Flashback Friday - Ken McGrath v Cork 2004

Welcome home Davy? – Clare v Waterford

On Sunday Davy Fitzgerald brings Waterford to his home parish of Sixmilebridge and a club with which he won six county titles, two Munster titles and an All Ireland club. Despite all of this success his return will evoke mixed emotions among locals. A warm welcome is by no means guaranteed.

The good times rolled in the nineties especially in March 1996 when Sixmilebridge were crowned All Ireland champions after defeating Dunloy of Antrim in the final. In a golden period for the club they also won six county championships between 1989 and 2002 and two Munster titles in 1996 and 2000. Fitzgerald was a central figure in those glory days along with the likes of Niall Gilligan. Relations soured however in late 2004 when he and Sean Stack went head to head to manage the Sixmilebridge senior side. Stack was seeking reappointment and stood as a popular figure around the Bridge and a legend for both club and county in the seventies and eighties. At a dramatic AGM Davy came out on top in a divisive battle. Despite these tribulations Davy remains proud of his roots and stated this when he featured in a Laochra Gael documentary five years ago. “I’m a Bridge man and I will always be that way no matter what the story is. Whether they like it or don’t like it that’s the way I see it and I would be passionate about that.”

If the former Clare number one is to triumph over his native county on Sunday, last weekend’s stuttering display against Cork IT will need to be banished. Quite surprisingly Fitzgerald could call upon eight of the team that started last year’s All Ireland semi final. So depleted were the numbers primarily due to injury and college commitments that Michael Walsh made himself available after only celebrating his wedding day two weeks ago. After a lethargic opening half, which forced Davy to abandon his position in the stand, Waterford eventually got the better of the students. Richie Foley emerged as star of the show with 1-8 to his name but while he embraced the challenge others missed the boat. For Maurice Shanahan his red card for a wild pull is likely to result in him missing out on valuable game time to stake his claim for the summer blockbusters. Shane Casey will rue his missed goal opportunities and will seek improvement this week on a display which failed to yield a score.

Darragh Fives, Chris Ryan and Gavin Crotty were the only three who started on Sunday that didn’t feature on the 2010 panel. Crotty, one of Dungarvan’s star performers in last year’s club championship, gained an early second half point to begin the comeback. In the half back line Fives, fresh from the minor ranks, could also be pleased with his display and corner back Chris Ryan recovered from his early difficulties with Tony Murphy.

Clare struggled for long stages against IT Tralee in round one but upped their game considerably to defeat Limerick IT, another team under the guidance of Davy Fitzgerald, last weekend. The production line of young talent continues with corner forward Conor McGrath the latest to catch the eye. Ger O’Loughlin takes charge for a second season but needs to find leaders to guide his inexperienced side. Ger Loughnane touched on this point in a recent radio interview criticising Tony Griffin and Tony Carmody for continuing their self imposed exile from the Banner camp. The loss of Brian O’Connell to emigration is another experienced player O’Loughlin can’t call upon.

In terms of team selection Clare are likely to field experienced players such as Philip Brennan, Colin Ryan and Diarmuid McMahon along with newcomers Mark Earley, Liam Markham, Danny Morey and Conor McGrath who are all relishing their exposure in pre season. Fitzgerald’s room for experiment is more limited and he will welcome back Shane O’Sullivan and Eoin McGrath for this clash. Home advantage and the momentum of two victories in the Banner sails should see them over the line here. The chance to topple Davy for the second week in succession on his home turf is too good to turn down.

Waterford Crystal Semi Final
Clare v Waterford 30/1/11
Throw in 3.00 at Sixmilebridge
Referee: John Ryan (Tipperary)

Flashback Friday - Dan Shanahan goal v Tipperary 2006

Davy’s trial and error – Waterford v CIT

Davy Fitzgerald once again enters pre season giving the more experienced members of his panel a training programme to work through while allowing youth to flourish in the Waterford Crystal and the early stages of the league.

Eoin Murphy, Michael Walsh, Eoin Kelly, Declan Prendergast, Ken McGrath and Tony Browne may not see action until the tail end of the league campaign. With De La Salle engaged with the club championships, John Mullane and Kevin Moran are also ruled out at this moment in time. This presents Davy the opportunity to trial those on the fringes and also those coming up from the underage panels of recent times. Another find like Noel Connors two years ago to add to the mix would make it a profitable exercise.

