"We talk about this thing - a legacy - we talk about leaving the jersey in a place where those young kids want to put on that jersey. They're very open and frank about where they want to leave Waterford Camogie when they're done. Getting into an All-Ireland senior camogie final is only going to push this game on further in the county." - Sean Power, Waterford camogie manager.
Good things come to those who wait, but sometimes, you just have to take it.
That is exactly what Waterford did in Nowlan Park last Saturday when they had to fight tooth and nail with Tipperary for a place in the All-Ireland camogie final.
They had one point to spare by the full-time whistle but had trailed by 7 after just 20 minutes of play. An eight-point turnaround to book themselves into the decider for the first time since the end of the second world war.
Big games need big moments and the Waterford players offered plenty of those as they faced down Tipp.
Vikkie Faulkner was immense in handling Cáit Devane, and while the Clonoulty/Rossmore woman bagged a first-half goal, Faulkner had her measure throughout, sticking to the All-Star like she owed Faulkner money.
Brianna O' Regan denied Clodagh McIntyre's effort on goal in the first half and would show off her party piece in the second as she nailed a long-range free to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Mairead Power - who wouldn't typically be a goal-getter - offered the biggest moment of the day, goaling in the first half to light the game on fire.
The Waterford defense in general was excellent on Saturday. They held Tipp to just four points in the second half and denied them any scoring opportunity for a 15-minute spell leading into the half-time break. The only other team to hold Waterford to 1.11 was Kilkenny in the group stage of the competition.
"We knew that they were going to come at us with everything. We knew they were going to score," said the manager, Sean Power. He had watched his side put three points on the board in the opening 20 minutes, with the Premier hungry to return to Croke Park for their first final since 2006. The Déise trailed 1.07 to 0.3 at that stage, but Power says that he resolutely did not lose faith.
"Twenty minutes on the clock and it's 1.07 to 3 points, shur there's 40 minutes left, like. That's the way we approach the game," said Power.
The manager remained confident on the sideline, trusting his charges to be able to dig deep and find something within to inspire them forward. That inspiration came in the 25th minute when Mairead Power managed to get a grip on the sliotar in the middle of a frantic goal-mouth battle. She drilled it to the back of the net and kicked off the Waterford salvo.
Again, big moments. Her goal proved crucial in lighting the touch paper. Two more points would follow to reduce the deficit and the sides headed for the changing rooms to escape the biblical rain that had been falling.
"I'd say Mairead nearly had a nosebleed going up that far," noted Captain Lorraine Bray. "Phenomenal though, we really needed that goal and it really did turn the game around."
While the Déise had their tails up at the break, and it did very much feel like they had won the half, the second was a shaky start with a couple of wayward shots drifting wide - including a surprise missed free from All-Star Carton.
The Premier managed to stretch their lead to two points on two occasions, but Waterford never left them out of sight and the defence offered little change to the Blue and Gold, with Faulkner once again to the fore.
Attacker Niamh Rockett - who has already won All-Ireland's at Junior and Intermediate levels - summed it up best following the final blow of the referee's whistle, telling WLR Sport that they were "absolutely just thrilled, it's a dream come true really."
They will face a Cork side on August 6th who looked every bit the contender for the All-Ireland. At the fourth time of asking in 2023, they managed to beat Galway, a team they haven't beaten since 2017. Galway had beaten Cork three times on the spin this year, but when it really counted the Leesiders came good.
Their bench made a huge contribution with all but one of their subs scoring.
It's been five years since they won an All-Ireland, but they still remain on top of the all-time list with 28 titles to their name.
Waterford had their measure when they last met in the Munster Championship, beating Cork for the first time ever at senior level, and Sean Power's team will be dead set on replicating that feat when they line out on the hallowed turf next month.
