Kilkenny Defeat Déise In Opener

2020 Liberty Insurance Senior Championship

Kilkenny 0-15
Waterford 0-8

By Máirtín Ó Caoillte

Kilkenny travelled to neighbours Waterford and got their Liberty Insurance All Ireland Championship off to a winning start with a seven point victory over the hosts in Walsh Park. Kilkenny came into the game minus some key players Katie Power (Broken Kneecap) and Edwina Keane (Personal Reasons) but despite that they showed their class in the second half especially.

Anne Dalton started the scoring for the visitors after receiving a pass from Colette Dormer to slot the ball over the bar, Waterford quickly responded with a Lorraine Bray point from play. Denise Gaule who was named the Liberty Insurance POTM started her scoring spell with a brace of points. By the water break the scores were level Beth Carton scoring two frees just before. They say the water break can be a help or a hindrance, it seemed to be the latter for the kittens. Just before the water break and after the resumption Kilkenny failed to score for sixteen minutes, in that time Waterford scored three points to leave them ahead 0-5 to 0-4. Kilkenny finished the first half stronger scoring the last two points of the game to leave the scores level at the interval. Waterford had played with a strong breeze in the first half but didn’t utilise it very well, but credit for that must go to the Kilkenny workrate especially in the back line.

Flying Out Of The Traps
Kilkenny flew out of the traps on the resumption of the second half, they went on a scoring spree getting seven unanswered points. Denise Gaule (3) Anne Dalton, Miriam Walsh, Grace Walsh and Katie Nolan (1 each). It was the perfect start that Brian Dowling would have been hoping for. Waterford failed to score for twenty-three minutes in the half before Beth Carton got a brace to leave the score 0-13 to 0-8 by the fifty sixth minute. Denise Gaule pointed a free before Danielle Morrissey finished off the scoring for the Kittens to ensure victory in the Déise. Kilkenny’s workrate was very impressive throughout the game. Their linkup play was exceptional, and they adapted to the new trial playing rules brilliantly which all contributed to an excellent display and a great start to their All Ireland campaign.

Brian Dowling Kilkenny manager was very happy after the game “before the game I was giving my team talk and I realised its thirteen months since we played our last championship game against Galway in Croke Park that’s crazy. I said it to the lads if we could stop Waterford scoring a goal in the first half, we’d be ok and was great to get in at half time level. He said that they had adapted very well to the playing rules but was very surprised their was no consultation about them for championship first time he heard about it was through the media. He is now relishing the next game against Westmeath at home next weekend”

Teams:
Kilkenny:- Aoife Norris, Davina Tobin, Colette Dormer, Grace Walsh, Meg Farrell, Claire Phelan, Niamh Deely, Anna Farrell, Mary O’Connell, Laura Murphy, Lydia Fitzpatrick, Anne Dalton, Miriam Walsh, Denise Gaule, Katie Nolan

Subs:- Aoife Doyle for Lydia Fitzpatrick, Danielle Morrissey for Mary O’Connell, Steffi Fitzgerald for Katie Nolan, Edel Coonan for Laura Murphy

Waterford:-Brianna O’Regan, Sibéal Harney, Iona Heffernan, Clare Whyte, Kate Lynch, Clodagh Carroll, Lorraine Bray, Orla Hickey, Shona Curran, Beth Carton, Niamh Rockett, Jenny McCarthy, Sarah Lacey, Abby Flynn, Annie Fitzgerald

Subs:- Anne Corcoran for Annie Fitzgerald, Keeley Corbett-Barry for Orla Hickey, Shauna Fitzgerald for Sarah Lacey, Aoife Landers for Jenny McCarthy

Scorers:

Kilkenny:- Denise Gaule 0-7 (5f), Anne Dalton 0-3, Mary O’Connell, Katie Nolan, Miriam Walsh, Grace Walsh, Danielle Morrissey 0-1 each

Waterford:- Beth Carton 0-5 (5f) Lorraine Bray, Annie Fitzgerald, Orla Hickey 0-1 each

Referee; Andy Larkin (Cork)