Flashback Friday - Ken McGrath TG4 Tribute

Kilkenny 0-26 Waterford 3-9 – Challenge Match at Tallow

Kilkenny were always in command of this challenge game at Páirc Eamonn De Paor in Tallow with a clinical display of score taking. Henry Shefflin, Richie Power and Tommy Walsh made their returns from injury and all three contributed to a very satisfying evening for Brian Cody’s side. Despite the absence of many regulars Davy Fitzgerald will be disappointed with Waterford’s limitations in attack.

Kilkenny opened up a 0-8 to 0-3 lead by the 17th minute. TJ Reid, in a busy display at midfield, fired three of those early points. Declan Prendergast denied Henry Shefflin a goal with a hefty challenge on 12 minutes. The movement of the Kilkenny forwards and the quality ball delivered inside to them was too hot for Waterford to handle. Two points from Richie Hogan and another one by Reid extended the advantage to seven points. Adrian Power made an eye catching save from point blank range when Richie Hogan looked to be in for a certain green flag on 24 minutes.

Seamus Prendergast kicked home a much needed goal a minute later but Kilkenny powered on again to lead 0-15 to 1-5 at half time. Declan Prendergast made another crucial intervention before the break when he hooked Richie Hogan as he advanced towards the goal. Wayne Hutchinson at full back did all in his power to keep Shefflin at bay but the Ballyhale forward still posted four points by the break.

The home side were boosted by a goal from Eoin Kelly a minute after the interval. Thomas Ryan made the incisive run and pass before Kelly doubled on the ball to the net. The Passage man clearly lacks match sharpness despite his goal and will need a big improvement on this display to feature next month against Limerick. This green flag brought the deficit back to four but the Cats pulled away at ease with some deadly accurate finishing. John Mulhall added two after his introduction, Reid launched a mammoth fifth point of the evening and Shefflin continued to chip away from placed balls.

Trailing by ten points in the closing stages Waterford battled to the finish. Thomas Ryan found the roof of the net after a good run from Eamonn Murphy and David O’Sullivan arrowed over a long range point. There were some late off the ball exchanges between Tommy Walsh and Seamus Prendergast but referee Cathal McAllister sensibly just issued a stern warning to both. Shefflin had the final say with his second 65’and his eighth point in all.

Kilkenny had outstanding performers in Paul Murphy, Tommy Walsh, TJ Reid, Henry Shefflin and Richie Hogan to name a few. Adrian Power, Declan Prendergast, Wayne Hutchinson, Seamus Prendergast and Thomas Ryan made the biggest impression on the Waterford side. One statistic reveals all about Waterford’s attacking difficulties on this bitterly cold May evening. Kilkenny registered 21 points from play while Davy Fitzgerald’s side only mustered 3-4.

Scorers:- Kilkenny: H. Shefflin 0-8 (3f, 2 65), TJ Reid 0-5, R. Hogan 0-4, R. Power 0-2, M. Rice 0-2, J. Mulhall 0-2, P. Hogan 0-1, C. Fennelly 0-1, C. Fogarty 0-1.
Waterford: E. Kelly 1-2 (2f), S. Prendergast 1-1, T. Ryan 1-1, R. Foley 0-3 (2f, 1 65), J. Nagle 0-1, D. O’Sullivan 0-1.

Kilkenny: David Herity, Paul Murphy, Noel Hickey, Jackie Tyrell, Tommy Walsh, Brian Hogan, Paddy Hogan, TJ Reid, Colin Fennelly, Michael Rice, Richie Power, Eddie Brennan, Matthew Ruth, Henry Shefflin, Richie Hogan.

Subs: R. Doyle for Fennelly (47 mins), J. Mulhall for Power (47 mins), M. Kavanagh for Tyrell (52 mins), C. Fogarty for Ruth (58 mins), K. Joyce for B. Hogan (63 mins), PJ Delaney for Rice (63 mins).

Waterford: Adrian Power, Declan Prendergast, Wayne Hutchinson, Aiden Kearney, Philip Mahony, Kevin Moran, Jamie Nagle, Eoin McGrath, Richie Foley, Gavin Crotty, Shane Fives, Stephen Molumphy, Thomas Ryan, Seamus Prendergast, Eoin Kelly.

Subs: S. O’Keeffe for Power (H-T), N. Connors for D. Prendergast (H-T), M. Walsh for P. Mahony (H-T), E. Murphy for Fives (H-T), S. Casey for Crotty (H-T), T. Browne for McGrath (H-T), D. O’Sullivan for Foley (49 mins), D. Fives for Connors (63 mins).

