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Irish Examiner
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'Back to the drawing board but a monkey off the back' says Waterford's Orla Hickey
Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior quarter-final: Waterford 2-20 Clare 2-10 Nobody thought ten points was a fair reflection of the action when Liz Dempsey blew the final whistle on Saturday's rip-roaring Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior quarter-final between Waterford and Clare. The scoreboard read 2-20 to 2-10 in Waterford's favour and the Déise certainly had a number of other goal scoring chances, not least a first-half penalty from Beth Carton saved spectacularly by Rachael Daly. Annie Fitzgerald's major in injury time at the end of the first half, and then the 55th minute goal from the inspirational Niamh Rockett, who finished with 1-11, were key scores in the context of the game after two sensational goals by the always dangerous Clare captain, Áine O'Loughlin had rocked the Déise on their heels. From the start, Clare played at a pace and with ferocious industry that seemed to catch the Suirsiders unawares. They clipped some neat points, got the hooks and blocks in, hunted in packs from the forwards backwards. Flynn's goal gave Waterford a 1-11 to 2-5 interval lead but Clare kept tabs on them and had plenty of goal chances themselves, some last-ditch defending, smart goalkeeping by Brianna O'Regan and astute utilisation of the law of the jungle holding the Banner girls at bay. Rockett's goal after a 1-2 with sub Maggie Gostl put the affair to bed but defender Orla Hickey was in no doubt that more will be needed if the 2023 All-Ireland finalists are to return to the big stage. 'We certainly made it hard for ourselves I can tell you,' said Hickey. 'We'll have to go back to the drawing board on Tuesday when we go back training and start from scratch again.' Manager, Mick Boland agreed and revealed that there were some 'harsh words' during the break. 'They dug it out is the best way to say it,' Boland declared. 'Parts of it were scrappy. Some of it was very good. We created goal chances in the early part of the game, missed a penalty and then all of a sudden conceded a goal and a second goal with two high balls into the square. 'We got the goal just before half time, deserved that bit of luck after what happened before that. The second half was a bit more controlled. We controlled the ball and kept the scoreboard ticking over. 'Let's be very honest, that will win no semi-final. The performance has to go up a lot higher than that. Maybe the quarter final was a good route to take because it gave us that opportunity to play up here, it gives the girls a small bit more confidence. In fairness to Clare, they played very well today. That was one of their best performances of the year I'd say.' 'Annie's goal was very important. It probably came at the right time. There was an awful lot of harsh words (at half-time). They said it themselves. These girls set high standards. They knew that the performance wasn't where it should have been. Hopefully, in the next two to three weeks, that will all come together.' The reference to winning in Croke Park was notable, as it was Waterford's first triumph at HQ since the 2015 All-Ireland intermediate final. 'I think it was a monkey on our back for a while,' Hickey stated. 'We played in Croke Park a few times and we lost. That monkey is off our back now. We go back to the training ground Tuesday and focus on what we need to do. There's a few things today that we just didn't get right. We will get it right, it just takes time. We'll go back to the drawing board now and we'll get to it.' John Carmody was justifiably proud of the Clare players and after hailing O'Loughlin, was looking to the future. 'Mixed emotions,' Carmody conceded initially. 'I'm proud of the girls. Fantastic battling display, some quality scores. I felt ten points didn't do ourselves justice in the end. We were right there half-way through the second half. 'Not blaming the referee but I thought Waterford got a couple of vital decisions around that time. I thought Áine O'Loughlin came in, got whipped down and got her pass away to Andrea O'Keeffe, who was hooked but we felt Áine was fouled for a penalty and that would have put us a point ahead at the time. I just felt they got one or two soft frees that pushed it out to five points and the game was gone on us. 'But I'm really proud of the girls. Fantastic display. Huge workrate. People forget, it's a very, very young team. The next step is to try get back to this stage again and close the gap further and maybe even eliminate it. 'The goal before half-time was a big score for Waterford. They showed their experience. It was a well worked goal, they took it well but it was a key score in the game, if we had gone in level.. 