Friday 30 October 2015

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SFC Semi Final Predictions


The stranglehold of the big three shows no signs of loosening in the Waterford SFC. This weekend, Kilrossanty join the established trio in the semi finals. Since Ardmore's county final appearance in 2007, Gaultier, Ballinameela, An Rinn, Clashmore and Kilrossanty have all come up short at this stage of the championship. The first semi final promises to charge up a forgettable season as The Nire and Stradbally meet again in a remake of last year's county final.

30 October

The Nire v Stradbally (8.00 at Fraher Field)
The first quarter of this latest battle will be savagely contested. Stradbally tend to start quick. They raced 2-3 to 0-1 up after 19 minutes against Kilrossanty and surged 1-5 to 0-0 clear of Ardmore after just 14 minutes. The Reds squeezed up on the Ardmore kickouts which placed huge pressure on goalkeeper Sean Barron and they made hay at midfield through Michael Walsh and John Hearne. That will be a key battleground once again on Friday night. In last year's county final, Michael O'Gorman gave a warrior-like display in that department. Benj Whelan's side kicked five points in a row during the second quarter to spur them on to victory. Keep a close eye on how The Nire cope with Stradbally's pressing game especially from kickouts. Tom Wall likes to take a couple of short ones and these will have to be perfectly executed. The champions are short on match practice given their hurling commitments and were out of football action for two months before last Saturday's quarter final against Brickey Rangers. Nine different names popped up with points as they did the hard work during the first half. Conor Gleeson will be closely watched by Stradbally following last year's five point exhibition but there looks to be plenty of support from elsewhere if he is held. A couple of high balls did cause them difficulty however and one of the Ahearne brothers may be planted on the edge of the square. Stradbally also have issues to iron out after they kicked fourteen wides and struck the woodwork three times against Ardmore. With the margins so fine, discipline will be important for both sides here. Recent encounters between these two suggest that twelve or thirteen points should be sufficient and The Nire seem to have a broader base of scorers to chisel out the scores required.

Odds: The Nire 4/5 Draw 13/2 Stradbally 11/8
Prediction: The Nire

31 October

Ballinacourty v Kilrossanty (7.30 at Fraher Field)
A step up in class for Kilrossanty following last weekend's comprehensive win against Clashmore. Tommy Prendergast, Paul Whyte and David Power all put in a shift around midfield. Whyte also turned up in attack to kick 1-2 from play. They absorbed the Clashmore pressure during the third quarter and struck for a clinching goal on the counter attack through Pa Cunningham. Joey Veale scored two points but created plenty for the other forwards around him. On the same night, Ballinacourty scored 3-16 from play against Gaultier to enhance their title credentials. They have picked up the pieces in recent matches following Gary Hurney's return to the attack. Shane O'Donovan is a big plus for them up front and the corner forward has come up with six goals this season. Ballinacourty boast 15-81 over championship games and that front six will be brimming with confidence following last weekend's blowout.

Odds: Ballinacourty 1/4 Draw 9/1 Kilrossanty 15/4
Prediction: Ballinacourty

Thursday 29 October 2015

The Nire v Stradbally SFC championship battles 2002-2015



Fierce rivals The Nire and Stradbally have clashed in fourteen knockout games since 2002. The Reds dominate this fixture with eight wins including the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2012 county finals. The Nire can only reflect on two wins in the 2006 and 2014 finals. Four draws also occurred in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2012 while the 2010 quarter final went to extra time. The holders step into Friday's semi final as marginal favourites.

2002 Final
Stradbally 3-8 The Nire 2-11

2002 Final Replay
Stradbally 0-12 The Nire 0-10

2003 Semi Final
Stradbally 1-11 The Nire 0-6

2004 Final
Stradbally 1-5 The Nire 0-8

2004 Final Replay
Stradbally 2-8 The Nire 1-4

2005 Final
The Nire 0-6 Stradbally 0-6

2005 Final Replay
Stradbally 1-8 The Nire 1-4

2006 Final
The Nire 1-5 Stradbally 0-3

2009 Final
Stradbally 2-5 The Nire 0-9

2010 Quarter Final
Stradbally 1-12 The Nire 0-11 (AET)

2011 Semi Final
Stradbally 0-11 The Nire 0-9

2012 Final
Stradbally 2-2 The Nire 0-8

2012 Final Replay
Stradbally 1-8 The Nire 0-10

2014 Final
The Nire 0-11 Stradbally 0-6

Friday 23 October 2015

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SFC Quarter Final Predictions


The Waterford SFC started on Friday, April 10 at Fraher Field. Six months and thirteen days later, the path is clear for the quarter finals to take place and the race is on to complete the championship in time for the Munster club quarter final against either Nemo Rangers or Castlehaven before November 8. In 2008, Waterford missed out on the deadline and the cup was handed over to John Moore on December 14. It appears that the date will be met at this stage but draws in the semi final or final would place clubs under further pressure. The Nire have only competed in four championship matches until mid October and could possibly be involved in three over the next fortnight. This situation must be ironed out by all parties concerned before the start of the 2016 championship to prevent this happening once more. It requires detailed fixture planning and also flexibility from clubs to stage matches in midweek.