Wides – Waterford: 6 Kilkenny: 13

Man of the match: TJ Reid (Kilkenny)

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)

Flashback Friday - John Mullane v Tipp 2010

Waterford SFC Round 1 In Brief

The JJ Kavanagh senior football championship commenced this weekend with all twelve teams in action for the first round of the campaign. The games failed to ignite however with a number of below par fixtures.

The action on Saturday evening saw three low scoring affairs take place across the county. Brickey Rangers produced a surprise result in Group 3 with a 0-7 to 0-6 win over An Rinn at Ardmore. The Brickeys were priced at 7/2 ahead of that game. Another outside bet St Saviours almost pulled off another shock against Ballinacourty but last year’s runners-up escaped by 0-9 to 1-5 at Leamybrien. At Fraher Field Ballinameela maintained their impressive 2010 form with a 0-7 to 0-2 triumph against Gaultier. The Eastern side failed to score in the second half after trailing 0-5 to 0-2 at half time.

In Sunday’s double header at Dungarvan the Nire and Stradbally recorded their first wins of the campaign. The Nire edged past near neighbours Rathgormack by a goal in a game where both sides finished with 14 men. Goals from Shane Walsh and Martin Walsh handed the Nire a 2-3 to 0-5 interval advantage. Rathgormack battled back when Paudie Whelan converted a penalty and Darren Guiry was dismissed for the Ballymacarbry outfit. Trailing by 1-7 to 2-3 the Nire finished strong with Brian Wall (three frees), Shane Walsh and Craig Guiry firing over late points. Jack Nugent saw red late on for Rathgormack. Liam Lawlor retired with an ankle injury in the opening half and he will be a concern for Davy Fitzgerald ahead of the Munster championship. In the second game goals from Robert Ahearne and David Grey handed reigning champions Stradbally a seven point win over Kilrossanty. John Kiely’s side stayed in the game through the free taking of Paul Whyte but those two first half goals proved pivotal for the Reds to take the spoils. Clashmore and Ardmore completed the weekend’s action also at Fraher Field with Ardmore getting off the mark with a two point victory.

Round 1 Results:
Group 1
The Nire 2-8 Rathgormack 1-8
Stradbally 2-8 Kilrossanty 0-7

Group 2
Ballinacourty 0-9 St Saviours 1-5
Ardmore 1-7 Clashmore 1-5

Group 3
Brickey Rangers 0-7 An Rinn 0-6
Ballinameela 0-7 Gaultier 0-2

Flashback Friday - Waterford training 2010

Time for Ballinacourty to deliver - Waterford SFC preview

After lying in the shadows of the Nire and Stradbally in recent seasons, 2011 presents an ideal opportunity for Ballinacourty to deliver a county title. Although they did claim county honours in 2007 against Ardmore they have fallen down against the big two in subsequent deciders.

To disrupt the Old Firm of Waterford football will be a stiff task but last year’s final should stand to them as a learning curve for this campaign. They started like an express train with Mark Ferncombe in red hot form. As the game progressed however the challengers wilted and Stradbally used all their experience to squeeze over the line with a late point. Courty possess too much talent in all areas of the field to be satisfied with second best however and will regroup for another shot at the title. Ferncombe with senior inter county recognition now under his belt joins Patrick and Gary Hurney in a sharp forward line with Shane Briggs and John Hurney the stars in defence.

Stradbally grew as the campaign entered the knock out stages last time around and are gradually blending the Ahernes, Tommy Connors and Luke Casey with the side that claimed five in a row in the last decade. With three in a row up for grabs they will again be the team to beat. The Nire exited at the quarter finals to Stradbally in 2010, an unusually early departure for them. With a strong base of players like Brian Wall, Liam Lawlor, Shane Walsh and the O’Gorman twins they have a point to prove this year. As they introduce fresh talent some of their hard edge of old has been lost and they will need to regain that steel when an inevitable battle arrives against Stradbally or Ballinacourty in the knock out rounds.

Bubbling under the top three are Kilrossanty, Ardmore and An Rinn who can cause an upset but not on a consistent basis to be legitimate title challengers. Kilrossanty look the best bet of this trio to make an impact under the stewardship of former Waterford manager John Kiely and displaying the attacking talents of Paul Whyte. Surprise packets Ballinameela and Gaultier will find it difficult to replicate a semi final place this year but should be able to survive in the senior ranks. Intermediate champions Clashmore could secure a quarter final slot with St Saviours, Rathgormack and Brickey Rangers all destined for a relegation scrap.

