Waterford are out of the All Ireland Senior Camogie Championship – but captain Lorraine Bray has vowed they’ll be back and better again.
The Deise went down 1-21 to 1-11 at the hands of reigning All-Ireland champions Cork in yesterday’s semi-final at Nowlan Park.
Waterford lead at the break, but a superb second half from the Rebels saw them progress to the decider.
Deise captain Lorraine Bray was ‘unbelievably proud’ of their efforts – despite the result.
“Unbelievably proud of the girls, of the management who stood by us – we have to take it on the chin now and we can’t change the result. Once Cork pulled away from us in the second half, we just really struggled to get it back — no matter how hard we were fighting for each ball.”
Waterford have showed they belong at the top table no doubt – but what do they need now to reach the next level and clinch silverware? Lorraine Bray believes depth and new enthusiasm are in demand.
“I think we probably need to build up our panel as well. A few more younger girls — try to get them in and build from there, get them up to the standard and the level of camogie that it’s at. A few of us are around a long time and you know the kind of levels you have to keep trying and reproducing every year. It’s not easy either when you’re getting older, but definitely, I think focusing on getting young girls in and getting them up to senior level is key.”
Asked whether she’d like to take on the Rebels again in a Munster Final whenever that might be played, the All-Star midfielder offered this response.
“I’d always love a cut off Cork, to be honest. We’ve no idea when that’s going to be played. As I’ve said in other interviews, the All-Ireland Series is where it’s at and where we want to be. Unfortunately, we haven’t made the All-Ireland final this year. So look, we’ll see about a Munster final or not — I think we’re just going to have to lick our wounds and let this sink in for the next few weeks.”