Training resumed on January 2 at the Carraiganore complex and a week later two trial games were held against Carlow and Waterford IT with the added bonus of two comfortable victories. A total of 31 players were put through their paces. 17 of those didn’t even feature in the 2010 championship panel including three of last year’s minor team (Darragh Fives, Eamonn Murphy and Pauric Mahony). Richie Foley was also trialled at centre forward. It is the new year after all, a time when GAA managers like to cast the net far and wide in search of worthwhile experiments ahead of the summer.

Aside from those new to the panel there are a number of players who have been knocking about the panel for a number of years without making a decisive breakthrough to the first 15. In defence Jerome Maher looks an exciting prospect while Jamie Nagle will look to re-establish himself. Up front Maurice Shanahan, Shane Casey and Tomás Ryan need to step up to the plate and challenge strongly for championship places after a couple of years on the fringes. A prosperous pre season would do no harm whatsoever.

With changes occurring on the field there is also subtle adjustments on the sidelines with the addition of Brother Philip Ryan to the backroom team. He brings an impressive CV from his time as Laois trainer and his task will be to shore up the Waterford defence along with selector Pat Bennett.

Sunday’s opponents Cork IT made the last four of the Fitzgibbon Cup in 2009 but were eliminated at the group stages of the competition last year. They are currently under the command of Pat Mulcahy, double All Ireland winner with Cork in 2004 and 2005. They won a scrappy opening round clash against Kerry by 1-7 to 0-6 last weekend at Austin Stack Park in dire conditions but will seek a higher level of performance for this clash. Their Fitzgibbon Cup draw sees them paired with reigning champions NUIG and also DIT, a group which presents a realistic chance of progress to the quarter finals. The Waterford Crystal provides the ideal preparation for the heat of Fitzgibbon and especially for their opening trip to Galway. Ryan Clifford of Newtownshandrum leads their attack with assistance from fellow Rebels like Michael Bowles and Tony Murphy. In defence Stephen Daniels at wing back will look to impress against his native county.

A year ago the students were hammered by 15 points by the same opposition and with the up and coming Deise players looking to make an impression they may have to settle for second best again this time around. For the newcomers another outing in this competition will give them further valuable opportunities before the league gets underway. With panel sizes reduced to 26 for 2011, the race for championship spots begins on a Sunday afternoon in late January.

Waterford Crystal Quarter Final
Waterford v Cork IT 23/01/11
Throw in 2.00 at Walsh Park
Referee: Tommy Ryan (Tipperary)

Flashback Friday - Paul Flynn goal v Cork 2005

Footballers begin journey into the unknown

Over the Christmas period TG4 put together their top 15 goals of the football and hurling season. Plenty of big names present on the football side including the likes of Owen Mulligan, James Kavanagh and Stephen Bray. But in the middle of all of them was Liam Ó’Lionain’s green flag in the Division 4 final against Limerick. Only a few years ago a Waterford footballer even appearing on television would be a laughable suggestion never mind him firing the 6th best goal of the 2010 season.

It all took off in 2009 with a book, a dream and John Kiely. John Owens made the dream of promotion from Division 4 a reality last year and now the footballers are preparing for a Division 3 campaign next month. Progress and exposure to the big stage now brings higher expectations. 2010 opened new doors, in particular an appearance at Croke Park for the league final. An unbeaten run of eight games in the league also showed a marked improvement in consistency. The defence, which John Kiely developed during his rein, only conceded an average of 11 points in that run to the final. Meanwhile, the forwards chalked up close to 18 points per game. New players emerged like Kieran Connery, Tommy Prendergast, Conor McGrath and Robert Ahearne to complement the established players. The return of Gary Hurney, to give his full commitment to football, also proved influential.

If Waterford are looking to reach for the stars again in 2011, last year’s championship provided plenty of inspiration. It was a year where standards levelled out and teams at Waterford’s level made significant strides. After all Roscommon, who operate in Division 4 this year, won the Connacht title and appeared in the last eight of the All Ireland series. Limerick and Louth also reached provincial finals and were narrowly denied by Kerry and Meath respectively. Both of these counties join Waterford in Division 3.

The McGrath Cup campaign begins this weekend against Tipperary at Walsh Park in a dress rehearsal for their league meeting in March. Waterford footballers usually save their best form for the spring months mainly due to the consistent run of games. A sign of this was when they scored three goals against Kerry at Killarney in this competition last year before the Kingdom escaped with a narrow win.

Despite all of this 25/1 is a fair reflection of Waterford’s league prospects. The retention of Division 3 status must be the first priority with victories on home soil a key part in achieving this goal. The duty of free taking which proved problematic last term is also one which Owens needs to seek a solution. As Tony Grey admitted in a recent interview, it is unchartered territory for this group. “It’s going to be a new challenge for us out of Division 4, against new teams, but everyone will be looking forward to that. We got to know all the teams in Division 4 very well and they knew us too so there will be that little bit of freshness in Division 3.”