There’s little to separate the top three teams in the county but Ballinacourty’s time has come to get one over on their rivals in a final. Three finals in four years is a mark of consistency but one win out of those three appearances is a record they will seek to address. At the other end of the scale St Saviours may well slip into the intermediate grade for next year.

First round previews
14 April
Ballinacourty v St Saviours (7.30 at Leamybrien) Group 2
With an array of inter county men at their disposal this presents an easy opener for last year’s runners-up. Saviours will look to Nicky Jacob as they seek another year of survival.
Odds: Ballinacourty 1/7 Draw 9/1 St Saviours 5/1
Prediction: Ballinacourty

Brickey Rangers v An Rinn (7.30 at Ardmore) Group 3
An Rinn promised much in the group stages last year defeating eventual champions Stradbally. They disappointed in the quarter finals but if Liam O’Lionain returns to action here they can get this season off on a high note. Brickeys will be severely weakened by Conor McGrath’s decision to emigrate.
Odds: Brickeys 7/2 Draw 9/1 An Rinn 2/9
Prediction: An Rinn

Gaultier v Ballinameela (7.30 at Fraher Field) Group 3
Two of last year’s surprise semi finalists meet here and both will fancy their prospects of advancing from the weakest group of the three. Ballinameela will rely on Eamonn Walsh, Brian Phelan and Eoghan Walsh but Gaultier may prove too strong with JJ Hutchinson to call upon.
Odds: Gaultier evens Draw 6/1 Ballinameela evens
Prediction: Gaultier

15 April
The Nire v Rathgormack (2.00 at Fraher Field) Group 1
Rathgormack survived the drop in 2010 and will seek improvement in this campaign. They drew with the Nire last year but the Ballymac side should make no mistake this time around.
Odds: Nire 1/6 Draw 9/1 Rathgormack 9/2
Prediction: The Nire

Stradbally v Kilrossanty (3.30 at Fraher Field) Group 1
Sunday’s game in Dungarvan promises to be the tie of the opening round. Kilrossanty’s rising stars Tommy Prendergast, Joey Veale and Paul Whyte should put it up to the Reds who begin the quest for three in a row. Their class will eventually come to the fore to ensure a narrow win.
Odds: Stradbally 1/4 Draw 8/1 Kilrossanty 10/3
Prediction: Stradbally

Clashmore v Ardmore (7.00 at Fraher Field) Group 2
This marks the return to senior football for Clashmore and they will target a win here with Cillian O’Keeffe and Sean Fleming to lead their charge. With the experience of the Hennessys and the Prendergasts however Ardmore appear to have enough to shade this one.
Odds: Clashmore 13/8 Draw 6/1 Ardmore 8/13
Prediction: Ardmore

Lismore 2-14 Ballyduff Upper 0-16 - SHC Round 2

Lismore were in firm control from the early stages of this local derby to claim their second win of the championship on a blustery evening at Fraher Field.
After only thirteen seconds Lismore found the net through Peter O’Keeffe after Chris O’Gorman sliced through the Ballyduff defence. Two further points followed before the Reds rallied. Stephen Molumphy led the charge with Brendan Hannon accurate from frees to make it 1-3 to 0-5. Then a Lismore blitz saw them surge ten points clear. With the half back line giving them an ideal platform the forwards ran riot. Dan Shanahan and Paudie Prendergast claimed three points each with Terence Walsh blasting home their second goal. The Ballyduff full back line was in all sorts of trouble with Shanahan and he should have claimed a goal of his own but his weak shot tailed wide. Lismore held a 2-9 to 0-7 lead at half time.
Ballyduff slowly came back into contention after the restart but sloppy passes and a lack of cutting edge up front undermined their efforts. Brendan Hannon fired over six more placed balls but scores from play were hard to come by. Stephen Molumphy also did all in his powers to rally the troops but they couldn’t get within striking distance. Paudie Prendergast added three more points in the second period, two from frees and one from play, to cap a fine evening for this promising youngster. Ballyduff’s last chance fell to goalkeeper Adrian Power from a 21 metre free but his effort was well saved by Brendan Landers.
With Maurice Shanahan absent this was a morale boosting win for Lismore. Captain Dan Shanahan led from the front winning a tough duel with Tom Molumphy. Young players like Ray Barry, Paudie Prendergast and Peter O’Keeffe also made vital contributions. Their first half performance blew away a Ballyduff side that didn’t come near the levels they reached in the opening round. The only sour note for the victors was the injury that Shane Kearney sustained with minutes remaining which appeared to be a serious knee injury. Remarkably there wasn’t even a stretcher on hand to remove the player from the field. For a senior championship game higher standards should be implemented for the safety of players.

