An injury time point from Mairéad O'Brien gave Waterford a share of the spoils at a bright and breezy Nowlan Park on Saturday afternoon (1-13 apiece).
Since the Déise earned promotion in 2015, Kilkenny won seven games in a row between these two and led by one four minutes into added time. Jerry Wallace's side had the last word however. Annie Fitzgerald sent a ball into Niamh Rockett who set up O’Brien for the leveller. The Modeligo attacker rattled the cobwebs in the first half. Five goals in three championship games.
Beth Carton led the way again for Waterford with nine points (five frees and four from play) while Lorraine Bray, Róisín Kirwan and Niamh Rockett also chipped in. Brianna O’Regan made two superb second half saves from Aoife Doyle and Miriam Walsh.
Waterford made one change from the 21 point win over Limerick as Alannah McNulty stepped in for Iona Heffernan. The away team played with the breeze and led three nil after ten minutes. Déise captain Lorraine Bray won the ball off the throw in and shipped a late tackle as she laid the ball off to Tara Power. The ball went wide but Cathal McAllister came back for the free. Bray received treatment before Beth Carton tapped over the free. Róisín Kirwan and Mairéad Power set up a point for Bray on eight minutes. Carton then split the posts from 45 metres out.
Aoife Prendergast missed two placed balls for Kilkenny before Katie Nolan took over and converted a 45. A foul on Niamh Rockett allowed Carton restore Waterford’s three point advantage.
It was a tactical first half with Laoise Forrest and Tiffie Fitzgerald on sweeper duty at either end. Forrest made two turnovers on Kilkenny danger woman Miriam Walsh. The black and amber hit the front for the first time on 26 minutes. A Nolan point effort was blocked but the ball fell to Aoife Doyle who blasted to the net (1-3 to 0-5).
Carton stood up for Waterford as she always does. Back to back points edged the visitors back in front. Doyle levelled on the stroke of half time. Carton won a free off a puckout and stood up to take it. Surprisingly, the De La Salle sharpshooter miscued her strike and the ball dropped short. Mairéad O'Brien regained possession and found the top corner of the net (1-7 to 1-4). Tara Power grabbed the next puckout but shot wide. A 33rd minute free from Nolan left two points in it at the break.
Kilkenny outscored their opponents by five points to two in the third quarter as Aoife Prendergast, Miriam Walsh, Katie Nolan, Julieann Malone and Aoife Doyle all raised white flags. Brianna O'Regan also deflected a Doyle shot away for a 45.
Substitutes Annie Fitzgerald and Sarah Lacey injected energy up front as a Carton free levelled it up at 1-10 each. Fitzgerald pressurised the next puckout and won another free which Carton dispatched. The three All Stars then combined as Carton and Bray made a point for Niamh Rockett. 1-12 to 1-10 with seven minutes left.
O'Regan smothered a shot from Miriam Walsh when the towering Kilkenny forward was put through one on one. The number fourteen got the rebound and fired over a point. Walsh won the next ball and supplied substitute Sarah Barcoe. Another sub Sophie O'Dwyer drilled over a 62nd minute free to edge the Cats ahead but O'Brien intervened at the death.
