Luckless Drogheda ladies come up just shy again in water polo's Irish Senior Cup Finals

Irish Independent

08-06-2025

Having under-performed by their own standards early on in the season due to missing a number of key players, the Drogheda outfit began to find their form in recent months as they picked up a number of notable wins in the run-up to the 'Diamond Event', the Irish Senior Cup Finals.
The tournament was held in Limerick University, with a total of 14 teams involved between men's and ladies.
It all started off well enough for Drogheda as, after being paired off against one of their many old rivals North Dublin, the Boynesiders prevailed 12-6 thanks to a well-executed team plan.
Next was a match versus Tribes of Galway who entered the competition as one of the most in-form teams in the country, on the back of a very impressive run of eight wins and just one loss.
It was in this encounter that Drogheda unfortunately were outplayed and so they secured 'only' the runners-up position in Group B and therefore had to face Group A winners St Vincents in the semi-finals.
This was a highly anticipated match in light of the fact that Drogheda knocked them out at the same stage in 2024 following a penalty shootout, but this time the Boynesiders were beaten by a better team who went on to win the competition and record their 12th triumph in the last 13 Irish Senior Cup finals.
Still, Drogheda can look forward with optimism to the 2025/26 season which will see the return of some pivotal stalwarts. Perhaps that will boost their chances of finally going all the way in the Irish Senior Cup, having contested four of the last five finals.
The Drogheda senior ladies squad are always looking for new players, as are the junior ranks of the Drogheda underage club who train in Aura in Drogheda on a Monday night.