Scorers:- Lismore: P. Prendergast 0-6 (4f), T. Walsh 1-1, D. Shanahan 0-3, R. Barry 0-3 (3f), P. O’Keeffe 1-0, C. O’Gorman 0-1.
Ballyduff Upper: B. Hannon 0-11 (9f, 1 65), S. Molumphy 0-2, J.Twomey 0-1, B. Kearney 0-1, S. Kearney 0-1.

Lismore: B. Landers, S. Bennett, M. Coleman, S. Heaphy, J. Prendergast, S. Kearney, E. Bennett, C. O’Gorman, D. O’Gorman, P. Prendergast, D. Howard, R. Barry, T. Walsh, D. Shanahan, P. O’Keeffe.
Subs: P. Fennessy, T. O’Brien.

Ballyduff Upper: A. Power, P. Molumphy, T. Molumphy, M. McNamara, T. Feeney, S. Hannon, M. Kearney, J. Twomey, G. Feeney, B. Kearney, J. Kearney, S. Kearney, B. Hannon, S. Molumphy, K. Casey.
Subs: S. Cunningham, J. Hannon.

Flashback Friday - Eoin Kelly v Cork 2004

Waterford 3-17 Cork 1-15 – Challenge Match at Clashmore

Late goals from Brian O’Sullivan and Gavin Crotty gave an experimental Waterford team a flattering eight point win against Cork in this challenge game at Clashmore on Monday evening.

The wet conditions that persisted throughout didn’t lend themselves to good hurling but those in attendance saw a well contested clash on a pitch that held up brilliantly considering the rain that fell throughout the day. This game was another example of the strength in depth Davy Fitzgerald has at his disposal and the tough selections to be made ahead of June 12 against Limerick.

The visitors made the brighter start with Michael Cussen blasting to the net with only a minute on the clock. Cussen ran the Waterford full back line ragged in the opening half registering 1-3. Pa Cronin and Tom Kenny lorded the midfield battle with Conor Lehane also chipping in up front. Waterford kept in touch through a Seamus Prendergast goal on 23 minutes after a mistake by goalkeeper Martin Coleman. The Rebel number one made up for his error minutes later with a fine stop from Eamonn Murphy’s shot. Adrian Power was called into action at the other end to deny Patrick Horgan from a 21 metre free. Stephen Power fired over three frees for Waterford but missed the target with three other opportunities. Denis Walsh’s side deservedly held a 1-11 to 1-7 lead at the break.

Waterford improved in the second period aided by the introduction of Kevin Moran, Michael Walsh and Maurice Shanahan. Cork meanwhile withdrew the likes of Tom Kenny and Ronan Curran which seemed to weaken their effort. Shanahan struck over four points (two from play, two from frees) before retiring injured on 52 minutes with a suspected hand injury. On 41 minutes Adrian Power again denied a Cork goal after he dived to block Cussen’s low drive. Waterford’s full back line tightened up in the second period with Aiden Kearney improving as the game wore on. The half back line of David O’Sullivan, Michael Walsh and in particular Declan Prendergast also drove the home side on. After a long injury lay off the Ardmore man looked as if he was never away.

With the sides level entering the last ten minutes Waterford finished far stronger but needed a slice of luck to seal victory. On 63 minutes Shane Fives, who worked effectively in an unfamiliar centre forward role, attempted a point but it dropped short to Donal Og Cusack. The Cloyne goalkeeper didn’t control the sliotar however and Brian O’Sullivan followed it in to the net. In injury time Gavin Crotty burst through the Cork defence to bury his shot and round off a good night’s work for Waterford.

Best for Waterford on the night were Adrian Power who is putting himself in pole position for the goalkeeper’s shirt, Declan Prendergast, Eoin McGrath for his work rate at midfield, Shane Fives for a strong second half display and Brian O’Sullivan who put in a massive effort up front. On the Cork side Eoin Dillon, William Egan, Pa Cronin and Michael Cussen were their stand out performers.

