Waterford SFC Team of Round 2

1. David Whitty (Gaultier)
2. Colin Walsh (Ballinameela)
3. Maurice O'Gorman (The Nire)
4. Cillian O Murchadha (An Rinn)
5. John Hurney (Ballinacourty)
6. Sean O'Hare (Ballinacourty)
7. Kieran Connery (Clashmore)
8. Michael Walsh (Stradbally)
9. Shane Walsh (The Nire)
10. Patrick Hurney (Ballinacourty)
11. Robert Ahearne (Stradbally)
12. Mark Ferncombe (Ballinacourty)
13. Joey Veale (Kilrossanty)
14. Liam Lawlor (The Nire)
15. Sean Fleming (Clashmore)

Title contenders claim routine wins - SFC Round 2 in brief

In the second round of the Waterford SFC, the main championship contenders Stradbally, The Nire and Ballinacourty all showed a strong hand as they recorded comfortable wins over the weekend. Once again, the fare lacked cut and thrust. Three games were settled by double figures and many of the contests were low on intensity and quality. The tie of round was at Fraher Field on Sunday afternoon where Clashmore earned a narrow win over Kilrossanty

Title favourites Stradbally, who are chasing their fourth championship crown in five years, gave a strong first half showing to see off St Saviours by 3-17 to 1-10 on Saturday night. Two goals from Robert Ahearne set them on their way and then Ahearne turned provider for Ger Power to fist to the net which put them 3-9 to 0-7 clear at the midway mark. Saviours gave a spirited display and Shaun Corcoran slotted a late penalty to give the scoreboard a measure of respectability.

Ballinacourty also collected their second win of the campaign as they easily accounted for Rathgormack by 2-15 to 0-7. Mark Ferncombe’s first half penalty gave them a 1-5 to 0-5 cushion at the break. Courty ran riot in the second period and Ferncombe bagged his second major ten minutes from time as he finished with 2-3 to his credit.

On Sunday afternoon at Fraher Field, The Nire dispatched Ballinameela by 1-16 to 0-6. Liam Lawlor stood out at full forward with five points and he set up Brian Wall for a goal with ten minutes remaining to make it two wins from two. In the second game of the double bill, Clashmore’s first half efforts swatted away Kilrossanty. Sean Fleming blasted home a brace of goals as they raced into a 2-5 to 0-3 interval lead. Joey Veale kicked seven points to keep Kilrossanty in contention and Paul Whyte walloped home an unstoppable shot on 55 minutes to leave them only two adrift. Clashmore clung on however to claim a 2-9 to 1-8 win.

It finished honours even between Gaultier and Ardmore in Stradbally. Gaultier slumped to a seventeen point defeat in round one but two goals from JJ Hutchinson and one from Rory Walsh propelled them into a four point lead with four minutes left. Ardmore reeled them in down the stretch and Seamus Keating snatched an equaliser with a brilliant free. In the concluding game of the weekend, An Rinn took care of Brickey Rangers by 0-11 to 1-6 in a dour struggle at Fraher Field. Conor McGrath’s goal gave the Brickeys hope late on but a Donie Breathnach inspired Gaeltacht side squirmed out of trouble.

Waterford SFC Round 2 Previews

 

20 April

Stradbally v St Saviours (7.00 at Kilmacthomas) Group 1
The Reds steamrolled Gaultier in round one and they will be eyeing up another demolition job. Despite the low level of resistance, 2-16 is still impressive shooting from Stradbally. Saviours didn’t raise the white flag despite being on the receiving end to Kilrossanty and they will have to take every opportunity on offer to stay in touch with the champions.
Odds: Stradbally 1/25 Draw 16/1 St Saviours 8/1                 
Prediction: Stradbally

Ardmore v Gaultier (7.00 at Stradbally) Group 1
Room for improvement from the opening round for these two but Ardmore look more likely to bounce back. In a spicy local derby against Clashmore, momentum turned against them in the second half as Seamus Prendergast saw the line. If they can feed Clinton Hennessy and Seamus Keating often enough they can shake off a Gaultier outfit that are sure to recover from their tame defeat to Stradbally.
Odds: Ardmore 1/4 Draw 8/1 Gaultier 10/3
Prediction: Ardmore

