The race for the News & Star cup has rarely been so open for debate. Like the Grand National at Aintree, you could make an argument for almost half of the field. Passage set off as a 20/1 shout last year.
Clubs have emerged from nowhere to contest county deciders in recent renewals. Tallow in 2011, Dungarvan in 2012 and Passage in 2013. A sea of red and a flood of emotion swept over Walsh Park last October. “You only have to look around, there’s nothing but people in red tops with tears in their eyes,” said Peter Queally in the immediate aftermath.
It wasn’t always as democratic. Mount Sion and Ballygunner enjoyed a sustained period of dominance during the nineties. De La Salle then announced their arrival by making the 2005 final before making the breakthrough three years later. Lismore and Ballyduff Upper provided brief interruptions before others opened their minds to the possibility of making a title charge.
Retaining News & Star cup is no mean feat. Mount Sion were the last side to do so back in 2004. Nine teams have tried and failed since. Passage became the great entertainers during their maiden win but also grasped the nettle when the window of opportunity presented itself. Their versatility shone through especially in the key knockout ties. All six backs could move around and the forwards also had that adaptability with the subs, most notably Sean Hogan, strengthening their hand for the final furlong. Their scores came through 13 different sources.
Retrieving lost causes also became a trait. They overturned deficits of nine, four and seven in consecutive knockout matches to take home the silver. The trial facing Peter Queally is attempting to recapture that spirit and whiff of magic. Furthermore, can they continue to become embroiled in free for alls? They laced 17 goals and 120 points in the space of eight games but also allowed 13 goals and 113 points slip through. That amounts to a concession rate of 19 points per game. To stand a chance of doing back to back, they must examine those leaks.
Seven minutes of madness allowed Ballygunner’s autumn progress to unravel. They absorbed everything thrown at them up to then. Wayne Hutchinson shut off the Passage attacking threat with Pauric Mahony, David O’Sullivan and Stephen Power all making inroads at the opposite end. They had done enough to deserve an early glimpse at the prize. Pauric Mahony rebooted from the Dungarvan game onwards and caused discomfort to Jamie Nagle and Kevin Moran amongst others. Along with Stephen O’Keeffe, he called the shots.
The Gunners have now lost eight finals from twelve appearances since 2000. Fergal Hartley knows the recent ups and downs associated with the club so few are better positioned than the former captain to motivate and direct the recovery operation. They could almost field a senior inter county representative in every line. Very few clubs can make the same boast. Hartley may look to deepen his pool of possible starters as they relied on a largely settled bunch towards the tail end of last season. The Gunners only used 17 players in the knockout rounds.
Despite losing their county crown, De La Salle stored minor and under 21 silverware to compensate. Adam Farrell and Shane Ryan in particular appear ready to attack this season and make up for their shortfalls up front. By the time they hit Ballygunner in the quarters, most of their key men were below full fitness and Brian Phelan started at full forward. Jake Dillon became their top forward in 2013 by shooting 5-38. If they can stay injury-free, the favourites can reach a fourth final in seven years.
Mount Sion start as serious contenders. Passage were the only team to get the better of them in championship 2013. By the end of that semi final, they simply ran out of bodies and lacked the squad strength to match the back-up options that Peter Queally turned to. They should welcome back Martin O’Neill and Ian Galgey as the season wears on. Austin Gleeson and Stephen Roche grew into the marquee men up top. Ian O’Regan is pushing Stephen O’Keeffe to the pin of his collar and Eoin McGrath distributed possession sharply from midfield last term. Tony Browne struck 16 points over two games in the St Mollerans tournament and is clearly enjoying a return to the number twelve shirt.
The likely chasing pack, capable of causing of stir, consists of four. Abbeyside submitted a progressive piece of work in 2013. They embarked on a four game winning streak led by the goalscoring spree of Patrick Hurney (10-11 in total). They couldn’t capitalise on a positive start against Ballygunner in the last four and ended up shooting 11 wides. They are maybe one forward short of adding to that 2008 final appearance and they also must sort out a position that allows Richie Foley to bloom. In a sticky group, getting two points on the board by Sunday evening will be important.
Out of the dozen, Lismore have the most scope for improvement. One point losses to Fourmilewater and Ballyduff Upper counted against them when passes to the last eight party were handed out. New boss Sean Prendergast needs to add a layer of steel. An overemphasis on Maurice Shanahan continues to hold them back. Moving Ray Barry into the forwards may alleviate that issue.
Fourmilewater suffered a horrendous fall at the quarter final hurdle with 3-16 to 0-6 shellacking at the hands of Abbeyside. Under new management, they will enter this year as a different animal and carrying less expectation. Liam Lawlor and Shane Walsh start determined to move up the pecking order after only playing a peripheral part for Waterford thus far. Fourmile have made three quarter finals and semi final since 2010. They have the material (especially with fledgling talents like Jamie Barron, Shane Ryan, Conor Gleeson and Dermot Ryan on board) to make that a fifth straight knockout appearance.
Dungarvan didn’t qualify for the quarter finals in 2013 but they are likely to remedy that situation considering their base of young stars. Darren Duggan, Kevin Daly, Ryan Donnelly and the Currans are soaking up knowledge since they arrived ahead of schedule to the county final in 2012. Michael Kiely transfers in to improve their attacking options. Add in the authority of Jamie Nagle, Shane Kearney and Gavin Crotty and the Blues can be considered as dark horses.
Which teams will be walking the tightrope between qualification and relegation? Ballyduff Upper soldiered on without Adrian Power and Stephen Molumphy for the vast part of 2013 and narrowly missed out on the semis. Michael Kearney filled in 1-45 on his scorecard. Remember that they led by 0-11 to 0-2 with only two minutes left in the first period of the quarter final with Passage. The goal that Owen Connors snatched, against the run of play, just before half time changed the course of events. The Reds will be on the borderline when it comes to deciding who advances to the latter stages.
Tallow suffer from unpredictable mood swings. 2013 followed that trend.Wins over An Rinn and De La Salle far outweighed by harsh hidings from Lismore and Mount Sion. With none of their players tied up with the county, they may be able to work on stabilising their condition. Settling on a free taker is one obvious first step. Thomas Ryan carries the role of captaincy and his form will largely dictate their progress. Few forwards in the county could match the brace he pulled off against An Rinn last year.
The evidence collected from the intermediate finals and Munster expedition last year suggests that Ardmore can cope with the step up to senior. Seamus Keating and Michael Cronin are among those that have added pace and power since their last excursion in the deep end. The support acts for Seamus Prendergast will determine whether they can avoid the drop. To chalk up wins, he may need to post double digits on a regular basis. They will target Ballyduff Upper first up as Ballygunner are their opponents in round two.
Roanmore have slipped into the relegation play-off in two of the last three campaigns. The Sky Blues will have their work cut out to avoid that scenario again. With their optimum fifteen they can prove a tricky opponent but that has seldom been the case. The grit shown by Daniel Murphy and David Barrett to ensure survival last time will be necessary once again.
Ballygunner begin eager to amend October’s outcome. Considering the high quality candidates that are able to fill every department and the newness of the management structure, that pain can be washed away.
JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SHC Odds
De La Salle 13/8
Ballygunner 11/4
Mount Sion 15/2
Passage 8/1
Lismore 8/1
Dungarvan 9/1
Fourmilewater 12/1
Abbeyside 14/1
Ballyduff Upper 16/1
Tallow 50/1
Ardmore 66/1
Roanmore 66/1
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