Gardner saves Waterford in dramatic Ladies Football relegation play-off
Tipperary captain Anna Rose Kennedy and Waterford captain Katie Murray with referee Shane Curley of Galway before the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship relegation playoff final at Mallow GAA Grounds.
Two stunning Katelyn Gardner saves and seven Kellyann Hogan points secured Waterford’s senior survival for 2027 in a nerve wracking relegation play-off with Tipperary on a scorching Saturday evening.
It was a close run thing. Chants of ‘Tipp, Tipp, Tipp’ rang around Mallow with six minutes left as the Premier kicked three unanswered points to leave them just one behind. Emma Morrissey had the chance to equalise from a free but the ball struck the post and bounced wide. An almighty let off for Waterford. Maeve Daly won the next kickout and the Déise delivered the last three points (two from Hogan and one from Katie Murray) to keep them afloat.
They couldn’t have done it without goalkeeper Katelyn Gardner. Players, management and supporters all went over to congratulate her afterwards. She stopped a penalty from Emma Morrissey at the start of the second half and then smothered a last minute shot from Anna Rose Kennedy one on one which manager Tomás Mac a t’Saoir celebrated like a score! In between, she flicked an Ava Ryan effort over the bar. Her quick kickouts also provided an attacking platform.
Kellyann Hogan showed her class yet again with five points from play and two frees. She tears through defences and slices over quality scores off the outside of her right boot. The Ballymacarbry star would walk onto any team in the country. Captain Katie Murray came up with three points while Eve Power put in massive shift.
Waterford should never have found themselves in a relegation battle. They led Cork by five points with three minutes left but lost by one and missed out on an All Ireland Quarter Final. Saturday’s match marked the end of Tomás Mac a t’Saoir’s two year term. The Déise have reached back to back Munster finals under the Kerry native and played an exciting brand of football in the process. The board should try and tie him down for next season.
Temperatures hit 27 degrees on Saturday with the pitch brown in patches amid the heatwave. One of the Tipp players even wore a cap in the warm-up! Surprisingly, no water breaks were provided. The crowd was small but the diehards who did travel made their voices heard.
Four Kellyann Hogan points from play saw Waterford recover from an early setback and go in three to the good at half time (0-8 to 1-2). Tipperary placed Anna Rose Kennedy close to goal and that tactic paid off in the fourth minute as she offloaded to Anna Carey who crashed the ball to the net. Katie Murray replied immediately with a point off a quick Katelyn Gardner kickout.
The Déise disrupted Lauren Fitzpatrick’s restarts but struggled with their shooting. They kicked four wides and one short in the opening ten minutes before Karen McGrath intercepted another kickout, swapped passes with Hogan and blasted over. Hard to believe that she was just off a plane from Italy!
Hogan saw a point disallowed for a debatable Waterford breach. Emma Morrissey then tapped over a debatable Tipp free (1-1 to 0-2). After a couple of misses, Hogan finally got her name on the scoresheet. Maeve Daly dodged four Tipp defenders and lashed in the equaliser. A Cora Murray turnover then led to a Hogan point which put Waterford ahead for the first time (0-5 to 1-1).
The wide tally rose to seven but Hogan settled a nervy Déise with another single. Carey curled over a beauty for Tipp off her right boot. Eve Power shipped some hard tackles before she found the unmarked Hogan who split the posts again. Power then launched a point of her own in injury time.
Both teams were in no rush to re-enter the sauna for the second half. Referee Shane Curley blew his whistle twice to encourage them back out!
On 33 minutes, the man in the middle awarded a Tipp penalty for a foul on Anna Rose Kennedy even though Eve Power appeared to win the ball legally. Gardner dived to her left to deny Morrissey from the spot. Lauren Cunningham went for a point off the rebound but missed the target. A massive Gardner kickout then resulted in a Katie Murray white flag at the other end. A four point swing. The Waterford crowd made even more noise when Bríd McMaugh pointed from an acute angle (0-10 to 1-3). Morrissey and Lauren McGregor converted frees that were moved up 50 metres as the gap stayed at four.
With fifteen minutes left, Gardner fisted away a Cunningham point attempt and Carey blasted right and wide with the goal at the mercy. Those misses didn’t deter the Premier. Ava Ryan went for goal again but Gardner punched over. Ellie Franklin and Emma Morrissey made it a one point game. Tipp brought all the momentum and all the noise at that stage. Morrissey’s free off the post proved a game changer however as Hogan and Murray clinched survival for the Déise. Relieved Waterford fans let out a roar at the final whistle!
Kellyann Hogan 0-7 (2fs), Katie Murray 0-3, Lauren McGregor (f), Bríd McMaugh, Eve Power, Maeve Daly, Karen McGrath 0-1 each.
Anna Carey 1-1, Emma Morrissey 0-4 (2fs), Ellie Franklin, Ava Ryan, Anna Rose Kennedy 0-1 each.
Katelyn Gardner; Laura Cusack, Cora Murray, Rebecca Casey; Karen McGrath, Ruby Browne, Eve Power; Laura Mulcahy, Áine O’Neill; Katie Murray, Kellyann Hogan, Maeve Daly; Lauren McGregor, Aoibhe Waring, Bríd McMaugh.
Clare Walsh for Waring (44), Aoife Murray for McMaugh (55), Chloe Fennell for McGregor (63).
Lauren Fitzpatrick; Ellen Moore, Maria Curley, Emma Cronin; Angela McGuigan, Tara Hoare, Sarah English; Laura Morrissey, Ellie Franklin; Ava Ryan, Lauren Cunningham, Heather Spillane; Anna Rose Kennedy, Emma Morrissey, Anna Carey.
Katelyn Downey for Cronin (19), Clara English for Spillane (HT), Kate Cashman for Sarah English (HT), Kirsty Crotty Ryan for Emma Morrissey (58).
Shane Curley (Galway)
Katelyn Gardner for her super saves and her pinpoint kickouts.
The Emma Morrissey free that hit the post.
Those white Tipp numbers are impossible to see!
Waterford stay senior while Tipp drop to intermediate.