Scorers:- Waterford: B. O’Sullivan 1-3 (2f), S. Prendergast 1-1, M. Shanahan 0-4 (2f), S. Fives 0-3, S. Power 0-3 (3f), G. Crotty 1-0, E. Murphy 0-1, T. Ryan 0-1, D. O’Sullivan 0-1.
Cork: M. Cussen 1-3, P. Horgan 0-3 (2f), P. Cronin 0-2, T. Kenny 0-2, C. Lehane 0-2, K. Murphy 0-1, C. McCarthy 0-1 (1f), W. Egan 0-1.

Waterford: Adrian Power, Aiden Kearney, Liam Lawlor, Jerome Maher, David O’Sullivan, Philip Mahony, Declan Prendergast, Eoin McGrath, Gavin Crotty, Eamonn Murphy, Shane Fives, Stephen Power, Thomas Ryan, Seamus Prendergast, Brian O’Sullivan.

Subs: Michael Walsh for Mahony (H-T), Kevin Moran for Murphy (H-T), Maurice Shanahan for S. Power (H-T), Eamonn Murphy for Shanahan inj (52 mins).

Cork: Martin Coleman, Stephen McDonnell, Eoin Dillon, Conor O’Sullivan, James Nagle, Ronan Curran, William Egan, Pa Cronin, Tom Kenny, Conor Lehane, Cian McCarthy, Cathal Naughton, Luke O’Farrell, Kieran Murphy, Michael Cussen.

Subs: Bill Cooper for McCarthy inj (11 mins), Patrick Horgan for O’Farrell (31 mins), Donal Og Cusack for Coleman (H-T), John O’Callaghan for McDonnell (H-T), Brian Murphy for Curran (H-T), Gavin McLoughlin for Kenny (H-T), Brian Corry for Lehane (H-T).

Wides – Waterford: 8 Cork: 13

Man of the match: Declan Prendergast (Waterford)

Referee: Johnny Ryan (Tipperary)

Waterford SHC Round 2 in brief

Ballygunner 3-18 Roanmore 1-8
For the second week running Niall O’Donnell’s side had it all too easy in this lop sided encounter at Walsh Park on Friday evening. JJ Hutchinson, Naoise Waldron and Shane O’Sullivan all found the net for the Gunners to maintain their unbeaten record in Group 2 against a weakened Roanmore outfit. Last year’s runners up have posted an intimidating tally of 8-41 in their opening two games of the campaign.

Mount Sion 0-12 Passage 0-11
Mount Sion survived a late Passage rally to escape with a narrow win at Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon. With five minutes remaining Owen Connors saw his penalty attempt saved to end a brave second half effort from Passage. Tensions flared early here with Eoin Kelly and Chris Ryan both receiving yellow cards. With Martin O’Neill and Stephen Roche to the fore Sion led 0-9 to 0-3 at half time. Owen Connors dragged Passage back into the game with a succession of placed balls to cut the deficit to a point. He couldn’t convert that vital penalty however as Sion edged over the line.

De La Salle 1-10 Abbeyside 1-10
A last gasp free from Brian Phelan gave De La Salle a share of the spoils at Walsh Park in a low scoring encounter with Abbeyside. Jake Dillon’s goal for De La Salle separated the sides at half time (1-4 to 0-4). The Villagers battled back in the second half however with Mark Gorman’s free taking and a Mark Fives goal putting them a point ahead entering the closing stages. Phelan kept his cool however with the last puck of the game to ensure the points were divided. John Mullane and John Keane both retired injured in the second half with hand and hamstring injuries respectively.

Fourmilewater 1-17 Stradbally 0-9
The Ballymacarbry side picked up their first pair of points after a surprisingly comfortable win over Stradbally at Fraher Field. A goal from Shane Walsh helped Fourmile into an early 1-6 to 0-2 lead. Trevor Curran and Michael Walsh kept the Reds in touch to only trail by 1-7 to 0-7 at half time. A closely contested second half never materialised as Shane Ryan, Shane Walsh, Diarmuid Wall and Jamie Barron fired over points to give Stradbally some early relegation worries. Walsh ended with an impressive tally of 1-6 from play.

Tallow 2-12 Dungarvan 0-11
Tallow always held the upper hand in the second part of the double header at Fraher Field on Sunday. A Thomas Ryan goal eased them into a 1-7 to 0-2 lead at the break. Evan Sheehan bagged Tallow’s second goal on 33 minutes to keep their opponents at arms length. Dungarvan’s accuracy improved in the second period with Cormac Curran and Kenny Moore on the mark but they never threatened the victors. Thomas Ryan finished with 1-5 to his name.