23 October

Stradbally v Ardmore (8.00 at Fraher Field)
Ardmore floored the Reds in 2007 at the semi final stage. Their fortunes have dipped since that county final appearance and they availed of a relegation play-off to stay senior last season. They have shown considerable improvement this term to win their first group match in three years against De La Salle and then squeeze past Rathgormack two weeks ago. They trailed by two points entering the last ten minutes but younger players like Seamus Keating, James Kennedy and Michael O'Neill responded to the challenge. Stradbally would be ranked number one among the Conway Cup contenders based on current form. They scored 7-66 as they bulldozed through the group stages. Michael Walsh continues to call the shots at midfield supported by the Ahearnes. They have added pace to the team with Jack Mullaney, Michael Sweeney, Daniel Weldon, Paul Tobin and the Cusacks bursting through. It's hard to see Ardmore causing another upset eight years on.

Odds: Stradbally 1/9 Draw 14/1 Ardmore 11/2
Prediction: Stradbally

24 October

Clashmore v Kilrossanty (6.30 at Fraher Field)
Kilrossanty have lost the last three quarter finals after making the semis in 2011. Clashmore missed the knockout stages entirely last year but did make the final four in 2012. Kilrossanty shipped a severe beating to Stradbally six weeks ago where they only scored two points from play. Their opponents will benefit from two games against Ballinacourty and an opening round win over The Nire. This clash may hinge on the duel between the Kilrossanty inside pair of Paul Whyte and Joey Veale against the Clashmore full back line. Clashmore have only conceded four goals in six games and they possess capable defenders in the Bourkes and Kieran Connery to restrain these two sharpshooters.

Odds: Clashmore 5/6 Draw 7/1 Kilrossanty 6/5
Prediction: Clashmore

The Nire v Brickey Rangers (8.00 at Fraher Field)
The Nire may be a little rusty here following two months without a competitive assignment. They bounced back from an early jolt to Clashmore by scraping past Ardmore and Ballinacourty before shooting 4-12 against Rathgormack. The Brickeys are back in the knockout stages following a four year absence. They dug themselves out of relegation difficulty with a pair of one point wins over An Rinn and St Saviours. Conor McGrath, Carthach Shalloe and Cormac O'Grady will take watching as the Brickeys average 13 points per game. Shane Walsh was in tremendous form before the break however and he should take a grip at midfield to guide the champions back to the semis.

Odds: The Nire 1/9 Draw 14/1 Brickey Rangers 11/2
Prediction: The Nire

Ballinacourty v Gaultier (7.30 at St Mollerans)
Courty won four out of five in Group 1 but looked rather sluggish towards the latter end. Gary Hurney's return to full forward offered a different dynamic in the play-off win over Clashmore and it also brought the best out of Mark Ferncombe. They could be choosing their moment carefully to strike top form. Gaultier knocked out last year's semi finalists An Rinn to make the quarters. They competed strongly in all five matches and the success of the minor team has rubbed off on the seniors. Who will pick up the rampant JJ Hutchinson? He has collated 2-26 in five games to sit second in the scoring charts behind Paul Whyte. This will be no pushover for the odds on favourites.

Odds: Ballinacourty 1/16 Draw 16/1 Gaultier 7/1
Prediction: Ballinacourty

Saturday 17 October 2015

Waterford SHC Final Stats - Ballygunner v Tallow


Ballygunner

Manager: Denis Walsh
Captain: David O’Sullivan
County Titles: 13
Scores For: 9-113
Scores Against: 2-89

2015 Championship Results
Ballygunner 2-18 Ballyduff Upper 0-9
Ballygunner 1-14 Fourmilewater 1-7
De La Salle 0-17 Ballygunner 1-12
Ballygunner 2-21 Abbeyside 0-16
Ballygunner 0-20 Tallow 0-16
Ballygunner 2-12 Mount Sion 0-12
Ballygunner 1-16 Fourmilewater 1-12

Scorers
Brian O’Sullivan 2-29
Stephen Power 3-20
Peter Hogan 2-6
JJ Hutchinson 1-8
Barry O’Sullivan 0-10
Pauric Mahony 0-9
Billy O’Keeffe 1-4
David O’Sullivan 0-7
Shane O’Sullivan 0-7
Conor Power 0-4
Stephen O’Keeffe 0-4
Tim O’Sullivan 0-2
Philip Mahony 0-1
Gary Molloy 0-1
David Walsh 0-1

Tallow

Manager: Terence McSweeney
Captain: Mark O’Brien
County Titles: 4
Scores For: 9-101
Scores Against: 5-103

2015 Championship Results
Tallow 1-15 De La Salle 2-12
Tallow 2-15 Ballyduff Upper 1-13
Tallow 2-13 Abbeyside 1-11
Fourmilewater 1-13 Tallow 0-15
Ballygunner 0-20 Tallow 0-16
Tallow 3-13 Dungarvan 0-18
Tallow 1-14 Ballyduff Upper 0-16

Scorers
Thomas Ryan 3-42
Ryan Grey 2-19
Paul O’Brien 1-14
Evan Sheehan 2-4
William Henley 1-5
Paul Kearney 0-6
Robert O’Sullivan 0-4
Jordan Henley 0-2
Aidan Kearney 0-2
Brian McCarthy 0-1
Bob McCarthy 0-1
Kieran Geary 0-1