Another minor wave emerges – Waterford 3-19 Cork 1-20

On a mild Wednesday evening at Pairc Ui Rinn, the latest batch of Waterford minors took advantage of the favourable conditions to set the heart racing once more. A fourth Munster final in five years on July 14 promises plenty.

This was also the fourth year in a row that Waterford brought a Munster championship game to extra time. It was a game to treasure as this grade again got fans on the edge of their seats. The fear factor was removed and both teams engaged in combat. They were level eight times before the numerical advantage nudged the visitors in the right direction.

In the ebb and flow, both full forward lines filled their boots. That shootout also finished as a tie (1-14 for the Waterford trio and 0-17 for the Cork inside men). Patrick Curran, Stephen Bennett and Conor Gleeson are responsible for 58 per cent of the scores in the three games so far. The Dungarvan ace finished with twelve in total from sixteen shots and played a part in two of the goals. He also had two goal attempts of his own saved. The return of Bennett to the edge of the square kept Cork on edge but Kieran Histon didn’t give him an easy time. His delicate stickwork to finish to the net underlined his star quality. It made up for a couple of untidy strikes and he should have added to his personal tally of 1-1. Gleeson persisted to the final play of extra time to earn his first point of the night. Even after shooting three first half wides, he never let his head drop as his strength in the air and pace gave the hosts another headache. Is there a better inside line left in this year’s championship?

Pa O’Callaghan lived up to his billing as the towering full forward from Ballyhea brought them back to within touching distance of victory in normal time and then galvanised the fourteen men in extra time to keep them in with a shout. At the close of the business, he broke into double figures. Mark O’Connor and Anthony Spillane also contributed from the corners.

In the midst of these shooting stars, Austin Gleeson beamed brightest of all at centre back. His authority over a high ball, especially in the dying embers of normal time, and his dashing bursts from the back offered both ressurement and encouragement to those around him. Those two interventions near the end held off the Rebels at a time when they had bounced back from the shock they received at the start of the second half.

Cork stole a march and although Gleeson began to charge out of defence and start the recovery process, Waterford only managed one point from play in the first half. Stephen Bennett rose the ball too high for his penalty and his shot went down the throat of the Cork goalkeeper after seven minutes. Patrick Curran then had a shot shovelled away and just before the break Curran set up Bennett but he scooped the sliotar wide. Those misses and eight wides left them a six point mountain to scale at half time.

2-1 within three minutes of the restart electrified the contest. The pace was unrelenting from there right to the finish. Even when Cork were reduced to fourteen, you couldn't be certain until that flurry of three unanswered points from Patrick Curran, Paul O'Connor and Conor Gleeson.

It also came down to the strength in depth. When Sean Power looked over his shoulder, he could rely on players pushing for the first fifteen. By contrast, Cork put on two substitutes only to haul them back off again. Christy Breathnach is an old style, bustling half forward who would drive through a brick wall but he has added an element of poise to his game. DJ Foran won a couple of aerial battles and also finished a one-two with Michael Harney to bury Cork in extra time. Points from Breathnach and Paul O’Connor brought the scoring contribution of substitutes up to 1-2.

They can approach the Munster final with confidence in the quality of their panel and a belief after beating one of the traditional powerhouses over an eighty minute marathon. Their win on Leeside, along with Tipp’s demise, resulted in them being installed as favourites for the All Ireland minor title at 11/8. The winning habit instilled at colleges level in De La Salle, Blackwater and Dungarvan is transferring onto the inter county scene. With a commanding general at centre back and lethal weapons in the full forward line, they can burst Limerick’s bubble early in the afternoon. Let the scramble for golden tickets commence!