Ballinacourty v Rathgormack (7.00 at Fraher Field) Group 2
With a game already under their belt, Ballinacourty hold in the edge in terms of sharpness here. They are throwing some of their rising stars into the fray and the blend worked well first time out. Rathgormack will also rely on their under 21 county champions to bolster their team. Gavin Nugent and Edmond Hogan can threaten up front but the Hurneys should keep them at bay.
Odds: Ballinacourty 1/4 Draw 15/2 Rathgormack 10/3
Prediction: Ballinacourty

21 April
The Nire v Ballinameela (2.00 at Fraher Field) Group 2
The Nire took time to break down the Brickeys but in the end, they ran out convincing winners. Their attack pose a constant goal threat and Ballinameela must prevent the net rattling to stay in the hunt. The Blues could count themselves unfortunate to slip out of the senior ranks a couple of years ago and they should put in a respectable showing here.
Odds: The Nire 1/16 Draw 16/1 Ballinameela 15/2
Prediction: The Nire

Kilrossanty v Clashmore (3.30 at Fraher Field) Group 1

In the tie of the round, these two ambitious teams will get a better idea of where they stand after Sunday’s clash. Kilrossanty had an easy outing against St Saviours while Clashmore scraped over the line against Ardmore in atrocious conditions. Scores could be plentiful here with the form of Tommy Prendergast at midfield giving John Kiely’s charges a marginal advantage.
Odds: Kilrossanty 8/13  Draw 7/1 Clashmore 6/4
Prediction: Kilrossanty

An Rinn v Brickey Rangers (7.00 at Fraher Field) Group 2
Both sides will be eager to get points on the board after opening round reversals. An Rinn were reliant on Donie Breathach last Friday night for scores and other players must chip in to get them over the line in round two. The Brickeys put in a resilient effort against The Nire and if they maintain that work ethic, they can make life uncomfortable for the favourites.
Odds: An Rinn 1/4 Draw 15/2 Brickey Rangers 10/3
Prediction: An Rinn

Brewing up a storm – Waterford v Clare Munster minor hurling

 

Waterford and Clare live to fight another day in the Munster minor championship as adverse weather forced the referee Anthony Sherlock to pull the plug on this semi final play-off. No quibbles with the decision, as player safety is paramount, just the timing of it. It took until twenty minutes before the throw in for the call to be made and that caused dissatisfaction all round.

A mixture of annoyance and bemusement manifested itself at the gate afterwards as people sought refunds and expressed their feelings on the matter. In the end there was no other option than walk away, turn the car around and head back home. It’s a long way from Clare to here and the Banner faithful will have to make another midweek trek in the near future.

For the second week running, a sticky situation was avoidable. The gusts almost swept people off their feet as they made their way to the ground but they still streamed in. Weather warnings had been issued and the wind showed no signs of easing. It makes the late, late decision all the more head scratching.

The delay can be seen as a positive for both camps. These two teams will now get a chance to fine tune their efforts and in kinder conditions (weather permitting) they can show off their true abilities rather than battling the elements. Fitness doubts hung over ace attacker Bobby Duggan for Clare so he will be a certain starter at the second time of asking. Stephen Bennett also gets the opportunity to get back up to speed and force his way into the reckoning. The gates will be wide open to all comers for the rerun with May 1 suggested as a possible date.

Waterford SFC Team of Round 1

1. Stephen Enright (Ballinacourty)
2. Sean Bourke (Clashmore)
3. Shane Briggs (Ballinacourty)
4. Maurice O'Gorman (The Nire)
5. Darren Foley (Clashmore)
6. Niall Walsh (Kilrossanty)
7. Tony Grey (Stradbally)
8. Gary Hurney (Ballinacourty)
9. Tommy Prendergast (Kilrossanty)
10. Patrick Hurney (Ballinacourty)
11. Donie Breathnach (An Rinn)
12. Shane Ahearne (Stradbally)
13. Joey Veale (Kilrossanty)
14. Liam Lawlor (The Nire)
15. Sean Fleming (Clashmore)

Usual suspects on the board – SFC Round 1 in brief

A low key opening weekend in the Waterford SFC as conditions kept the scores and the crowds down. The one sided results was a prominent feature as the gulf in class between top and bottom was exposed. The average winning margin in round 1 came to nine points with three teams claiming double digit victories.

Reigning champions Stradbally got up to speed as they strolled to a seventeen point success on Saturday night. Through the dense fog at Walsh Park, the Reds raced into a 1-7 to 0-1 lead at the break with Shane Ahearne finding the back of the net after 10 minutes. Stradbally kept their foot to the floor on the resumption and Ger Power raised their second green flag as they romped home by 2-16 to 1-2. Gary Molloy scored the goal of the game in the final minute but it served as mere consolation for Gaultier.

