Morrissey hoping Déise can pass their Limerick test
PEOPLE meant well when telling the Waterford players they had performed creditably in losing by a mere six points to Kilkenny a fortnight ago but they weren’t having it.
It was a good effort, and they could positives in putting on such a display against one of the top two, despite having goalkeeper Brianna O’Regan sent off early in the second half and coming off a big loss to Galway in the Liberty Insurance All-Ireland Senior Championship.
But in the immediate aftermath of the Group 1 derby, all the players could see was an opportunity spurned.
“If you weren’t disappointed it would be a problem,” says Fiona Morrissey. “Some people were saying ‘Were you delighted to only lose to Kilkenny by six points?’ But the answer was ‘no’ because there were three goal chances which if we’d taken, we could have won the game.
“We beat them on puckouts – I think we won 62pc of overall puckouts. In my own head, once you win the puckout scenarios, that should have a big bearing on winning the match.”
Her role has changed this season, but the 24-year-old primary school teacher is revelling in a more demanding environment and the raising of standards. Some of the latter is down to the manager Donal O’Rourke but the influx of young blood is a factor too.
“There’s a really good batch of girls came in when we won the Intermediate All-Irealnd, the likes of Beth Carton and Kate McMahon. Five or six have come into the team again and those girls are used to winning,” she explains.
“Annie Fitzgerald from Gall Tír went out on the pitch against Cork in the Munster Championship. She didn’t care if she was on Gemma O’Connor or Ashling Thompson and she probably didn’t even know. That’s fantastic.”
Of her own changing rold, Morrissey adds: “I’d have been a back in previous seasons. He came in and saw me as a forward and I’ve a different role now. I love playing under Donal and Shane Dunphy beside him is very tactically clever.”
Limerick are the visitors to Walsh Park today and after losses to Galway and Kilkenny, the equation for Waterford is simple. Beat Limerick and Clare, and they will be in a quarterfinal. Lose today and it’s over.