Waterford manager Mick Boland says his side must become more clinical in front of goal if they are to progress in next weekend’s All-Ireland Camogie quarter-finals following Sunday’s defeat to Cork.

The Déise fell to a 1-13 to 0-10 loss at Páirc Uí Rinn, with goalkeeper Amy Lee’s first-half goal proving a pivotal moment in the contest.

Despite the result, Boland was pleased with his side’s effort levels, particularly during a strong opening 40 minutes against one of the country’s leading teams.

“That’s a marvellous point in the end, but we came down here probably knowing that you had to win by four, five or six points to try and get through to the semi-final,” he said.

“I thought the effort from the girls was impeccable in the first 40 minutes or so, but after that we slowed off fairly quickly.”

Boland felt Waterford created enough opportunities during the opening half but failed to capitalise on them.

“The goal was a big changer. We were in the game, and we got a couple of opportunities in the first half. We dropped five ball shots into the goalkeeper’s hand and hit five wides. That’s ten opportunities against the breeze, and against Cork you can’t afford to do that.”

Waterford managed just five points in the second half despite playing with the aid of the wind, something that left the manager frustrated.

“We didn’t get enough shots off. We were trying to work the ball inside instead of taking on the score from 45 metres. Sometimes if the shot goes wide, it goes wide, but you have to take the opportunity and get the strike away.”

Looking ahead to a quarter-final meeting with either Kilkenny or Clare, Boland believes the key challenge is now mental rather than physical.

“When we’re in the game and in the melting pot, it’s the mindset and taking those opportunities when they come along. We’re doing it nearly every week now, and it’s getting to be a problem for us.”

Waterford’s preparations for next weekend could be complicated by the loss of Niamh Rockett, who received a straight red card in injury time following an incident that Boland admitted he did not see.

“The referee told me afterwards it was a high elbow into the head. We’ll have to wait and see what the report says and hopefully it’s not as bad on camera.”

Rockett has recently returned from injury alongside Lorraine Bray and Beth Carton, with Boland pleased to see players building match sharpness ahead of the knockout stages.

“It was important that we got them minutes today because if you’re playing a quarter-final next week, you need that game time and hopefully they’ll be sharper again.”

Despite the disappointment of defeat and the possibility of missing players through suspension, Boland says the message to his squad ahead of the quarter-final is straightforward.

“From here on in, there are no more pit stops. Lose, and you’re out. We’ve got to go after everything that’s in front of us now.”

The Waterford manager also pointed to the physical toll of facing three of the country’s top teams in successive weeks.

“We’ve played Tipperary, Cork, and Galway in three very competitive matches in three weeks, and you could see the fatigue in the bodies in the second half.”

Waterford now turn their attention to knockout camogie next weekend, knowing their championship hopes remain firmly in their own hands.

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