Tight squeeze sees Lismore and Dungarvan lose out - Waterford SHC Round 5

In a tight and tense final round last weekend, Lismore and Dungarvan were squeezed out and left to count the cost of earlier defeats. Lismore lost control of their own destiny with narrow losses to Fourmilewater and Ballyduff Upper while the Blues let a lead slip against Mount Sion and also didn't have the necessary strength in depth. With these two eliminated, Tallow, Ballygunner and Abbeyside all pressed on to the quarter finals. As the action unfolded on Saturday and Sunday evening, the texts, the tweets and the phone calls flowed freely from venue to venue. The combination of results tees up a heavyweight bout between De La Salle and Ballygunner in the quarters and three other close calls.

In Group 1, Lismore bowed out despite dishing out a 25 point walloping to An Rinn. They needed Tallow to slip up against De La Salle but their next door neighbours claimed a 2-10 to 0-13 win at Fraher Field. The county champions were depleted due to the absence of All Stars John Mullane and Kevin Moran along with Waterford minor Adam Farrell. The Bridesiders took full advantage. They did the heavy lifting in the first half with a pair of goals from the stick of Thomas Ryan. He fired his first in the sixth minute and Shane Feeney supplied his second on 17 minutes. Shaun O’Sullivan’s super penalty save from Jake Dillon was sandwiched in between and that preserved their two goal advantage until half time (2-5 to 0-5). Although De La Salle inched their way back, the experience of Mark O’Brien and James Murray in defence along with a seven point showing from Paul Kearney chiselled out a three point win. Lismore kept up their end of the bargain with a merciless 7-23 to 0-19 mauling of An Rinn in Clashmore. A double from Dan Shanahan and a Chris O’Gorman strike allowed them to cruise 3-14 to 0-9 clear by the interval. Further green flags followed courtesy of Paudie Prendergast, John Heneghan, David Howard and Jordan Shanahan but their efforts proved to be in vain. Fourmilewater sealed second spot as they came good after the break to prevail by 1-21 to 1-9 against a weakened Ballyduff Upper. The sides were tied at 0-8 to 1-5 at half time with Kevin Casey netting for the Reds. Fourmile’ strode out with greater purpose at the start of the second period and a burst of 1-5 without reply in the opening ten minutes, including a Jamie Barron goal, clinched the contest.

In Group 2, the Gunners took care of business at Walsh Park with a comfortable 2-17 to 1-9 success over Passage. Brian O’Sullivan’s third minute blast established early supremacy and despite the best efforts of Killian Fitzgerald and Owen Connors, Ballygunner held a 1-7 to 0-6 half time cushion. Passage were hindered by the loss of Eoin Kelly to injury at the break and their opponents kicked on. JJ Hutchinson cracked home a second goal to see Andy Moloney’s men home. Sean Hogan tucked away a consolation for Passage. That left a local squabble between Abbeyside and Dungarvan to decide the remaining quarter final contestant. For so long it looked like Dungarvan would be ones to the progress. With 40 minutes on the watch, they led by 0-13 to 0-6 with Patrick Curran striking sweetly from frees. Meanwhile, Abbeyside shot a heap of draining wides to spoil the good work of their half back line. Patrick Hurney shook them up however and another hefty personal total of 1-4, including a belter of a goal on 42 minutes, swung the contest. Goalkeeper Stephen Enright lashed home a penalty with ten minutes to go and while that put them in front, Dungarvan restored parity entering injury time with a peach from Cormac Curran. Mark Gorman showed steadiness over a late free on the sideline to edge them over the line (2-11 to 0-16). Eight points courtesy of Stephen Roche allowed Mount Sion to pull clear of Roanmore at the Kill grounds and nab top spot in the table (0-17 to 0-10).

Waterford SHC Quarter Finals
To be played September 14/15
De La Salle v Ballygunner
Fourmilewater v Abbeyside
Mount Sion v Tallow
Passage v Ballyduff Upper

Relegation Play-Off
An Rinn v Roanmore

Waterford SHC Team of Round 5

1. Shaun O’Sullivan (Tallow)

2. Chris Ryan (Mount Sion)

3. Mark O’Brien (Tallow)

4. Maurice Power (Abbeyside)

5. Michael Kearney (Ballyduff Upper)

6. John Gorman (Abbeyside)

7. James Murray (Tallow)

8. Seamus Lawlor (Fourmilewater)

9. Cormac Curran (Dungarvan)

10. Pauric Mahony (Ballygunner)

11. Dan Shanahan (Lismore)

12. Patrick Curran (Dungarvan)

13. JJ Hutchinson (Ballygunner)

14. Patrick Hurney (Abbeyside)

15. Thomas Ryan (Tallow)

Waterford SHC Round 5 Previews

 

