Plenty at stake for Waterford here if results go in their favour but what about Dublin? After their draw with Tipperary on Saturday Anthony Daly told The Irish Examiner that “Fellas need a break. We may have a look at a few lads that weren’t in the 26 today. We badly need to freshen up I feel. We had three savage tussles more intense than normal league games. And Croke Park adds to that as well.” Daly’s selection will be watched with interest.
Dublin may be doomed to a relegation play off but they can decide which opponents they face on April 15. A win on Sunday means another clash with Waterford, while defeat and a Kilkenny victory would drag Galway into the dogfight. Dublin’s league fate has been shaped by last minute drama thus far. Paul Ryan’s missed free against Cork, Matthew Ruth’s winning goal at Nowlan Park and Liam Rushe’s equaliser on Saturday leave the Dubs with only one point on the board. Despite netting ten goals in four games, a ruthless streak remains missing from their armour. They couldn’t close out the deal against Kilkenny and last weekend they won enough possession to do without the late leveller. Stephen Hiney, Tomás Brady, Peter Kelly and Conal Keaney make up their injury list at present and Paul Ryan recently joined them. This has opened the door for players like Ruairi Trainor and Danny Sutcliffe to stake a claim and they have applied themselves well in recent weeks.
For the home side, the coaching abilities of Ken McGrath and Sean Cullinane will be tested as they need to hit the ground running in their first backroom involvement at inter county level. They will get little time to settle into their new roles and arriving into a senior hurling squad more than three months into a season is far from ideal. On the flip side, a fresh approach could be just what is required and these two new voices will command great respect in the dressing room. The measure of their impact will, as always, be measured by results. The win over Galway offers some respite for Michael Ryan and his new selectors with the possibility of survival bringing a degree of optimism ahead of Sunday’s game. Fraher Field should be packed to the rafters.
In terms of selection issues Dean Twomey and Eoin McGrath are probably most under threat for their places. Twomey put in a solid shift at midfield last time out but needs to be more decisive in possession. Tactically Waterford used the short game effectively against Galway until they tired in the last ten minutes. The crisp deliveries in front of the inside forwards also paid off as evidenced by the move that led to Shane Walsh’s goal. A third clean sheet in a row will also help and in this regard Stephen O’Keeffe should retain the number one shirt. Adrian Power wasn’t named on the panel in Salthill but did appear on the sideline with the rest of the team. He remains on the periphery however as O’Keeffe has grabbed his opportunity with both hands.
In the final analysis, a lot will depend on the starting fifteen Anthony Daly puts out and whether they will target this game or leave something in the tank for April 15. Dublin come into this one more battle hardened but Waterford may be invigorated by the changes behind the scenes. If they show up with the same attitude as they did in Salthill, stick with the short ball game and sharpen some of the rough edges as regards their shooting, Michael Ryan’s men should keep up their end of the bargain and leave survival resting on the outcome in Nowlan Park.
National Hurling League Division 1A
Waterford v Dublin
Throw in 2.30 at Fraher Field
Referee: Diarmuid Kirwan
Betting:
Waterford 11/10 Draw 10/1 Dublin 5/6
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