Late Waterford surge sends Tipp down
LADIES FOOTBALL: TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Relegation Final
Waterford 0-15
Tipperary 1-8
Report: Daire Walsh in Mallow
MATCH DIGEST
Player of the Match: Kellyann Hogan (Waterford)
SCORERS - Waterford: Kellyann Hogan 0-6 (2 frees); Kate Murray 0-3; Lauren McGregor 0-2 (1 free); Karen McGrath, Maeve Daly, Eve Power, Brid McMaugh 0-1 each.
Tipperary: Emma Morrissey 0-4 (2 frees); Anna Carey 1-1, Anna-Rose Kennedy, Ava Ryan, Ellie Franklin 0-1 each.
Waterford produced a late surge to overcome Munster rivals Tipperary in the All-Ireland Senior Football Relegation play-off final on Saturday.
The win sees Waterford retain their top flight status while Tipperary will drop to the intermediate championship in 2027 for the first time since 2019.
Just a single point to the good inside the closing ten minutes, the Deise kicked three unanswered scores in swift succession to retain their top-tier status heading into the 2027 inter-county season.
Following an initially tentative opening, Tipperary brought the game to life in the fourth minute when Anna Carey got on the end of an impressive team move before rifling the ball to the net.
While this was a set-back for Waterford, the Deise soon settled courtesy of consecutive points from Katie Murray and raiding centre half-back Karen McGrath.
Emma Morrissey subsequently converted a free on twelve minutes to edge Tipperary two points clear, but their Deise counterparts gradually discovered their attacking groove.
Thanks to four points on the bounce via the boots of Hogan (two), Maeve Daly and Lauren McGregor, Waterford found themselves in the driving seat.
A fine effort from the aforementioned Carey interrupted this scoring sequence, but the Deise finished the opening period strongly as the increasingly-influential Kelly-Ann Hogan and midfielder Eve Power both found the range to propel their side into a 0-8 to 1-2 interval lead.
Having narrowed the gap with a fine point from play, Emma Morrissey had a golden opportunity to edge Tipperary back into the ascendancy when she stepped forward to negotiate a 33rd minute penalty – after Anna Rose Kennedy had been fouled inside the square. Yet opposition netminder Katelyn Gardner was equal to her effort and Waterford proceeded to reinforce their authority with back-to-back points from Katie Murray and Bríd McMaugh.
Waterford remained on course for the victory they craved when McGregor and Hogan were on hand to cancel out points by Morrissey and Kennedy at the far end of the pitch, but the combined forces of Aoibhe Ryan, Ellie Franklin and Morrissey reduced the Tipperary deficit to the bare minimum on 49 minutes.
However, after Morrissey’s quest to secure an equaliser moments later was denied by the woodwork, Hogan (2) and the industrious Katie Murray found the range to move Waterford four points to the good.
Kennedy was close to claiming a goal that would have set up a dramatic finale, but Tipperary fell short in their bid to avoid the drop to next year’s intermediate football championship.
TEAMS – Waterford: Katelyn Gardner (7); Cora Murray (7), Laura Mulcahy (6), Rebecca Casey (6); Ruby Browne (7), Karen McGrath (7), Laura Cusack (6); Eve Power (7), Áine O’Neill (7); Katie Murray (8), Aoibhe Waring (6), Kellyann Hogan (8); Maeve Daly (6), Brid McMaugh (6), Lauren McGregor (7).
Subs: Clare Walsh (6) for Waring (43); Emma Murray (6) for McMaugh (53); Chloe Fennell (6) for McGregor (56).
Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry 6); Tara Hoare (Templemore 7), Ellen Moore (Moyne-Templetuohy 7), Emma Cronin (Moyle Rovers 6); Angela McGuigan (St Sylvesters 7), Maria Curley (Templemore 7), Sarah English (Brian Borus 6); Laura Morrissey (Brian Borus 7), Anna-Rose Kennedy (St Sylvesters, Capt 7); Ava Ryan (Moyne-Templetuohy 6), Lauren Cunningham (Holycross/Ballycahill 7), Heather Spillane (Fethard 6); Anna Carey (Clonmel Commercials 7), Emma Morrissey (Aherlow 8), Ellie Franklin (Moyle Rovers 6).
Sub: Katelyn Downey (Boherlahan-Dualla 6) for Cronin (19 inj).
Referee: Shane Curley (Galway).