24 August

De La Salle v Tallow (7.00 at Fraher Field)
Their fate is in their own hands but what a task for Tallow to make the business end of the championship. They turned up with a feisty attitude against Ballyduff and pressed from the front. That’s just a starting point on Saturday night. Getting Thomas Ryan motoring is central to building up a winning total and Aidan Kearney also appeared to enjoy his stint at wing forward last time out. For De La Salle, the incentive is to achieve five wins from five and even though John Mullane limped out of the Lismore clash they won’t allow their standards to dip.
Prediction: De La Salle

Lismore v An Rinn (7.00 at Clashmore)
Lismore are staring down the cliff edge now and An Rinn can nudge them in that direction. A win for the Gaeltacht side elevates them above Lismore and out of relegation waters. Defeat and a relegation play-off is unthinkable territory for Brendan Landers’ men. With many of the pieces in place, it’s a matter of putting things together at both ends. They conceded four goals in successive games (Ballyhale and De La Salle) and may need Dave Bennett to boost the forwards. An Rinn’s prospects hinge on the availability of Donie Breathnach but either way, Lismore must roll up their sleeves.
Prediction: Lismore

Fourmilewater v Ballyduff Upper (7.00 at Cappoquin)
The only issue that arises here is which team will take second spot. Fourmile’ could do with the boost of a second win in a row given the loss of Shane Walsh and a dip in performance levels across the board. They will lean on Liam Lawlor and Jamie Barron to stay steady and for the likes of Seamus Lawlor to emerge from the shadows in a similar manner to the An Rinn encounter. At this moment in time, Ballyduff’s graph remains constant and Mikey Kearney’s radar is working reliably.
Prediction: Ballyduff Upper

25 August
Ballygunner v Passage (7.00 at Walsh Park)
The Gunners were in determined mood from the first whistle last Sunday night. Andy Moloney got their alignment and tactics spot on which left Dungarvan playing catch up. Pauric Mahony’s sweet striking along with Brian O’Sullivan and JJ Hutchinson gives much more of an attacking threat than earlier in the championship. Passage came good to knock Mount Sion off top spot and they are moving nicely. They can tend to leave things open at the back however and unless that bit of looseness is tightened up, the Gunners may live to fight another day.
Prediction: Ballygunner

Dungarvan v Abbeyside (7.00 at Fraher Field)

One or both of these noisy neighbours may remain standing by the close of business. The equation is simple for Dungarvan but Abbeyside can still lose and make the cut. With no knowledge of the Ballygunner scoreline, these two cannot afford to rely on favours. The Blues were flat last Sunday for long stretches before conjuring up a mini reprisal. Their big leaders from 2012 (Jamie Nagle, Shane Kearney and Gavin Crotty) have yet to reach those heights in this campaign. Abbeyside turned a corner when they upset Ballygunner. They are a powerful unit and their forwards are burning off their markers. Another goal or two from that attack will swing the verdict in their direction although Dungarvan can expose a few creaks in their full back line. 
Prediction: Abbeyside

Mount Sion v Roanmore (7.00 at Kill)
Sion didn’t do a whole lot wrong against Passage but missing so many key players gnawed away at them. Kenny Stafford was the latest to leave the fray last weekend. Their resources are strained but they can bounce back here. The Sky Blues are severely depleted in most areas and their focus is now on rallying the troops for a relegation decider.
Prediction: Mount Sion

Waterford SHC Team of Round 4

1. Ian O'Regan (Mount Sion)

2. Mark Wyse (Passage)

3. Tom Feeney (Ballyduff Upper)

4. Maurice Power (Abbeyside)

5. James Murray (Tallow)

6. Liam Lawlor (Fourmilewater)

7. Owen Whelan (Mount Sion)

8. Seamus Lawlor (Fourmilewater)

9. John Whitty (Passage)

10. Sean Ryan (Mount Sion)

11. Pauric Mahony (Ballygunner)

12. Mark Fives (Abbeyside)

13. Mikey Kearney (Ballyduff Upper)

14. Patrick Hurney (Abbeyside)

15. JJ Hutchinson (Ballygunner)

High stakes final round in store - Waterford SHC Round 4

Last weekend's results leave a couple of issues still to be decided as we enter the final round. Group 2 sees Ballygunner, Abbeyside and Dungarvan fight it out for two places in the quarters. In Group 1, Lismore and Tallow are vying for a single spot.