'But we were pleased at half-time. We felt we had every opportunity in the second half and half-way through the second half we were still there in the game. And that's that bit of experience that I talk about. I thought Niamh Rockett stormed into the game at that stage, Lorraine Bray from the middle of the field drove forward and got two brilliant scores. They were key scores at that point. 'Hats off to Waterford. They're further down the road than us. They are real contenders for the All-Ireland and best wishes to the in the semi-final. 'I was delighted for Áine. Her form hadn't been great. She picked up a back injury a few weeks ago. I rang her during the week and I says,, 'Áine, forget about form, Saturday is the day for form,' and by God did she perform today. She was outstanding. 'We need more Áine O'Loughlins and Clare Hehirs but they're there. We've had a few girls out injured that will come back into the fold, a few travelling the world. There's a panel of 35 players there, about 20 of them under 21 years of age and the key for Clare camogie is to keep that group together, to grow and take this on further and make sure we're back here again in a year's time.' For Boland, there is much to work on, but a realisation too that small details make big differences at elite level and that his charges aren't far off at all. 'The last two games we've come up against two teams that have played a plus one and we're finding it difficult to break them down at times. We're creating some goal chances but we're finding it difficult when they put a lot of bodies around the middle. They seem to turn over a bit of ball when they put bodies in that area. We're going have to work a lot harder to create space in that area. 'You can have plenty in the tank but it's about bringing it out. It doesn't matter what you have in the tank, if you don't bring it to the field you don't win matches. But the thing I will say is Clare were very hard to play against today because they committed so many bodies around that area. We found it very hard to play against them and it's something we have to really work on hard over the next two or three weeks because any team we're going to play now are gonna filter players back the field. Their half-forwards are gonna be back and they're gonna squeeze up. We're going to have to find a way to work that ball through the hands and create them little triangles of space to get them scores. 'I really don't think we're miles away. I think we're a lot closer than we think. It's just to fine-tune the small little things. If you go back to the first half, the two or three goal chances. They're very fine margins. 'And if I'm saying anything more than anything else it's that every time you go out or every performance you put in, sometimes you have to grind a result out and that was one of those results that we ground it out.' Scorers for Waterford: N Rockett 1-11 (0-7fs, 0-1 45); A Fitzgerald 1-2; A Flynn 0-3; L Bray, B Carton 0-2 each Scorers for Clare: A O'Loughlin 2-0; C Hehir 0-3(fs); A O'Keeffe, J Daly, Z Spillane 0-2 each; C Cahill 0-1 WATERFORD: B O'Regan, R Walsh, K Lynch, V Falconer, B Bowdren, K Corbett Barry, O Hickey. A McNulty, L Bray, E O'Neill, B Carton, A Flynn, N Rockett, M O'Brien, A Fitzgerald. Subs: M Gostl for O'Neill (44); T Power for Hickey (57); M Comerford for Flynn (59); I Heffernan for Corbett Barry (60); A O'Sullivan for O'Brien (60+2) CLARE: R Daly, S O'Keeffe, C Hehir, S Daly, L Daly, A Walsh, D Griffin, N Mulqueen, A Andersen, A O'Keeffe, C Cahill, J Daly, R Begley, A O'Loughlin, Z Spillane. Subs: C Carmody for Spillane (39); E Casey for Andersen (42); G Carmody for A O'Keeffe (57); C Grogan for S Daly, A Cooney for J Daly (58); M Scanlon for Hehir blood (60) Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny)
The Irish Sun
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Kate Slevin fires 1-6 as Galway LGFA qualify for second All-Ireland semi-final in a row with stylish win over Waterford
KATE SLEVIN fired 1-6 to rocket Galway into a second successive TG4 All-Ireland SFC semi-final. Slevin's first-half penalty put Daniel Moynihan's charges nine points clear but Lauren McGregor's strike early in the second half gave the Déise new life. McGregor responded for the Munster side before Divilly restored Galway's seven-point cushion. The teams shared the next four white flags before the break, leaving it 1-7 to 0-3 at half-time. Galway maintained the momentum with Divilly adding two. McGregor and Bríd McMaugh reduced arrears to 1-9 to 0-5. Read More on LGFA Galway pulled 1-12 to 0-6 clear as Slevin (two) and Davoren tallied against McGregor's sole response. But the latter brought Points for McMaugh (two) and McGregor left the Munster finalists just 1-14 to 1-9 behind. But scores from Eva Noone, Slevin (two), Divilly, Slevin and sub Roísín Leonard's brace booked a semi-final with GALWAY : D Gower; B Quinn, S Ní Loingsigh, K Geraghty; H Noone, N Ward, C Trill; L Ward, S Divilly; L Coen 0-1, O Divilly 0-5, A Davoren 0-2; E Noone 0-2, N Divilly, K Slevin 1-6, 1-0pen, 4f. Subs : K Thompson for N Divilly 41 mins, L Noone for Coen 41, R Leonard 0-2 for Davoren 52, A Molloy for Trill 55, M Banek for Slevin 55. Most read in GAA Football WATERFORD : K Gardiner; C Murray, R Casey, L Mulcahy; A Murray, E Murray, K McGrath; H Power, E Power; B McMaugh 0-4, K Murray, Á O'Neill; L McGregor 1-7, 2f, C Walsh 0-1, C Fennell. Subs : A Wall for O'Neill 19 mins, Á Power for A Murray 50, L Ní hArta for Fennell 50, O'Neill for Walsh 54, M Dunford for K Murray 55. REFEREE : J Murphy (Carlow). 