Waterford SFC Round 2 Dream Team & Top Scorers

1. Darren Mulhearne (Kilrossanty)
2. David Collins (Ballinacourty)
3. Kieran Connery (Clashmore)
4. Conor Phelan (Brickey Rangers)
5. Shane McGrath (Brickey Rangers)
6. Dean Crowley (St Saviours)
7. Stephen Prendergast (Kilrossanty)
8. Tommy Prendergast (Kilrossanty)
9. Ferdia Ó hAodha (An Rinn)
10. Michael O'Halloran (Ballinacourty)
11. Donie Breathnach (An Rinn)
12. David Grey (Stradbally)
13. Conor Gleeson (The Nire)
14. Paul Whyte (Kilrossanty)
15. Brian O'Halloran (Clashmore)

Top Scorers 
Paul Whyte (Kilrossanty) 2-10
Shane O'Donovan (Ballinacourty) 4-3
Donie Breathnach (An Rinn) 0-15
Gary Hurney (Ballinacourty) 3-5
Jason Curry (Rathgormack) 0-13
JJ Hutchinson (Gaultier) 2-6
Clinton Hennessy (Ardmore) 1-9
Conor Gleeson (The Nire) 0-10

Whyte leads Kilrossanty charge - Waterford SFC Round 2

Paul Whyte returned 2-4 as fourteen man Kilrossanty came away 2-8 to 0-13 winners in a fiery affair with An Rinn at Fraher Field on Sunday afternoon.

The green and gold emerged enthusiastically with a fourth minute goal. Joey Veale fetched among a crowd of defenders and supplied Paul Whyte to locate the top corner. Whyte fisted home a second ten minutes later when Eoin Cummins lofted in a high delivery. Wind assisted An Rinn landed seven points without response however to seize a 0-9 to 2-1 halfway advantage. They moved out to a three point gap with Donie Breathnach to the fore. Whyte and Joey Veale made hay up front for Kilrossanty as they took control of a frenetic final quarter and overcame the dismissal of David Power. Champions The Nire rebounded from an opening round loss to fend off a sticky Ardmore by 0-11 to 0-7. Conor Gleeson accounted for seven points of that winning total (four from play and three frees).

Stradbally stumbled over Brickey Rangers by 0-12 to 0-10 on Saturday evening. The sides were locked together four times before the Reds wriggled away in the closing quarter. Pace setters Brickey Rangers built up a 0-5 to 0-3 half time lead with five different contributors to the scoreboard. Three placed balls from Shane Ahearne turned around the situation for Stradbally early in the second half. Brickeys levelled at seven points each on 47 minutes through lively inside forward Conor McGrath. They nearly retook the lead but Carthach Shalloe struck the post and David Grey went up the other end to nudge the favourites in front. Grey kicked three left footed efforts down the home straight to steer Stradbally clear of trouble. In part two of the Dungarvan double bill, Clashmore banked their second win as they led from start to finish against fourteen man Rathgormack (0-15 to 0-9). They had five points to spare at halfway (0-8 to 0-3) and never released that grip. Five of their six forwards posted points. Paul O’Connor ended as top scorer with six while Brian O’Halloran contributed four.

St Saviours and Gaultier settled for a 1-7 to 0-10 draw on in Carriganore as John Paul Jacob salvaged a point for Saviours in injury time. Gaultier shaded the first half of this Eastern dispute by five points to three as Conor O’Riordan, Caomhin McGuire, David Cullinane, Rory Walsh and Sean Hogan all raised white flags. Saviours seized the lead on 40 minutes when Stephen Whelan collected a Kieran Murphy pass and finished beyond David Whitty (1-4 to 0-6). The influential Brian Power guided them two points clear before Gaultier custodian Whitty produced a double save from Garth Duffy and John Paul Jacob on 50 minutes. Gaultier reacted to that warning and a brace by JJ Hutchinson and a Brad Carroll single put them in a winning position. Jacob rescued Saviours late on however and both teams will be satisfied to rebound from first round losses.

Ballinacourty devoured De La Salle by 4-14 to 0-2 at Walsh Park to store their second win of the campaign. Salle posted two points within three minutes but failed to record a score thereafter. A Mark Ferncombe goal and three Michael O’Halloran points established a commanding 1-6 to 0-2 interval gap for Courty. They swept away Salle in the second half as Gary Hurney netted twice and Shane O’Donovan added a fourth. The Villagers have blasted 8-26 thus far with only eleven points conceded.

