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12th August 2019
12:30pm BST
“Galway supporters have been great all year long and we will be asking them to come out. No doubt Mayo will have a big crowd at it. We lost the semi-final last year. We know what that will be like although it will be a unique occasion in Croke Park.
“I was with the girls last year when we were beaten so I know what it is like to lose a semi-final as well.
“It is a nowhere position because at least if you get to the final you are there on the biggest day of the year. It will be very important we put in a big performance.”
Galway had beaten Kerry and Westmeath since their Connacht final victory over Mayo at the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. They were expected to negotiate this hurdle too but the rain fell in a deluge in the first half and made it very difficult for the players.
Galway still held a narrow 1-6 to 1-4 lead at half-time. They were 1-4 to 0-2 ahead afterTracey Leonard scored her goal in the 18th minute, but Aileen Wall struck back eight minutes later.
However Waterford were restricted to Wall’s second goal after half-time while Galway hit 0-6 with Sarah Conneally rounding off the scoring.
“I couldn’t take away from us, the amount of heart, the effort, the tracking, hassling and tackling we did,” said Rabbitt.
“We really had to dig in today in these conditions. It wasn’t a day for nice football.
“I would be really proud of the girls.”
Waterford had hammered Monaghan en route to the final but they found reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin too strong in the round robin.
Galway were similarly impressive here and Waterford manager Ciaran Curran believes there was a gulf in class in the second half.
“In the first half we were right in it,” said Curran. “We caused trouble for them going forward and it was a 50-50 game.
“In the second half, in fairness, Galway were the better team. They were deserved winners.
“We didn’t score enough but we didn’t create enough scoring chances.”
“It is good to be back in Croke Park,” said Leahy. “There has been a lot of tribulation over the last couple of years for Mayo.
“This is a journey for the girls. We did a video for them recently about their journey. Every team has a point where it becomes a new team. We became a new team last year after all that happened.
“We are an open book. Warts, cuts and all we just get on with it. It has been my most enjoyable year coaching any team.”
Mayo dominated the opening quarter of the game but only took a 1-7 to 0-7 lead into half-time.
The Connacht finalists were 0-6 to 0-1 ahead after just nine minutes with Rowe, Grace Kelly, Sinéad Cafferky, Niamh Kelly, Rachel Kearns and Clodagh McManamon all on target.
But Armagh rallied before half-time backed by the brilliant Caroline O’Hanlon who was deployed on the edge of the square.
Crucially Reilly found the net when she was set up by Grace Kelly and Mayo were in front at half-time.
Armagh were fresh off a shock win over Cork and they took a 1-10 to 1-9 lead when Kelly Mallon found the net in the 41st minute.
Mayo were forced to react and Rowe burst through for a key goal just two minutes later.
Full-back Danielle Caldwell go forward to score and Mayo held off the Armagh challenge late on.
Armagh were looking to reach their first All-Ireland semi-final since 2015 and they came within inches of doing that.
“We are bitterly disappointed,” said Lorraine McCaffrey, who stepped down as Armagh joint-manager along with Fionnuala McAtamney after the defeat.
“We knew it was going to be a tight game. We expected that and we just fell on the wrong side of that. The goals that they got at key times cost us.”
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