A crowd of somewhere between five and six thousand packed into Fraher Field to watch another absorbing clash between Waterford and Cork. The attendance was so unexpected that the throw in was put back a full 15 minutes. A shot in the arm for a slumbering league campaign to date with an exciting game to boot.
After trailing by only a point at half time and with the advantage of a strong breeze to look forward to, Cork will wonder how they let the points slip. The first half saw Patrick Cronin and Lorcan McLoughlin boss the midfield exchanges with Donal Og Cusack’s immaculate distribution aiding their effort. The inside line also looked lively with Patrick Horgan and Luke O’Farrell firing over four points from play between them. They also weathered a strong Waterford start which saw them lead by three points on three occasions. Despite maintaining a grip at midfield Cork’s forward unit struggled in the second period and by close of business three of their starting sextet left the field. Credit is due to Waterford’s defensive effort here with Wayne Hutchinson overcoming early difficulties to put in a strong second half. Darragh Fives and Noel Connors were equally impressive beside the Ballygunner man in the full back line.
It was a day that Shane Walsh showed the way for those around him up front in probably his best display in a Waterford shirt. Starting in his favoured position of full forward, Walsh was first to almost every ball ahead of his marker Eoin Dillon. Two points inside the opening seven minutes was a sign of things to come. He added three more in the second half at crucial stages to keep the home side in the hunt for victory. That second half saw the sides level on seven occasions and only one point ever separated them at any point. Maurice Shanahan was another to rise to the occasion especially in the second half and he gathered and distributed an amount of possession to his colleagues. Waterford undoubtedly were boosted also by the return of Kevin Moran and John Mullane. With two minutes to go however Jerry O’Connor put the Rebels ahead with a booming score from midfield. The resilience of Davy Fitzgerald’s men was tested and again they passed. Richie Foley stood over a free on his own 65 metre line and nailed it to give his side vital momentum entering the closing minutes and moments later Moran found the winner.
A win based on solid defensive play and hard graft maintains a good recent record over Cork and keeps the league alive with three games remaining. On the minus side Ken McGrath’s return to action at midfield didn’t work as planned with the number nine called ashore early in the second half. Davy admitted afterwards that it may have been a mistake to place him there and clearly at this stage of his career McGrath would be better suited closer to goal. The wides tally of 15 and four yellow cards will also be of concern with some of the cautions due to careless and unnecessary acts. With Clinton Hennessy absent for two league games due to suspension, Adrian Power took the goalkeeping reigns unconvincingly on Sunday. Rather than clearing the ball first time the Ballyduff Upper net minder prefers to take on the man first and then make a big clearance. This ploy directly resulted in a Cork point in the first half and despite keeping a clean sheet there can be improvements made to his game.
News broke on Friday morning of Davy Fitzgerald’s three month suspension after comments made to an official during the Tipperary and Waterford game. The management and county board are determined to fight this hefty ban tooth and nail with the appeal hearing due on Friday. After Sunday’s game Davy affirmed that these matters will not affect or distract the team but only time will tell if this side issue takes centre stage. For now Davy can bask in maintaining hopes for a final spot next month on a positive day for the league overall.
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