashbourne Cup for a second season on the trot and they were both named in the third level team of the year. Whereas Keher-Murtagh's Rower-Inistioge are a storied, traditional hurling club however, Modeligo used to be focussed entirely on the big ball, with hurleys extremely thin on the ground until very recently. The camogie club was only established in 2011 to field an U12 team and O'Brien has been the core of everything that has been good since, highlighted by her tally of 1-04 as Modeligo defeated Tipperary outfit, Fethard by 2-05 to 0-10 in the Munster junior club final last November. "The first adult team was put out in 2017, we won the junior in 2019 and then, obviously, last year we had a good run of luck," says O'Brien with just a touch of understatement. "As a group, our main aim was to get back to the county final and try and win it. I think we probably bottled a lot of disappointment from the year previous. But to be fair, we used it to our advantage and we went back training that bit earlier, and worked really hard throughout the year. "And once we got out of the county, we were definitely in bonus territory and unknown territory to be honest. The lads involved were great when it came to the big days. They never kind of picked up on the occasion too much. I suppose their main point, is just to go out and enjoy it and work really hard. And that's what happened." The smile breaks out just thinking about the odyssey and what it meant in the small country parish to the west of the county. "It was just unbelievable. We had a few good celebrations. We just enjoyed it. When we were enjoying it, we were just playing well. The whole community was behind us. And in the Munster final, they were definitely a 16th player. We were struggling for scores in the second half and we had phenomenal support that got us over the line." The skipper of that team, Rhona Drohan is vice-captain of the Waterford U23 squad that also includes Mairéad's younger sister Rachel. A rising tide does what it does. It has been a bit of a period of upheaval since the conclusion of the League, with Waterford manager, Jerry Wallace departing and Mick Boland stepping into the plate. Meanwhile, there was the entire skorts discourse, with Waterford playing a brave and central role in the campaign that included the postponement of their Munster final with Cork and ultimately led to the alteration of the rule on kit by a 98% majority that allowed players to choose shorts or skorts on match day. It was a decision hailed by president Brian Molloy as "a historic day for the association". "Yeah, we were definitely delighted. We got the news at training, and we were just about to do our running block. I swear we've never run so fast all year! "It is a massive step. There was an issue with comfort levels but the players was listened to, and the results were pretty significant. And any step forward for keeping younger girls involved is great. "It was frustrating to have the Munster final postponed 16 hours before when all the preparations had been made to optimise our performance. We had been training well and had a good win over Tipp to get there. "There was a change (of manager), but all the rest of the management are still on board. And suppose as a group, we're just driving it forward and just focusing on the championship now. And I think the management team we have currently is phenomenal. The commitment they've shown is as much as the girls'. We're all just kind of working together and pushing forward as a group and trying to get the best out of each other." A former dual operator, O'Brien stepped away from Waterford's ladies football squad this year as she was completing her final year at UL in physio. She has just completed her last placement and is looking forward to getting the professional phase of her life under way, perhaps in the autumn. Everything right now is zoned in on the next couple of months with Waterford camogie. A date with the Stripeywomen ensures that it is no soft launch. "They beat us in the League but we would be looking to improve our performance from then. We got off to a good start but in the second half we didn't maintain it. I don't think we've ever actually beaten them in championship so hopefully we will put that right this time. "We've got quite a competitive group (completed by Galway, Dublin and so it's definitely going to be a challenge to get out of it, but at the end of the day, it's a challenge we're looking forward to as well."
