TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 2, round one
Donegal 2-10 Waterford 1-8
DONEGAL got their All-Ireland campaign off to a winning start with a five-point victory over Waterford in Lifford on Saturday.
The Ulster champions followed up their provincial final win with this crucial victory over the Deise as they aim to reach the knockout stages.
They will now keep a keen eye on this weekend’s game between Waterford and defending All-Ireland champions Meath as victory for the latter will see Donegal qualify for the quarter-finals before the ball is thrown-in on their final group game against the Royals the following week.
The win, as manager Maxi Curran, also pointed out, will hopefully help to the retain their senior championship status, something that is very important to the Tir Chonaill county
“We are really happy to get the points on the board and as a home game, it was very important to make it count. We are very happy to follow up the Ulster final win with another decent display,” said Curran.
“We have aspirations of staying at the top table. I know we lost our Division One league status but we do not want to get relegated from senior championship and we have put ourselves in a good position now that we might make the quarter-finals.
“We have the three points on the board now and eagerly awaiting proceedings next week down in Waterford with Meath and Waterford. This win doesn’t guarantee us anything. If Waterford could beat Meath next week it puts it all back on us the next week. It’s an interesting competition.”
This game also saw the return of Geraldine McLaughlin for the first time this season, after she was introduced with six minutes to go.
With the Termon player now back on board, alongside the recent returns of Niamh Hegarty, who top-scored with 1-3 on Saturday and Tara Kennedy ahead of the Ulster final, it’s another major boost for Donegal as the business end of the season begins.
Waterford, who had already beaten Donegal this year in the league, led early on, Lauren McGregor’s eighth minute goal giving them a 1-1 to 0-1 advantage.
However, Hegarty levelled the game two minutes later from the penalty spot after she herself had been fouled and when Susanne White put them in front in the 14th minute for the first time, it was a lead they held on to.
At half-time the gap was four points, 1-6 to 1-4, Amy Boyle Carr, White, Hegarty and Katie Dowd all raising the white flag.
White and McGregor exchanged scores at the start of the second half before Boyle Carr’s 36th minute goal effectively put the game out of reach for Waterford as Donegal’s lead was pushed out to seven, 2-7 to 1-3. Waterford, to their credit kept battling and they did outscore the home side five points to three thereafter, goalscorer McGregor with three of those points to bring her tally 1-4 for the afternoon. The closest they got was to within five 2-7 to 1-5 with 41 minutes gone, but two points from substitute Ciara McGarvey either side of one from Hegarty between the 44th and 54thminutes, when Waterford could only manage one, was enough to put off any hopes of a Waterford comeback.
Donegal C Friel; N Carr, A Asokhu, N McLaughlin; A Boyle Carr (1-1), L Ryan, T Hegarty; E Gallagher, N McLaughlin; R Rodgers, K Long, K Dowds (0-1); N Hegarty (1-3, 1-0 pen), K Herron, S White (0-3, 0-2 frees)
Subs S McGroddy for L Ryan (h/t); C McGarvey (0-2 frees) for S White (41), G McLaughlin for N McLaughlin (54), S McFeely for K Dowd (60).
Waterford C Murray; K McGrath, A Murray; A Wairing, K McGrath (0-1), E Murray; K Murray, A O’Neill (0-1); K A Hogan (0-2), A Fitzgerald, C McCarthy; S McGuickian, C Hynes, L McGregor (1-4, 0-3 frees) Subs: Katie Murray for C Hynes (h/t); Abby Murphy for Fitzgerald(41)
Referee S Curley (Galway)
