Following several years of coming up short to one of the game's most enduring and formidable forces, Katie Murray and Comeragh Rangers finally took an historic leap forward under the Fraher Field floodlights on Friday, 11 October.
For 10 of the past 11 seasons, Comeragh had reached the Waterford senior ladies football championship decider only to lose out against Ballymacarbry on each occasion.
The Rathgormack club had come so close to claiming a maiden top-tier title in 2023, but Ballymac ultimately squeezed home after extra-time and secured an astonishing 42nd consecutive Waterford SFC crown in the process.
While injury prevented her from taking part in their 2022 showpiece defeat to the reigning champions, Murray had played an active role in the vast majority of the finals that Comeragh lost between 2013 and 2023.
Having shared in a collective heartbreak with her team-mates for so long, she was both delighted and relieved that Comeragh finally brought Ballymac’s extraordinary winning run to an end in Dungarvan a little over a fortnight ago – their latest duel with the all-conquering side finishing 5-03 to 1-06 in their favour.
"Everyone is just in such a good mood to finally do it. We’ve been trying for the last 12 years to get over the line and to finally do it is just unbelievable. It’s just such a relief to finally be the ones that are celebrating at the final whistle and not being disappointed," Murray said.
"It is hard to come back every year to be up against the same team and losing to the same team, but we’ve such respect for them. They’ve set such a standard for ladies football. Not just in Waterford, but in Ireland. We were up against one of the best teams in the country and we were still only losing by small
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