 

The game of the weekend was a keenly contested local dispute between Ballyduff Upper and Tallow which finished nineteen points each. The sides were level eleven times and despite the cagey nature of the contest at times, fifteen points came thick and fast in the final fifteen minutes. The Bridesiders, with Thomas Ryan in flying form, established a four point cushion entering the last ten minutes. Ballyduff again summoned on their powers of resilience with Tom Feeney driving them forward. The lively double act of Kevin Casey and Mikey Kearney got the scores required to secure a draw and progress to the next phase. Lismore's fate is now out of their own hands after going down by six points to De La Salle (4-12 to 2-12). The champions held them at arms length all through as Adam Farrell and John Mullane slotted first half goals. Brendan Landers' charges did put some doubt their minds with second half goals from Maurice Shanahan and Dave Bennett but Eoin Madigan and Conan Watt struck for Salle. Fourmilewater did the needful to advance in unconvincing fashion against An Rinn (0-18 to 0-12). In a dismal first half, a Donie Breathnach inspired An Rinn led by 0-6 to 0-4. Their star performer was forced off at the break however as Liam Lawlor and company seized control. They hit the last seven points, with Jamie Barron and Seamus Lawlor prominent in the scoring stakes.

In the double bill of Group 2 action at Walsh Park on Saturday, Passage continued their quiet run up the rails under Peter Queally. John Whitty's persistent showing ensured that they defeated Mount Sion (2-15 to 2-12) and maintained their unbeaten record with seven points out of eight. Sion edged the first half by 1-6 to 1-5 with Eoin Kelly and Michael Gaffney exchanging goals. In an enjoyable second period, Sean Ryan's goal seemed sufficient for Anthony Kirwan's men as they charged four clear. Whitty put the head down however and forced a wonder save from Ian O’Regan. Richard Hurley, Pa Walsh and Eoin Kelly pared the deficit down to one before Whitty sliced through and drove his shot hard to the far corner. Kelly wrapped up the win to finish with 1-8 to his credit.

In the second game, Abbeyside handed out a drubbing to understrength Roanmore (6-20 to 0-13) as Patrick Hurney shot a staggering 5-2. The full forward has now rattled off 7-5 in four games and Mark Fives also shone on the night with a tally of 1-7.

 

A determined Ballygunner only had victory on their mind on Sunday night at Fraher Field and they got the job done against Dungarvan (1-19 to 2-13). They coasted into a 1-12 to 0-6 lead by the mid way point. Pauric Mahony cleaned up with seven first half points, four long range frees and three from play. He also created the goal on the stroke of half time for Shane O’Sullivan who drilled a low stinger past Darren Duggan. Mahony accumulated eleven points in all and corner men Brian O’Sullivan and JJ Hutchinson also chipped in handsomely with seven points between them. Gavin Crotty was sent off on second yellow card on 45 minutes as Jamie Nagle and Ryan Donnelly netted consolation strikes for Dungarvan.

Little details for the big day - Minor semi final reflections

The 2013 minor hurling championship is every bit as unpredictable as the senior. Much like the big brother, both provincial winners have crashed out at the semis as Waterford and Galway form the undercard on the second Sunday in September.

So what will occupy the minds of the Waterford mentors for the next three weeks? The most obvious focus of the DVD viewing will be the high number of frees conceded. Too many of the tackles going in are clumsy and unrefined which makes it easy for the man in the black to whistle up. Instead of shepherding the forward away from the target, an overzealousness takes over. It’s a collective glitch rather than the failing of one individual. “It’s something that we have work on” acknowledged Sean Power in the immediate aftermath. I can’t criticise any of the lads because it’s a hot cauldron out there. It’s very tough. Sometimes a free can go against you and it’s not necessarily your fault. It’s something that we will have to work on, there was a lot of scores conceded from frees so we will have a look at that.” Waterford coughed up six scoreable frees in the first thirty minutes against Kilkenny and five more after half time. Alan Murphy converted ten. Over the seven matches, 2-44 of opposition scores have come from frees (an average of just over seven points). Those are punishing statistics if they continue to appear on All Ireland day.

The short puck out policy is another issue to mull over. Gavin Power fired nine snappy deliveries to his defenders (four in the first half and five in the second). One those quick balls to Kevin Daly resulted in DJ Foran’s smashing net finder. After losing the midfield battle early on, it displayed their adaptability in a difficult situation and also the swiftness of the management to move on the line. The margins are fine with that high risk strategy however and persisting with it may come at price down the line. Overall, the management must be pleased that they won while leaving something in the tank. Midfield also looks more settled with Mark O'Brien and Tom Devine in place as Michael Harney settled in at number five. Their shooting was jittery down the stretch however with Patrick Curran and Stephen Bennett surprisingly among the culprits. Little details to tidy up.

