Tipperary seniors lose league opener to Waterford in Kilcommon

Very National Camogie League - Division 1A - Round 1

Tipperary 0-10

Waterford  1-10

By Ronan Loughnane

A goal from 2023 Player of the Year Beth Carton midway through the opening half ultimately proved the difference in the opening round of the VERY National League, played at Kilcommon on Saturday afternoon. 

Eileen Veale, grandmother to Waterford centre-back Orla Hickey, told me she was beginning to doubt the Sat Nav but was pleasantly surprised to find a tidy Sean Treacy Park whose underfoot conditions were decent considering what the heavens have sent down in recent weeks. 

A heavy shower before the throw-in did nobody any favours while a stiffish enough breeze blew in Tipp’s favour in the opening half. Waterford’s Niamh Rockett got the scoring underway with a point from play in the second minute before Knockavilla’s Eimear Heffernan replied with a lovely brace for Tipp in the third and fifth minutes. 

Carton opened her account from a free in the seventh minute before the impressive Roisin Howard nudged Tipp back in front on ten minutes following good work by Eimear McGrath. Waterford were very lively in the middle third with a player of the match in the Ashbourne final Mairead O’Brien, Lorraine Bray and Carton causing a lot of problems for Tipp with their hard running. 

The latter got in behind the Tipp rearguard in the 14th minute to grab the game’s only goal and leave Waterford 1-2 to 0-3 ahead after the opening quarter. 

While there was plenty of endeavour and hard work on show, the game lacked quality with both sides spurning several scoring opportunities. Eimear McGrath pulled one back from a free in the 16th minute following a great cross-field ball from Caoimhe Maher. 

The sides shared six points in the second quarter with the Heffernan landing her third from play in the 25th minute in an impressive first-half showing. Rockett, Bray and Carton (f) were all on target for the Deise while McGrath added two more from placed balls to leave the visitors 1-5 to 0-6 ahead at the break. 

Two up and the wind at their backs Waterford were favourites to claim the spoils and two points in the opening two minutes from Carton and Rockett put them in a strong position. Tipp introduced Niamh Costigan for Ciardha Maher at half-time and Kate Ralph for Casey Hennessey shortly after. 

McGrath and Carton traded frees in the 33rd and 36th minutes before Eileen Cunneen and Lorraine Bray did likewise from play in the 38th and 39th minutes. Tipp were working very hard to get back in the game and can certainly feel hard done by with a couple of refereeing decisions more than questionable. 

Another Carton free extended the Deise lead to five in the 43rd minute, 1-10 to 0-8, but as the legs grew tired on both sides the scores dried up in the final quarter. Points from McGrath and Howard in the 47th and 52nd minutes reduced the lead to a single score. 

Ralph had a great chance of an equalising goal, but her shot was well saved in by Brianna O’Regan in the Waterford goal and the umpires were to be troubled no more as Waterford claimed the opening brace of points.

The match had a typical “opening round of the League” feel with the reasonable crowd never really getting involved. There were many notable absentees on both sides and with plenty of room for improvement one suspects that both of these will have a serious impact on the latter stages of the championship. Karin Blair, Tess Ryan, Roisin Howard, Clodagh McIntyre, Eimear McGrath and Eimear Heffernan can all be pleased with their displays as can the stewards from the Sean Treacy’s club who looked after us all with great efficiency. 

Tipperary: Nicole Walsh; Ellen Cunneen (0-1), Clodagh Quirke, Eimear Loughman; Caoimhe Maher, Karin Blair, Ciardha Maher; Tess Ryan, Caoimhe McCarthy; Roisin Howard (0-2), Casey Hennessy, Clodagh McIntyre, Sarah Madden; Eimear McGrath (0-4, 0-2f), Eimear Heffernan (0-3). 

Subs used: Niamh Costigan for Ciardha Maher (HT); Kate Ralph for Hennessy (38); Celine Guinan for McIntyre (50).

Waterford: Brianna O’Regan; Keeley Corbett-Barry, Iona Heffernan, Kate Lynch; Rachel Walsh, Tara Power, Bevin Bowdre; Orla Hickey, Lorraine Bray (0-1); Mairead O’Brien, Beth Carton (1-5, 0-4f), Aine Power; Clodagh Carroll, Roisin Kirwan (0-1), Niamh Rockett (0-3).

Subs used: Sarah Lucey for Power (54); Laoise Forrest for Kirwan (60); Abby Flynn for O’Brien (60). 

Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)