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SFC Round 2 Predictions

25 April

Stradbally v Brickey Rangers (6.30 at Fraher Field) Group 2
Stradbally relied on their championship veterans to quench Gaultier's revival in round one. Michael Walsh, Ger Power, Stephen Cunningham and John Coffey all stepped up with crucial plays over the closing minutes. John Hearne made a welcome return to action after sustaining a serious injury in the 2012 county final. The Reds introduced Paul Connors and Paul Tobin to their starting fifteen who have featured at underage level and Pat Curran will hope that they can make the same impact that Jack Mullaney and Michael Sweeney did in 2014. Brickeys will look to Conor McGrath to unlock the Reds defence but they need to discover a regular goalscorer. Their under 21 side lost the replay of the B final last weekend but these players may need a couple of years to acclimatise to the senior grade. 

Odds: Stradbally 1/12 Draw 16/1 Brickey Rangers 5/1
Prediction: Stradbally

Clashmore v Rathgormack (8.00 at Fraher Field) Group 1
Rathgormack pinched victory from under the nose of Clashmore last year as a Jamie Kirwan goal in injury time delivered a 1-10 to 1-9 win. The green and red suffered a reality check however when the ran into the Ballinacourty express two weeks ago. They were obliterated at midfield and turned over ball far too easily in the contact area. Jason Curry's accuracy was the one redeeming feature of that display. A win for Clashmore will put them in pole position for a quarter final place before the break. Their defence withstood the late barrage of pressure from The Nire and may be able to handle the Currys, Conor Murray and Gavin Nugent. Their attack proved that they can threaten from inside and outside. Brian O'Halloran and Paul O'Connor can prise open a Rathgormack defence that looked vulnerable against Ballinacourty.

Odds: Clashmore 2/5 Draw 15/2 Rathgormack 9/4
Prediction: Clashmore

26 April

An Rinn v Kilrossanty (2.00 at Fraher Field) Group 2
Two teams capable of challenging the top three but only An Rinn have shown the level of consistency required to overthrow the ruling parties. Last year's semi finalists know that they will need to improve on their opening showing against St Saviours as they only registered one point in the last 23 minutes. They must also lighten the load on Donie Breathnach and Liam Ó Lonáin. Kilrossanty placed Tommy Prendergast and Niall Walsh at midfield against Brickey Rangers and they turned the game in their favour either side of half time. This is an area where An Rinn have struggled over recent years. Joey Veale is one of the sharpest shooters in the county at present and Paul Whyte suggested last time out that he is gradually returning to last year's form. This will go the distance but An Rinn's defence can curtail Kilrossanty's big hitters.

Odds: An Rinn 8/13 Draw 13/2 Kilrossanty 13/8
Prediction: An Rinn

The Nire v Ardmore (3.30 at Fraher Field) Group 1
The Nire came crashing back down to earth against Clashmore. It may be no harm for the champions to receive a wake-up call and Benji Whelan knows how to get his side in peak condition for the knockout rounds. They must transfer the ball much quicker than a fortnight ago as they allowed their opponents organise their defensive cover. Ardmore won their first group game in three years as they recovered from a six half time deficit against De La Salle. Clinton Hennessy returned from a one year absence to shoot 1-5 while Seamus Keating and David Gartland mopped up at midfield.

Odds: The Nire 1/10 Draw 14/1 Ardmore 5/1
Prediction: The Nire 

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SFC Round 2 Predictions

18 April

Ballinacourty v De La Salle (7.00 at Walsh Park) Group 1
De La Salle's one point defeat to Ardmore puts them under immediate pressure to avoid a relegation play-off. They couldn't capitalise on a six point lead and failed to score for 26 second half minutes. They faded out of the game at midfield as David Gartland and Seamus Keating took over. Ballinacourty rammed 4-10 from play past Rathgormack last Sunday as their attack gave an early glimpse of their scoring potential. They have made useful additions elsewhere in Conor Prunty at midfield and Eoin Bergin in the full back division. Courty won by three points when these sides met in the Phelan Cup last month but one of the leading title contenders could cut loose here with a forward line hungry for goals.

