With the game hanging in the balance in Nowlan Park and Waterford looking to wrestle momentum back from Tipperary, in came Tramore’s Clara Griffin in a bid to assume control from the Premier.
Her first involvement saw her beat her marker to the sliotar, ride two challenges and play an inch-perfect pass to Beth Carton, who split the posts to level the game.
It hasn’t been an easy season for Clara Griffin, with injuries denying her of opportunities for the most part - but she is now back fit and fighting for what she knows is the most important game of her life.
Griffin says it’s almost hard to believe that Waterford are where they are, but they know that the hardest part of the mountain lies ahead, should they be capable of conquering the summit.
“It’s incredible to be in the position that we’re in”, said the 23-year-old. “We’ve worked very hard for the last few years to get to this point. We’re really enjoying the build-up to the final. We had an open day for younger fans to come in to see us and we all really enjoyed that. Seeing all the blue and white all around Waterford is incredible - but we’re settled, focused, and planning for what’s ahead.”
While mounting injuries proved a source of frustration for Griffin, she says the feeling of the final whistle versus Tipperary made every ounce of pain worthwhile. Running to the stands to see her father shedding tears, every hard moment proved worthwhile.
“It was 100% worth it”, she said. “There’s 32 on the panel and everyone pushes each other and challenges each other the whole way. The girls have really pushed me to get back and to fight off these injuries and to stay involved. You do it for them. Training is really exciting and competitive because there’s people challenging for positions and we’re just always pushing to get on the field and we’re always excited to get out and play.”
While many might be surprised to see Waterford an hour away from All-Ireland glory should they see off Cork, the possibility of such has never been far from Griffin’s mind.
“If someone told me at the start of the year that we would have been here, I would genuinely have believed them. Look, we know the players we have and their capabilities and skillsets. We know our potential and with the backing of a strong management team, everything was set up for us and we could just go out and play. We’re happy with where we are, but nothing is won yet.”