1 Kate Slevin kicked 1-6 in Galway's win over Waterford Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
The Journal
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Journal
Waterford rise above Clare to offer glimpse of career grand slam for 17-year veteran
The 42 Waterford 2-20 Clare 2-10 SEVENTEEN YEARS AFTER making her inter-county debut, Niamh Rockett scored 1-11 to keep her dream of completing a grand slam of honours alive. A sensational haul of premier junior, intermediate and senior medals remains on the cards after Waterford survived the most searching of tests before stretching away to a 10-point victory over Clare. It was a pulsating Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie quarter-final. At the other end of the field, Vikki Falconer marked her return to Croke Park two years after buckling in the early minutes of the All-Ireland final with what proved to be a cruciate knee ligament injury, by providing an imperious display of defending. The former All-Star was given a bit of trouble early on by Róisín Begley, but by the second half, she was emerging from every ruck going with the sliotar, carrying, finding a teammate, returning to base camp. Don't be fooled by the margin, though. This was a deficit that was harsh on Clare, even if Waterford could have had three or four goals in the first half. That they didn't was down to the goalkeeping of Rachael Daly, who dived full length to save a Beth Carton penalty and made another stop from the industrious Máiréad O'Brien. Abby Flynn was also denied by some last ditch defending by Susan Daly and Clare Hehir, while Sinéad O'Keeffe threw her body on the line to deny Flynn another chance. The Dalys were joined in defence by their triplet sibling Lynda, who recovered from a first-half injury to play well, while their younger sister Jennifer was a constant threat with her pace and scored two points. Meanwhile, Áine O'Loughlin pounced for two goals in the first half, the first an absolute piledriver after Begley found her peeling off Kate Lynch. That was in the 15th minute and eight minutes later, she did really well to grab a low ball, turn and boot a shot in off the far post. Their workrate had Waterford struggling to get out of defence, to set their patterns going and make any real inroads up top. Annie Fitzgerald and Flynn were largely clinical when the opportunity presented itself, while Flynn and Rockett combined well for a couple of scores. It looked hard work for the Déise outfit but a turnover deep in injury time created a two-on-one and when Flynn fed Fitzgerald, the Gaill Tír dynamo made no mistake from close range to give Waterford a 1-11 to 2-5 lead. Advertisement By now, Mick Boland and his brains trust had moved Keeley Corbett Barry back on O'Loughlin, with Lynch sitting in front. Clare went for a Twin Towers approach when bringing on Ellen Casey at the end of the third quarter and the Newmarket-on-Fergus giant had a shot from a free well saved by Brianna O'Regan. O'Loughlin continued to cause trouble but by hook, and maybe sometimes by crook, Waterford kept the Banner skipper at bay. The Waterford captain, Lorraine Bray began to get more into the game with a couple of points at the end of trademark runs were notable, though with a three-on-two overlap, she probably should have made a goal chance out of one of those. Clare Hehir lofted three might frees over the bar from distance for the saffron and blue and it was still all to play for when Rockett exchanged passes with sub Maggie Gostl to goal in the 55th minute. The St Anne's sharpshooter had to stretch but just beat the advancing Rachael Daly to flick to the net and put eight between them. Points from Rockett and Fitzgerald, who blazed just over after somehow working her way in from the endline, made it a double-figure margin, which will have fooled nobody, but for Waterford the key was ensuring a third semi-final appearance in four seasons. Scorers for Waterford: N Rockett 1-11 (0-7fs, 0-1 45); A Fitzgerald 1-2; A Flynn 0-3; L Bray, B Carton 0-2 each. Scorers for Clare: A O'Loughlin 2-0; C Hehir 0-3(fs); A O'Keeffe, J Daly, Z Spillane 0-2 each; C Cahill 0-1. WATERFORD: B O'Regan, R Walsh, K Lynch, V Falconer, B Bowdren, K Corbett Barry, O Hickey. A McNulty, L Bray, E O'Neill, B Carton, A Flynn, N Rockett, M O'Brien, A Fitzgerald. Subs: M Gostl for O'Neill (44); T Power for Hickey (57); M Comerford for Flynn (59); I Heffernan for Corbett Barry (60); A O'Sullivan for O'Brien (60+2). CLARE: R Daly, S O'Keeffe, C Hehir, S Daly, L Daly, A Walsh, D Griffin, N Mulqueen, A Andersen, A O'Keeffe, C Cahill, J Daly, R Begley, A O'Loughlin, Z Spillane. Subs: C Carmody for Spillane (39); E Casey for Andersen (42); G Carmody for A O'Keeffe (57); C Grogan for S Daly, A Cooney for J Daly (58); M Scanlon for Hehir blood (60). Referee: Liz Dempsey (Kilkenny) Written by Daragh Ó Conchúir and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