The winner of that TG4 competition by the way was Sligo forward David Kelly. The Yeats county won the Division 3 title in 2010 after gaining promotion from Division 4 the previous year. Sligo now find themselves on the next rung of the ladder, a level John Owens and his players must now aspire to. Unlike previous seasons their progress will now be monitored closely under the spotlight.

11 Waterford hurlers to watch in 2011

If one thing can be gained from Tipperary’s 2010 All Ireland win is that investment and trust in young and unproven players can reap rewards. Liam Sheedy tried out raw talent like Patrick Maher, Gearoid Ryan, Brendan Maher and Seamus Hennessy and stuck with them throughout the season. The hunger and fearless attitude of these players proved pivotal in the course of wrestling away Kilkenny’s five in a row.
So what new players can Davy Fitzgerald call upon in 2011 to freshen up his panel? Some of the eleven players listed below have league experience but only one of them has made their senior championship debut.

Stephen O’Keeffe
The Gunners netminder will push hard for the number one spot this season. His form in the 2010 county championship affirmed his standing as a rising star. O’Keeffe’s distribution and shot stopping skills are hard to fault and his composure provides confidence to the defence in front of him. Fitzgibbon hurling with UL also enhances his credentials.

Brian O’Halloran
How O’Halloran recovers from being parachuted unsuccessfully into the starting team against Tipperary last summer may define how he fares this season. He has graduated quickly from the minor team of 2009 with his blistering pace catching Davy’s eye. He played an important cameo role in the Munster final replay but the Clashmore man will want to further his development in the coming months.

Ian Flynn
Flynn improved with every outing for De La Salle this season. He is a natural number three who adopts a no nonsense approach to defending and goes about his business in a quietly effective manner. Flynn also provides a dominant physical presence at the edge of the square. De La Salle’s All Ireland run however, may mean Flynn is out of Davy’s sight and out of Davy’s mind for the tail end of the league.

Pauric Mahony
After being awarded Waterford’s young hurler of the year the Ballygunner forward has a lot to live up to in 2011. Mahony was top scorer for the county minors in 2010, won a minor title with his club and also reached a county final with the senior team. Hurling with the UCC Freshers will also improve his game as he looks set to make the county under 21 side this season.

Philip Mahony
Like his younger brother, Philip Mahony’s form graph continues on an upward curve. After captaining the minor Munster success in 2009, Mahony operated at centre back on last year’s under 21 team and also played a significant part in Ballygunner’s charge to a county final. His experience gained from being part of last year’s senior panel should stand him in good stead for 2011 but will need to make an impact in league outings.

Shane Fives
In 2010 Fives proved he is one of the best hurlers in the Fitzgibbon Cup as WIT made their way to the final of the competition. He has already plied his trade on the Waterford senior panel for two seasons with limited opportunities to show his wares. With the half back line one of the most competitive on the team he needs to seize any opportunities during pre-season and the league.

Stephen Daniels
Captain of the under 21 team that made the Munster final in 2009 and part of last year’s National League panel Daniels had already made an impact before De La Salle’s run to Munster glory last autumn. In the county final he won the man of the match award and again impressed in the Munster final against Thurles. When he returns from club duty, he looks a solid bet to be given game time during the latter rounds of league.

Dean Twomey
Twomey’s man of the match display for De La Salle against Sarsfields in the Munster club semi final put him on the radar as one to watch. As that match progressed his work rate increased and his influence became more prominent. His energy around the field and also his ability to pop up with a score makes him ideal midfield material.

Jerome Maher
The Geraldines’ man should continue to place pressure on Eoin Murphy and Noel Connors for the corner back positions in the coming year. Last year he received league starts against Dublin and Kilkenny and has been a member of the panel since 2009. His strong performances on the training ground also mean he will remain in the management’s thoughts.

Tomás Ryan
Despite impressive league showings against Cork and Tipperary, injury in the under 21 championship against Cork curtailed Ryan’s progress in 2010. Ryan’s searing pace and lethal finishing are his trademark qualities but they need to be complemented by a greater physicality to win possession. This is the only question mark between him and starting senior position for the coming year.

Stephen Power
Power’s displays over the two games against Lismore last October (scoring eighteen points) again showed that the Ballygunner sharpshooter is one of the most accurate forwards in the county. What is holding him back is the ability to consistently make an impact from open play. If he can shrug off the tag of just being a specialist free taker in 2011 it will see him move in the right direction.