Odds: Ballinacourty 1/16 Draw 16/1 De La Salle 13/2
Prediction: Ballinacourty

St Saviours v Gaultier (8.00 at Carriganore) Group 2
It is only April yet this fixture could determine where these two finish up in the autumn. Both sides will take encouragement from their second half displays last weekend. Gaultier pinned back Stradbally down the stretch before John Coffey's goal cemented a win for the favourites. JJ Hutchinson returned 2-4 but young forwards Caomhan Maguire and Sean White also contributed. Saviours fell ten points down to An Rinn yet rallied towards the finish and threatened a couple of green flags. Gareth Duffy has joined from Moorefield in Kildare this season and ended as top scorer in his first outing with six points. He previously represented his county at junior level. Dean Crowley has emerged as a sticky marker with the Waterford seniors over the last two seasons and may be suited to shadow Hutchinson for the evening. If he can interfere with Gaultier's main scoring supply, Saviours can pip their Eastern rivals for a second year running.

Odds: Gaultier 5/6 Draw 13/2 St Saviours 6/5
Prediction: St Saviours

Waterford v Tipperary NHL Top Scorers

Waterford

Pauric Mahony 1-66

Maurice Shanahan 2-6
Michael Walsh 1-7
Shane Bennett 2-3
Jake Dillon 0-9
Stephen Bennett 1-5
Austin Gleeson 0-8
Brian O’Halloran 0-6
Tom Devine 1-2
Colin Dunford 0-5
Paudie Prendergast 0-4
Kevin Moran 0-4
Thomas Connors 1-0
Jamie Barron 0-3
Shane O’Sullivan 0-2
Donie Breathnach 0-1
Martin O’Neill 0-1
Shane Fives 0-1

Tipperary

Seamus Callanan 3-37

John O’Dwyer 1-16
Jason Forde 1-11
Noel McGrath 1-11
Kieran Bergin 1-6
Niall O’Meara 1-6
John McGrath 0-7
James Woodlock 1-2
Brendan Maher 0-4
Michael Breen 0-4

Ronan Maher 0-3

Conor Kenny 0-2
Patrick Maher 0-1
Shane Bourke 0-1
Thomas Stapleton 0-1
Darren Gleeson 0-1
Gearoid Ryan 0-1
Shane McGrath 0-1
Conor O’Brien 0-1
Denis Maher 0-1

Tipperary v Waterford Minor Football Rivalry

The Waterford minor footballers haven’t registered a win against Tipperary since 2001. A late goal by Jamie Bergin denied them victory in Fraher Field twelve months ago. The Déise have made progress in recent years at this grade and reached the last two Munster semi finals. In an exciting 2014 campaign, they scored 9-24 at one end and conceded 7-37 at the other. Seven of last year’s panel members are named on the starting fifteen for Wednesday’s championship opener at Semple Stadium (Kevin Dwane, John Elstead, Conor Prunty, David Looby, Conor Murray, Michael Sweeney and Dylan Guiry). Corner forward Guiry captains the side. The backroom team remains intact from last year with Tim Lenihan assuming the role of bainsteoir this time around.

2014 Quarter Final
Tipperary 2-11 Waterford 2-7

2009 Play-Off
Tipperary 1-15 Waterford 0-6

2008 Quarter Final
Tipperary 3-9 Waterford 0-8

2007 Play-Off
Tipperary 1-12 Waterford 0-8

2005 Quarter Final
Tipperary 7-12 Waterford 1-1

2003 Round Robin
Tipperary 2-15 Waterford 1-3

2002 Round Robin
Tipperary 3-14 Waterford 2-6

2001 Round Robin Final
Waterford 2-6 Tipperary 0-9

Waterford SFC Round 1 Dream Team & Top Scorers

1. Declan Hickey (Clashmore)

2. Sean Bourke (Clashmore)
3. Thomas O'Gorman (The Nire)
4. Michael Cronin (Ardmore)
5. Brian Looby (Ballinacourty)
6. Dean Crowley (St Saviours)
7. Niall Walsh (Kilrossanty)
8. Seamus Keating (Ardmore)
9. Conor Prunty (Ballinacourty)
10. Liam Ó Lonáin (An Rinn)
11. Mark Ferncombe (Ballinacourty)
12. Joey Veale (Kilrossanty)
13. Shane O'Donovan (Ballinacourty)
14. Brian O'Halloran (Clashmore)
15. JJ Hutchinson (Gaultier)

Top Scorers 
Shane O'Donovan (Ballinacourty) 3-1
JJ Hutchinson (Gaultier) 2-4
Clinton Hennessy (Ardmore) 1-5
Donie Breathnach (An Rinn) 0-8
Jason Curry (Rathgormack) 0-7
David Grey (Stradbally) 1-3
Gary Hurney (Ballinacourty) 1-3
Liam Ó Lonáin (An Rinn) 1-3
Paul Whyte (Kilrossanty) 0-6
Garth Duffy (St Saviours) 0-6