Norris: Split Rathgormack in two!

Football in Waterford has always been a hard sell. The reality is that young people grow up wishing they were on the panel of a county hurling or camogie team as much as they’d probably ever aspire to be the captain of their big-ball counterparts. Still, irrespective of narratives - realities are different, we’re not one bit stuck for good footballers in these lands.

The vast majority of them are all based in the Rathgormack area - and most of them are in fact related! Comeragh Rangers’ win on Friday night in the Waterford Senior Ladies’ Football Championship Final drove home just how far ahead those in the mid-county are in comparison to their counterparts in both codes. It was more than just a win, it was a statement in itself.

Victory in itself is impressive - but to beat a team who had so many times been the ones celebrating at your expense - and not just beat them, but respectfully - hammer them come the final whistle - is a wonderful example of spirit, resilience and unerring belief. 4-11 to 0-7 wasn’t an unfair scoreline on the evening in question - and now that they’ve retained the title for the first time, Comeragh Rangers can rightfully cast their eye toward making their mark in Munster.

The Murray triplets will naturally draw all the plaudits - and rightfully so, but all throughout the team - the work rate, the camaraderie and the absence of anything remotely close to egos is telling. There’s a strong case at the moment for Emma Murray to be in the conversation as one of the very best ladies’ footballers in the country. I can never remember seeing her have a bad game. Her sister Katie is one of the most clinical finishers in the game, and Aoife Murray has never looked one bit out of place when plying her trade at the highest level either.

Fuelled by heartbreak and a determination to right wrongs, Comeragh Rangers’ story is an inspiring one to say the least - but you get the feeling that this chapter is one heading toward the plot’s climax in this particular journey. Many great people have flied the flag for them in recent seasons - Joe Murray, Ger Power, Seanie Power - the list goes on, all putting in the groundwork, akin to the great Michael Ryan in Ballymacarbry. The Michael Ryan Cup has never been a stranger to Suirside, but now it’s not inconceivable that it could call the opposite side of the mountains home.

As for their male counterparts, many of them being cousins, brothers and friends - the sky could also prove to be their limit. Rathgormack are bidding to become the first team to win three consecutive Conway Cups since the great Stradbally side of the mid 2000s. You’d be a very brave person to bet against that reality. I never like using bookmakers odds as a means of acid testing - but 1-2 to win the championship in its entirety seems relatively generous, not that I’m encouraging anyone to nibble.

They’ve been foot-perfect so far, through to another semi-final, not a glove laid on them in truth and they haven’t necessarily had to come out of third gear. Their modesty is one of their most admirable assets - as every post-match interview with Kenny Hassett seems to exemplify. They won’t ever get carried away until they’re carrying the cup itself away. James Power, Conor Murray, the Currys, I could name the whole team in terms of who has caught my eye. Watching Rathgormack in full flight is a genuine pleasure. They play football the way it was intended to be played - fast, meticulous and clinical in equal measure. The fact that they’re managing to play as well as they have been even in the absence of former talisman Jason Gleeson hammers home just how much the gap is growing.

Personally, I don’t want to be a magpie, put the cat amongst the pigeons or conjure any other bird-related cliche - but I genuinely cannot envision a scenario in the next 2-3 years where Rathgormack and Comeragh Rangers aren’t the ones climbing the steps for the biggest prizes in Waterford football. They’re both exceptionally good sides with promising young spines that are potentially only going to get even better.

The gates at the Waterford Senior Football Championship games are disappointing, the lack of interest in many circles is noteworthy - but there is talent there. Look at landmark results in underage codes, talent feeding through to senior systems and it doesn’t take the ultimate optimist to dispel the doom and gloom narratives that often go hand-in-hand with a sport referred to by some as hurling’s ugly stepsister.

I spoke to Waterford senior football manager Ephie Fitzgerald recently and in a way I felt kind of sorry for him. You know there are players out there that are nailed-on starters at inter-county level that simply aren’t willing to make the commitment for Division 4, a Munster Championship match and a Tailteann Cup campaign. Until that attitude changes, we could have Jim Gavin come down when he’s inevitably not busy any more in a few weeks - yet still we’d find ourselves in the same situation.

“I’m not going to stand here and say we’ll win All-Irelands. That’s not realistic. Can we develop footballers? Can we develop people? Can we create an environment where lads enjoy it, improve, and maybe change how people talk about Waterford football? Absolutely. That’s why I came back.” The way people talk about football in this county isn’t going to change overnight - but I’d like to think it will change sooner rather than later. There’s no-one crying saying split Rathgormack in two just yet - but as the Ballygunner lads know well, once it’s said once, it’s said forever.

Rathgormack gave Dr Crokes a right rattle in Munster last year - Comeragh Rangers reached the decider. A few positive results at provincial level might help turn a few heads. Let the green and red get the job done in Waterford first of course - but you have to say hats off in acknowledgment to the environment created for men and women alike.

“Being challenged in life is inevitable - being defeated is optional.”