The Irish Sun
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘We didn't turn up' admits Hehir as she reveals Clare out to ‘rectify' camogie league final loss in All-Ireland quarter
CLARE HEHIR rejects the notion that the Banner's perceived lack of experience at Croke Park is a stumbling block. Clare face Championship quarter-final this afternoon. Advertisement Most of the Déise side are used to the big stage, having made it all the way to the O'Duffy Cup decider in 2023. But ahead of today's televised clash, Banner full-back Hehir insists her crew have also enjoyed memorable moments at Sinéad O'Keeffe, Niamh Mulqueen, Caoimhe Cahill, Jennifer Daly, Ellen Casey, Cliodhna Queally and Grace Carmody were involved when the juniors won the All-Ireland just two years ago. Last December, Truagh Clonlara were the first Clare team to reach an All-Ireland senior club final. And while Galway's Sarsfields were too strong, it was an invaluable experience for Áine O'Loughlin, Róisín Begley and Michelle Powell ahead of today's outing. Advertisement Read More on Camogie Hehir's memories are from further back — 13 years ago. The Inagh-Kilnamona defender revealed: 'Myself and Andrea O'Keefe would have played in a Féile final there when we were 14. 'We played De La Salle of Waterford. So it's funny to be meeting them again.' Waterford forward Beth Carton and goalkeeper Brianna O'Regan lined out that day and will take the field again this afternoon. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Clare's last quarter-final appearance was a 2021 trip to And Hehir warned that her team-mates must not let the occasion — they are playing in front of the cameras in the curtain-raiser to a sold-out All-Ireland SHC semi-final at Croker — get to them. Palestine GAA players watch camogie match on laptop She said: 'It's not like no one has ever touched the grass there before and that's a help. 'It's just about not letting the occasion get to you, as much as you do want to enjoy it as well, because not everyone gets to play there.' Advertisement Having been relegated from Division 1A of the Very League last season — when Hehir was absent after taking a year out to go travelling — Clare showed signs of improvement, reaching this year's Division 1B final, which they lost to Antrim. Hehir believes that making the All-Ireland last six is another signal that things are getting better for the Banner. She said: 'The league was good, a lot of girls got a lot of game time. 'Two championship wins was great. You saw a lot of girls stepping up to the plate who would be leaders on the team this year. There was a lot of learnings from the league final. There would have been a lot of us who wouldn't make finals too often with Clare camogie. Advertisement 'And maybe that occasion might have got to us or we didn't turn up on the day. 'So that's something we want to rectify and we want to put in a good performance.' With Waterford standing in the way of a last-four berth, Hehir, 27, says the Clare squad will be giving it their best shot. She added: 'We definitely won't be sitting back and admiring them. Advertisement 'Their improvement over the last few years is something we would obviously have liked to have done ourselves. 'And I suppose that this could be the day to start that.' 1 Saoirse McCarthy of Cork is tackled by Clare Hehir of Clare during the Munster Senior Camogie Championship semi-final match Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
RTÉ News
03-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Paul Shankey steps down as Waterford football manager
The Waterford senior footballers are on the lookout for a new manager after Paul Shankey decided not to take the option of a third year at the helm. Meath native Shankey led the Déise to a notable Munster Championship win over Tipperary in 2024, ending the county's wait of 14 years for a victory in the province In a statement, Waterford GAA thanked Shankey for his contribution. "We extend our sincere thanks to Paul for his commitment and service to Waterford football," they said. "His contribution over the past two years has been valued, and we wish him every success in the future." The board confirmed that the process to appoint a new manager will now begin.