The men in maroon timed their run once more with a win over Laois their only competitive warm-up beforehand. Limerick forged ahead on three occasions in the last ten minutes but couldn’t wriggle free. In a game that was tied sixteen times, Galway blocked out the noisy Limerick crowd and never looked back when they took control in the second period of extra time.  Brian Molloy is their top scorer so far but the complete forward unit put in a shift last time out. For the second game in a row, all six starters split the posts. Centre back Shane Cooney grabbed a hold of the game at vital times in much the same way that Austin Gleeson did the week before. A couple of creaks did start to appear however when Cian Lynch turned their defence and midfielder Darragh O'Donovan also broke through.

Mattie Murphy tends to get the formula right but Seán Power is not far away from solving Waterford’s outstanding problems.

Time to throw off the shackles – Waterford v Kilkenny minor preview

Given the struggles of the seniors to shake off a 54 year curse against Kilkenny, it is noteworthy that the minors hold a one hundred per cent record in the company of the Cats ahead of Sunday’s semi final. That said, the counties have only crossed each other on two occasions. Waterford last reached the minor summit in 1948 to take their second All Ireland with a 3-8 to 4-2 victory. 63 years later, the Déise dug out a result at Walsh Park (0-15 to 0-9) in an All Ireland quarter final. There is no reason why the black and amber should strike fear into the class of 2013.

They should use the width of Croke Park to their advantage and aim to isolate their three pronged strike force. This won’t come as any surprise to Kilkenny and they will prepare their match-ups accordingly. Few teams can shut out all three however. While Limerick held Patrick Curran to an acceptable total in the draw and replay, Stephen Bennett couldn’t be extinguished. These two are the star attractions but Michael Kearney is coming into a run of form. Positioned at midfield for the latter part of the provincial championship, he appeared of out of his natural habitat. He is at home in the full forward line. Kearney tore the Lismore defence apart in Ballyduff’s recent championship success over their close rivals. He made sharp bursts into dangerous areas to tap over points and also earn valuable frees. He struck ten points in all. Other marquee names must bring their A game and the drive from number six has propelled Waterford forward in their big wins to date. Austin Gleeson was snuffed out of the Munster final replay as Limerick attacked down the wings but he won’t settle for another subdued sixty minutes.

In a similar vein to their opponents, Kilkenny took a five game trip through the provincial championship. After cruising past Laois by 17 points, they slipped up at home to Wexford. It proved to be a soft landing however. They bounced back to trounce Kildare and overcame 2012 All Ireland runners-up Dublin by four points after retrieving a half time deficit. On the other side of the draw, Wexford lost their way against Laois. A rematch with the O’Moore men in the Leinster final was a mere formality for the Cats and they raced into a 1-11 to 0-5 half time lead. Alan Murphy scored ten points as they ran out handsome victors (1-18 to 0-8). Hard to get a handle on their form after all that. Murphy, brother of the Kilkenny senior stopper, is their main sniper with 5-29 banked thus far. Outside of the Glenmore forward, there has been a wide spread of scorers. Eight different players contributed against Laois and also in the semi final win over Dublin. Like their elders, they offer a strong aerial threat. Michael Harney is named at number five and that may be because of his ability in the air. James Maher, Jason Stanley and Darragh Joyce make up a sturdy half back line and they will do battle with Adam Farrell, Colm Roche and DJ Foran.

On the minus side, Wexford exposed some inconvenient truths in the Kilkenny full back line during that surprise win at Nowlan Park. A combination of looseness and indecision allowed the Yellowbellies to capitalise. Full forward Conor McDonald cleaned up and posted a personal tally of 3-4 with 2-2 coming from play. For the first major, the goalkeeper failed to claim, McDonald was fouled for a penalty to make it two and then after the break, he slipped in behind the last line. The Waterford full forward line must try and deepen those doubts.

Seán Power and his management team also have a couple of issues of their own to settle. Coughing up easy frees ranks high on the list. They are conceding around seven or eight points per game from placed balls. A continuation of that indiscipline will come with a severe penalty as Murphy compiles meaty totals. Getting out of the traps will be vital to settle into unfamiliar surroundings. They managed to overturn sluggish openings in the Munster semi final and the final replay but it won’t always be as straightforward to recover.

Waterford have approached all six games with an abandon and willingness to attack. The players are not overloaded by systems or tactics and this has led to a series of end to end clashes. While Kilkenny may also relish this environment, sticking to their loose style of play should bring the rewards in the form of goals and another significant points total. They have hit an average of three goals per game and apart from dipping to eight points in the Munster final replay, their points haul has been consistently in the high teens. That’s the sort of shooting that wins All Irelands. Two out of three ain’t bad but three out of three is within Waterford’s grasp.

All Ireland Minor Hurling Semi Final

Waterford v Kilkenny
1.30 at Croke Park
Referee: Shane Hourigan (Limerick)
Odds: Waterford 11/10 Draw 10/1 Kilkenny 10/11