Waterford v Tipperary The National Leagues Division 1A Round 5
An injury time winner from Eimear O’Neill saw the Waterford camogie team secure Division 1A status for 2026 with a dramatic 0-10 to 0-9 win over Tipperary at a rainy Walsh Park.
The Brickey Rangers forward, in her debut season at senior level, hit three second half points for the Déise in a physical and feisty encounter with their Munster rivals. Annie Fitzgerald, Maggie Gostl, Rachael Walsh and Kate Lynch also made big contributions for a hard working Waterford side. Jerry Wallace’s charges survived a late scare as Tipp appealed for a penalty seven minutes into injury time when substitute Caithlyn Treacy went to ground inside the square.
It was a only league match but there was a championship bite throughout. Tipp went chasing a league final place and Roisin Howard pointed after just 50 seconds. After Déise defender Tara Power got treatment, Grace O’Brien popped over a 45. It took Waterford six minutes to launch their first attack. Maggie Gostl was fouled and Niamh Rockett converted. Rockett then found Annie Fitzgerald off a short free and the full forward equalised. O’Brien miscued a free into Noelle Murphy but the Waterford netminder hit the ball straight back to the Tipp forward who made no mistake second time around (0-3 to 0-2).
Neither side scored for eleven minutes in the greasy conditions. O’Brien finished off a fine Tipp move on 22 minutes to end the fallow period. Another O’Brien 45 made it 5-2 but Waterford finished the half on the front foot. Carton, Bray and Fitzgerald created a goal chance for Gostl but she pulled her shot right and wide. Gostl slotted a point off the next attack. Waterford’s first point in 18 minutes. Injury time efforts from Beth Carton and Fitzgerald left the Déise just one adrift at the break (0-6 to 0-5). It got feisty on the field and on the sideline before referee Gavin Donegan blew for half time.
Rachael Walsh made a crucial interception at the start of the second half. Tipp worked a Karin Blair point after Lorraine Bray was shown a yellow card. Mairéad O’Brien won a free in front of goal which Rockett tapped over. Grace O’Brien replied with a Tipp free before Eimear O’Neill shrugged off three defenders and fired over off her right side (0-8 to 0-7).
On 43 minutes, Carton sent Bray through on goal but the Déise captain was denied by Laura Leenane. O’Brien slotted her seventh point for Tipp from a free on 44 minutes but they wouldn’t score again.
Rockett dispatched a 45 after a Gostl shot was blocked down. The Waterford mentors danced a little jig when Fitzgerald and Rockett worked the equaliser for O’Neill. Two minutes into injury time, a Rockett free broke for O’Neill who found space in a crowded goalmouth to shoot the winner.
