Former Waterford ladies footballer Michelle Ryan believes the Déise face a huge challenge when they travel to take on Armagh in a crucial All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship clash.

Speaking to WLR, Ryan said Waterford must quickly put last week’s disappointing defeat to Cork behind them and focus on producing a complete performance against one of the championship favourites.

Waterford looked in control for long periods against Cork before surrendering their advantage in the second half, something Ryan believes will have been a major talking point within the camp this week.

“There was a little bit of complacency that maybe set in during the second half,” she said. “The game management let them down massively in terms of being able to steady the ship and do the basic things right when Cork started to build momentum.”

Ryan believes Armagh’s impressive victory over Cork earlier in the championship has established them as serious All-Ireland contenders.

“They scored three goals in the first half against Cork and showed how dangerous and efficient they can be. They’re definitely one of the teams to watch,” she said.

Despite the difficult task ahead, Ryan insists Waterford should take confidence from many aspects of their performance against Cork.

She believes a strong defensive display, particularly through the middle of the team, will be vital if Waterford are to stay in contention and secure the result needed to keep their championship hopes alive.

The winner will be in a strong position to progress to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, while defeat would leave Waterford’s campaign in a relegation play-off.

Fixture: Waterford vs Armagh
Competition: TG4 All-Ireland Senior Championship Group 1 Round 3
Throw-in: 3:00 pm Saturday, 20th of June
Venue: BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh

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