1. Going to town on the Tribe (1998)
Battered and bruised by Clare seven days earlier, Galway felt the full force of the Waterford rebellion. In a year of stunning works, Browne painted a spectacular portrait. Four 65s, two frees and a sideline ball amounted to seven. Browne also supplied Sean Daly’s goal when the Growler doubled on his ninth minute 65’. He treasured that day. When interviewed before the semi final, he said: “Beating Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final was the best thing to happen to me in hurling. Winning in the championship in Croke Park after 35 years will always be a something to savour.” He scored 1-17 in all to be crowned Hurler of the Year and join Ollie Baker in the All Star midfield. The pen of Vincent Hogan best described his influence on that long, hot summer. “When he is good, it is like he is moving the earth without waking up the house.”
2. Changing lanes (1992)
Browne started out the under 21 campaign as a front man. Cork were taken down for the very first time at Walsh Park before defeating Clare in the Munster final. He was injured for the semi final cruise against Antrim. Before the All Ireland decider, the captain was identified to undertake a specific task. The late Tony Mansfield, manager of that team, remembered how the decision was made. “Peter Power came up with the idea of playing Tony Browne at wing back; he had been playing wing forward up to then. He slotted in there and did a great job.” Waterford recovered a five point deficit with four goals to tie up Offaly by full time (4-4 to 0-16). 28,000 crammed into Nowlan Park for the replay as Waterford relied on their point power to send Tony up the steps. “Captaining the Waterford under 21 All-Ireland winning side of 1992 was a very sweet experience”, he later reflected.
3. Timely goals end provincial search (2002)
Tony scored four championship goals and two arrived like the buses in 2002. A squally Semple Sunday greeted the Munster semi final. Mistakes were in store. Early in the second half, the number seven delivered a dipping drive, from around 60 metres, towards the full forward line. It zoomed just over their heads. Donal Óg Cusack allowed the ball to hop and it skipped beyond his outstretched hurley towards the bottom corner. A rare slip by the Cloyne custodian boosted Waterford towards a 1-16 to 1-15 success. Midway through the second half of the final, the teams were on equal terms. Stephen Brenner launched one of his trademark long pucks over Seamus Prendergast and Philip Maher who reached up to fetch. Browne anticipated the flight. Fergal Hartley recalls the play. “As the ball broke through, Noel Morris was on Tony but Tony made the move a couple of steps ahead of Noel Morris. What made Tony great is that he saw that ages before anybody else.” He whipped first time off his right and through the legs of Brendan Cummins.
4. Munster final man of the match (1998)
Whatever about the dark clouds that gathered afterwards, Browne starred in his first senior provincial final appearance. He hurled up a second half storm with the gale at his back. Waterford trailed the All Ireland champions by 1-10 to 1-2 at the break. He snapped up three points, including a line ball. Gerald McCarthy and Shane Ahearne strongly contested one of those points and won their case as the umpire waved the white flag. His sideline on 65 minutes trimmed the gap to three and then Paul Flynn crashed home a 21 metre free. He was also in possession when PJ O’Connell put in a reckless high challenge that handed Flynn a shot at a Munster title.
5. Centre of attention (1994)
One player’s defiance can flip the face of a game and Browne commanded number six in the Munster under 21 final in Fermoy to turn water into wine. Clare called on Frank Lohan, Seanie McMahon, Ollie Baker, Fergal Hegarty and Eamonn Taaffe for that occasion. Manager Jim Greene raved about that one man show. “We were eight points down at half time and Tony’s performance at centre back in the second half was the best hurling I ever saw Tony playing.” Waterford prevailed by 1-12 to 0-12.
6. Body on the line (2010)
One final fling at a reprieve as Eoin Kelly placed the sliotar four minutes into injury time of the 2010 Munster final. Flying in for the rebound from the right arrived Browne and he pulled beyond seven red shirts. During extra time of the replay, the 37 year old was offering more than most. With the game poised at 1-12 to 0-15 nearing the end of the first period, he stood over a free outside the 65 metre line. He scored and Waterford never let go of that lead. Then, thirty seconds of injury time left and Cathal Naughton exchanged passes with Niall McCarthy. Browne dived down as Naughton loaded his shot and the ball rebounded off his black helmet and away for a sideline ball. He thrived on that endurance filled environment. “There was just such an atmosphere there that we were never going to lose it. It was another Cork/Waterford classic, and I’m shattered.”
7. Individual acclaim in competitive arena (2006)
All Stars were hard earned in Browne’s line of work during the mid-noughties. Consider the half back lines let loose by Kilkenny and Cork and chuck in names like Eamonn Corcoran and Conor O’Mahony from Tipperary. The new number five earned a nomination in 2005 but progressed to the podium a year later. Waterford veered towards the first exit and drove the long way to Croker in 2006. Browne scored points in the qualifier victories over Westmeath and Galway. Five times that year, his direct opponent was substituted. With time racing down and rain teeming down against Cork, Browne forced a foul from Ben O’Connor. Ken McGrath got every ounce out of it but Donal Óg Cusack raised a stick to leave Waterford devastated. All Ireland silver denied, he joined Ronan Curran and Tommy Walsh in the chosen half back line.
8. Third All Star in close call (2007)
2007 signalled a third All Star season. The classics with Cork dominated that campaign, particularly the 41-score chaos that unfolded in Munster. They scored five goals but an understrength Cork proved plucky. With two minutes left, a crossfield ball by Eoin McGrath released Browne bounding down the right wing. Ben O’Connor scampered back but to no avail. Up against the sideline on the Old Stand, he turned in a crowd pleasing score to send them three points up. Shane Murphy shook the crossbar but Waterford survived. In the ill-fated All Ireland semi final against Limerick, he lashed one from midfield to narrow to one with six minutes remaining and gave a fleeting sense that the green waves were subsiding.
9. Breaking the pain barrier (1999)
A week before Waterford’s first round with Limerick, Browne sustained an ankle injury during training at Fraher Field that ruled him out. He consulted Tadhg O’Sullivan. “He told me ligaments in the ankle are damaged and that was worse than I anticipated. One minute I was flying and seconds later I was on the ground in agony.” He passed a late fitness test and lasted the seventy. Brian Greene received his marching orders on 49 minutes but Browne took up the baton. Waterford got there by one. “People will probably say it was some kind of scam now,” Gerald McCarthy remarked afterwards. “Hand on heart, I travelled in to our team meeting in St Finbarrs this morning 99.9% certain that, not alone would Tony not be playing, he wouldn’t even be togging out.”
10. Standing ovation (2013)
With ten minutes to play in Mullingar, Tony Browne stepped in for Ray Barry for his first involvement of 2013 but this was no ordinary substitution. The noise was so deafening that the PA announcer took time to compose himself. “Now that ye have all quietened down, I can go ahead and announce the substitution.” The day took another twist when his hurley was declared missing after posing for a photo. He was later reunited with his weapon of choice. In an unfamiliar number 22 jersey, he made it 65 appearances and didn’t look out of place when Waterford unsettled the Cats in Semple Stadium. “A lot of people would probably question you and think you’re a bit crazy and what have you. But the way I see it is that the day I do retire I can look at myself in the mirror and say ‘listen, I went until I could go’.”
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