Thriving at the top table

There’s a simple truth in sport that rarely lies: the clearest sign of real progress isn’t how well you beat teams you’re expected to beat, it’s what happens in the games you used to lose.

Not the hidings. Not the write-offs. The tight ones. The ones that leave you sick to the stomach, replaying a missed chance or a late concession on the drive home. For Waterford ladies’ footballers, those games have been against the likes of Dublin, Kerry and Armagh for years now. Competitive. Brave. Honourable defeats. Close, but never quite close enough.

Until now.

Three wins in quick succession against three of the biggest names in the game isn’t a purple patch or a quirk of the fixture list. It’s a statement of where this team is at. Armagh away. Kerry away. Dublin in Dungarvan. Three opponents and three venues where Waterford have so often emptied the tank and come away with nothing but plaudits. This time they came away with points - and history.

The Dublin result, in particular, lands heavy. Twenty years since Waterford last beat them. Twenty years of near-misses, gallant efforts and moral victories that didn’t move the dial. Dublin are the reigning All-Ireland champions. Kerry the All-Ireland champions in 2024 and league champions in 2025. Armagh the 2024 league champions. This isn’t form against middling opposition. This is Waterford walking into lion’s dens and coming out with their heads high and their pockets full.

Last year, those games went the other way. Agonisingly so. Waterford were good enough to compete, but not ruthless enough to close. This year, they are. That’s the difference. That’s the leap.

And it’s not accidental.

Laura Mulcahy’s return from Australia has been nothing short of galvanising. You could see it on Saturday - the authority, the physicality, the calm. She gives Waterford a spine, a presence that others feed off. There’s an assurance when she’s on the pitch that settles everything around her. She was immense against Dublin and it felt symbolic that a player who has been elsewhere has come back and raised standards again at home.

Karen McGrath, meanwhile, continues to do Karen McGrath things. Consistent to the point of being taken for granted. Big games don’t faze her. They never have. When the pressure rises, she rises with it, and Waterford are lucky to have someone so reliable anchoring the chaos around her.

Then there’s Emma Murray. At this stage, there’s no need for qualifiers. No need to soften it. She is making an increasingly strong case to be the best footballer in the country, full stop. Not on potential. Not on form alone. On output, influence and sheer class. She dictates games. She hurts teams. She does it when everyone knows she’s the danger. That’s the mark of the very best, and Waterford have one of them.

Bríd McMaugh looks better with every passing week. There’s a sharpness to her movement now, an understanding of space that’s genuinely elite. She drifts into pockets others don’t see, and when she does, Waterford look instantly more dangerous. She’s becoming indispensable.

Áine O’Neill was superb again and, perhaps more importantly, she looks like a player who still has plenty of growth ahead of her. That should excite Waterford supporters.

Lauren McGregor remains lethal in front of goal - at this point, you’d struggle to find a jersey she hasn’t scored against. Give her a chance and she takes it, no fuss, no drama. Maeve Daly’s work rate on Saturday was sensational. She covered every blade of grass, chased everything, harried everything, and embodied exactly what this team is about right now.

What’s remarkable is how young so many of Waterford’s best players are. This isn’t the last dance. This isn’t squeezing one more run out of a fading group. This is a team building something. Ruby Browne was excellent from the start, while being able to introduce players like Lia Ní hArta and Treasa Ní Chrotaigh late on speaks volumes about both depth and confidence. Those are minutes that matter. They’re investments in the future, made from a position of strength.

None of this happens without serious work behind the scenes, and huge credit must go to Tomas Mac an tSaoir, Liam Ó Lonáin, Adam O’Riordan and the wider management team. You can see the improvements - not just in results, but in organisation, decision-making and composure. Pat Sullivan worked miracles for Waterford down the years and deserves immense respect for what he built. This current management team have taken that foundation and pushed it on to another level. There’s clarity now. Belief. An edge.

Emma Murray’s post-match comments were telling. “It’s only the league.” No chest-thumping. No getting carried away. Just a focus on what’s ahead and a hope that these results can inspire confidence going into Munster and the All-Ireland. It’s a brilliant mentality, and it’s hard to argue with it. The league doesn’t hand out holy grails nor assurances. What it does give you is evidence. And right now, the evidence is strong.

If Waterford can kick on again, there’s no reason they can’t be part of the conversation for major silverware. That doesn’t mean expectations should spiral or that anything is guaranteed. It means the door is open - and that hasn’t always been the case. No matter what happens from here, Waterford ladies’ football is on an unmistakable upward curve, and they still don’t get the credit they deserve nationally. Or locally, in truth.

Hope is a dangerous thing in sport, but it’s also essential. With every big win banked, belief hardens. Standards rise. Confidence grows. There’s a huge chance now to grab league honours and use that as a springboard for the rest of 2026. It could prove to be a momentous year if they keep doing what they’re doing - staying grounded, staying hungry, and refusing to settle for gradual progression or “nearly”.

Because the days of nearly are fading fast.

Waterford aren’t just competing anymore. They’re winning the games that matter. That changes everything.