In wretched weather at Fraher Field, Clashmore edged out local rivals Ardmore by 0-7 to 1-3. Alan North’s scrappy goal on 14 minutes gave Ardmore a 1-1 to 0-2 interval advantage but they lost Seamus Prendergast to a second yellow card mid way through the second period. Their near neighbours capitalised as Sean Fleming scored three points from play and John Prendergast nailed three frees to nudge Clashmore over the line. Fleming’s persistence and dogged determination up front was the catalyst for them here.

Ballinacourty opened their campaign with a 1-9 to 0-9 win over An Rinn on Friday night. They led by 0-6 to 0-3 at half time and within 30 seconds of the restart, Patrick Hurney netted the decisive goal. Michael O’Halloran’s sublime diagonal ball picked out Hurney and he finished emphatically to the far corner. Donie Breathnach’s class shone in defeat as he landed five points but An Rinn’s late rally came up short.

Kilrossanty chalked up a 1-13 to 0-2 win against a depleted St Saviours on Sunday afternoon with Michael Walsh grabbing the crucial goal for John Kiely’s charges. Playing into the breeze during the first half at Walsh Park, they were 1-5 to 0-1 ahead and despite a spirited Saviours’ effort, they never looked in danger. Last year’s runners-up The Nire rounded off the weekend action with ten points to spare over Brickey Rangers. They had first use of a gale force wind but struggled to press home their advantage early on against a durable defence. Two goals within the space of a minute late in the first half from Liam Lawlor and Brian Wall saw them move them 2-5 to 0-1 clear by the break. In a slow paced second half, Shane Walsh popped over three points to make it 2-10 to 0-6 at full time. The game between Rathgormack and Ballinameela was called off due to fog and an unplayable surface at the Stradbally venue.

Lights out at Walsh Park

 

The light from the laptop was the only source of brightness after the last blast of the whistle on Thursday night. In the pitch dark, the kids finished up their puck around and decided to head for home. I was the sole survivor in the stand bashing away at a keyboard that was barely visible. A five minute warning was issued to head for the exit. The fear of being locked in was the spark required to type furiously, hit send and wrap things up. I got to the gate in the nick of time. The joys of journalism.

On the field, Josh Keane certainly wasn’t afraid of the dark as he raised a few eyebrows with a contribution of 2-9. The towering full forward was a thorn in Waterford’s side all night. He dragged them back from the brink when the hosts led by 0-9 to 0-5. A bit of indiscipline crept into their play and Keane was on hand to punish it. The Waterford half back line controlled the early stages but a couple of sloppy clearances handed the initiative back. It was a lively first half with Keane and Patrick Curran playing starring roles. Waterford lost their way but Michael Kearney’s rocket gave them comfort as they departed at half time.

Although Tipp stretched the gap to three, Curran converted either side of a Conor Gleeson point and with teams level at 1-12 apiece extra time loomed large. Then came a talking point and a turning point. As Sam O’Neill tried to shepherd the sliotar over the line, Josh Keane got in a legitimate nudge in the eyes of the referee to seize possession and cash in from close range. Other referees would have blown for a free out but the Premier pushed on from there.

Although Keane was outstanding, he had back up. Colin O’Riordan was effective at centre forward after Austin Gleeson dominated the early exchanges. Willie Connors advanced from midfield to strike three points and corner forward Conor Lanigan emerged late on with a double to close it out. At the opposite end, Curran ploughed a lone furrow. The other forwards only showed flashes. Eight other attackers saw action but they could only muster 1-2 between them. The players were getting increasingly harder to differentiate in an increasingly farcical situation as the full time whistle sounded.

The Fraher Field floodlights will illuminate an intriguing battle on Wednesday night. Both teams can take positives from their performances last week. In a similar fashion to Waterford, Clare put up stern resistance before going under to Cork. Bobby Duggan scored 2-8 and will make hay from frees if presented with the opportunities. Sean Power has reshuffled the deck and placed players in more natural positions. Stephen Bennett is only just back in the fold after hip surgery so he remains in reserve. The two teams served up an extra time cliff hanger in Cusack Park twelve months ago and although this is a knock out game, it could well turn into a high scoring affair. If the supply to Curran is plentiful and the full back line tightens up, Waterford can go a step further.