PREVIEW: Kildare have to replicate clinical form to beat Waterford

It is a huge fixture for all concerned when the Kildare ladies travel south to face Waterford and, in case both sides needing a win wasn’t enough, there are plenty of narrative strands too.

The Lilies manager Pat Sullivan is a Waterford-native and the man in the Kildare dugout now is there based in part on some of the fine results he achieved in his two stints as boss of his own county. These ready and willing opponents face off on Saturday, March 21 at 5pm in Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field in the penultimate round of Lidl Ladies National Football League Division 1.

Kildare are still looking over their shoulder having achieved their first win of the season last time out against Meath, while The Déise have set their sights upward with a top two finish still within reach. The Lilies carried out what they had been threatening to do for weeks when they exploded into life against The Royals.

Despite a choppy opening few minutes in terms of chance conversion, it was perhaps the most dominant Pat Sullivan’s side have looked against a top-level side under his tutelage.

Kildare defence
Summarising Kildare’s output as solely the achievement of the back six and goalkeeper would be reductive given the collective nature of modern defending. With that said, whether in reports or previews, it is often hard to find a spot to give those players further back the pitch their flowers.

Goalkeeper Carla Nallen has been challenged a lot aerially this season and dealt with those tasks well, while crucially getting a touch of luck when a ball has been parried into a less than ideal area of the field. Ruth Sargent and Mia Doherty have been mainstays in the Kildare full-backline and both have been brilliant this year.

Their tackles, turnovers and massive ability to carry the ball up the field has been crucial. That pair have been joined by a mix of Emma Wheeler and Aine Mernagh, both of whom have also impressed at times.

The Lilies most recent wing-back line of Hazel McLoughlin, Laoise Lenehan, and Molly Aspell provided a wonderful blend of physicality and skill at both ends of the field. All three were exemplary against The Royals with Lenehan showing her aerially ability in the lead up The lilies’ second goal, McLoughlin grabbing a superb point all of her own making and Aspell carrying possession up the field time and time again.

These six or seven players, and a couple of others, have platformed Kildare exceptionally well in the games that they performed best, and they will need to be on top form to manage this dangerous Waterford outfit.

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Up the field
Nanci Murphy and Gillian Wheeler have been a strong midfield partnership with Pat Sullivan trusting Murphy from the off this year after coming into the panel. The Kilcullen player brought an immediate presence in the middle of the field against Cork on the opening day and has stayed there ever since.

In a game where The Lilies scored four goals, Gillian Wheeler had an argument for being the best player on the pitch last time out. The St Laurence’s midfielder’s mobility and ability with the ball are crucial for Kildare. Wheeler and Murphy will need to be strong and dynamic once again come Saturday with Waterford seriously strong down the spine of their team.

Up front is where things have gone awry at times for Kildare this year with that final clinical touch being absent in a couple of near miss games such as against Dublin and Cork. That all changed against Meath and hopefully for good; it has been frustrating to watch chances be squandered and results lost for a team who have performed quite well in some games that they have come up short in.

Those shortcomings so far are not for the want of talent though. Aoife Murnane has been a revelation this year and even if she had not got her goal would have grabbed huge plaudits for her most recent showing. The Maynooth forward’s direct runs at defenders causes all types of trouble and usually results in Murnane either in space or winning a free-kick. In a similar vein, Mayah Doyle has been mightily impressive these past couple of weeks with similarly direct-running and producing similarly positive results from it too.

Alannah Prizeman was back to herself last time out with a cool rounding of the ‘keeper to net herself a goal, which hopefully sets her back on track to being the prolific goal-scorer Kildare profited from last year. The Naas forward has looked short of confidence recently but taking that chance in the 36th minute against Meath should do her the world of good.

In the absence of more seasoned members of intercounty football, Aoife Rattigan has stood up brilliantly for Kildare. The Cappagh forward has one of the purest strikes of a ball of any footballer you’ll see in Division 1 and has kicked an unbelievable 1-9 in her last two games.

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Waterford
The Déise have pocketed nine points from their three wins and two defeats so far in the Lidl Ladies NFL top tier. It was a blistering start to the league campaign for Tomás Mac an tSaoir’s side, who beat Armagh and Kerry away from home before finishing five clear of Dublin when they met the All-Ireland champions in Dungarvan.

However, a home defeat to Meath and an away loss to table-toppers Cork, albeit by a single point, has stalled their perceived momentum and they will be looking to get back on track on home soil against The Lilies.

The main threats for the recently resolute Kildare backline will in the main be the familiar to many Bríd McMaugh, strong shooter Chloe Fennell and central presence Kellyann Hogan. Those three names alongside a versatile attacking force have managed an average of 15 points per game (ppg) in the league so far. McMaugh has managed solid tallies throughout her side’s league campaign with 1-3 against Kerry, 0-3 against The Dubs and a couple of goals in that narrow defeat to Cork.

Chloe Fennell came back into the Waterford ladies panel in 2025 after two years away and has been impressive so far in ‘26. The Stradbally forward can also boast about being amongst the first to score a two-pointer under the new LGFA rules, which came in her superb all round display against Kerry, where she hit 0-7.

Kellyann Hogan joined AFLW side Collingwood in late 2024 at the same time as Kildare’s Neasa Dooley, but the Ballymacarbry woman has been available for her county this year in the league and has consistently popped up with a couple of points throughout their campaign. The former captain is undoubtedly a huge figure in terms of experience and leadership in this Waterford panel.

At the back for The Déise, Laura Mulcahy has been strong between the sticks and the home side for this game have conceded an average of just 11.4 ppg (compared to Kildare’s 14.8) so far this year. Even in defeat Mac an tSaoir’s side have never been blown away in the fashion The Lilies were against Galway and have not shipped more than a total of 15 points in any of their games.

There is a great game in store when these sides meet on March 21. All stats point to the home side with more scores on the board and a better defensive record, but similar could have been said of Kildare facing The Royals last time out and they turned in a season best showing to topple their near rivals.

The Lilies will be highly motivated to avoid the drop and for Waterford this game is all about getting back to where they were in those first three games as they continue their hunt for a top two finish. The Lilies meet The Déise for a 5pm throw-in in Cappoquin Logistics Fraher Field.