Waterford SHC Round 4 in brief

Ballygunner 2-17 Tallow 0-6
Niall O’Donnell’s side maintained their 100 per cent record in Group 2 on Saturday evening at Fraher Field by easing to a seventeen point win over Tallow. Goals from Brian O’Sullivan and Harley Barnes built up a 2-8 to 0-4 half time lead that Tallow proved unable to bridge.

Ballyduff Upper 1-18 Stradbally 0-11
A second half goal from Shane Kearney turned this tie in favour of Ballyduff Upper after a competitive showing from Stradbally in the opening period. The sides went in at half time all square at eight points each with the Ahernes and Michael Walsh leading the Stradbally charge. The loss of John Coffey in the opening half proved a costly one however and once Kearney struck for a goal on 40 minutes the verdict was decided. Brendan Hannon who fired nine points overall, Stephen Molumphy with four and Brian Kearney with three contributed heavily to Ballyduff’s second championship win which keeps them in contention for the quarter finals.

Roanmore 1-12 Passage 1-11
A late point from Gavin O’Brien proved the match winner here as Roanmore kept alive ambitions of attaining a quarter final place with their first win in Group 2. Passage held a 1-6 to 1-4 lead after the first half. Laurence O’Neill fired the Roanmore goal with Liam Flynn on the mark for Passage. O’Brien’s five point haul however was enough to give Roanmore the spoils by the narrowest of margins.

De La Salle 1-13 Fourmilewater 1-13
A late brace of frees from Brian Phelan earned De La Salle a draw in the game of the round at Fraher Field on Sunday afternoon. 15 wides proved the undoing for a Fourmilewater side that looked the likely victors for long stages. Jamie Barron lit up the opening half with 1-3, his goal coming on three minutes. Eoin Madigan fired a De La Salle goal on 15 minutes but Fourmile held a 1-8 to 1-5 interval advantage. They opened up a four point lead early in the second half but those missed opportunities kept De La Salle in touch. Barron, who finished with 1-5, struck over a 65 to maintain a two advantage for his side but Phelan stepped up to ensure the teams would share the points.

Mount Sion 1-14 Dungarvan 2-11
Jimmy Healy’s men surprised many at Walsh Park with a well merited draw against Mount Sion on Sunday. Sion held a 1-9 to 2-4 advantage at half time. Ken McGrath rattled the net for the city side while Colm Curran and Karl Duggan raised green flags for Dungarvan. Both sides had chances to win the game in the dying minutes but late efforts from Martin O’Neill and Jamie Nagle tailed wide.

Lismore 5-14 Abbeyside 2-13
Three second half goals and a 2-5 contribution from Maurice Shanahan turned the tide in Lismore’s favour here after a shaky start. Abbeyside raced into a 2-2 to 0-0 lead after three minutes with goals from Mark Ferncombe and Mark Gorman. By the eighth minute the gap stretched to nine points. Two goals from Shanahan before the interval left them trailing 2-10 to 2-7. After a scrappy opening to the second half, Lismore drew level then bolted for home. Goals from John Prendergast, John Heneghan and veteran Dave Bennett in the last ten minutes completed a remarkable nineteen point turnaround.

Hurling championship round 4 previews

27 August
Ballygunner v Tallow (6.30 at Fraher Field)
The Gunners already find themselves safely in the quarter finals after three wins and scoring eleven goals in the process. Tallow have held their own with three points from three games and competitive displays against Mount Sion and Passage. While Tallow’s need for a win may be greater, Niall O’Donnell’s side look set to continue their impressive start.
Odds: Ballygunner 1/5 Draw 11/1 Tallow 7/2
Prediction: Ballygunner

28 August
Ballyduff Upper v Stradbally (2.00 at Fraher Field)
A miserable run of double digit defeats leaves Stradbally in dire need of a win to stave off another relegation battle. Ballyduff stuttered after a convincing opener against Abbeyside to suffer two defeats at the hands of Lismore and Fourmilewater.
Nine points separated these teams last year and a similar margin looks likely on Sunday afternoon to get Stephen Molumphy’s side back on track.
Odds: Ballyduff 1/20 Draw 25/1 Stradbally 6/1
Prediction: Ballyduff Upper

Passage v Roanmore (2.30 at Walsh Park)
Both sides could do with the points after unconvincing campaigns thus far. Roanmore have suffered three straight defeats but could consider themselves unlucky to be edged out by Dungarvan. Passage, meanwhile, have come down to earth from last year’s semi final highs to only pull off one win from three and found no answers to Ballygunner’s tidal wave two months ago. With Owen Connors and Eoin Kelly pulling the strings up front Passage should have sufficient firepower to emerge with a win but it may be a close call.
Odds: Passage 1/5 Draw 11/1 Roanmore 7/2
Prediction: Passage

De La Salle v Fourmilewater (3.30 at Fraher Field)
While the bookmakers give Fourmile’ a slim chance here, Fintan O’Connor’s team are the most improved in this year’s championship. If Shane Walsh and Jamie Barron can click again in attack they will fancy the prospect of an upset. De La Salle’s dismantling of Lismore in round 3 signalled their drive to retain the title however and another win is on the cards here.
Odds: De La Salle 1/7 Draw 14/1 Fourmile’ 4/1
Prediction: De La Salle

Mount Sion v Dungarvan (4.00 at Walsh Park)
In the corresponding fixture last year Dungarvan put in a valiant effort and should be confident after a win over Roanmore in the last round. Mount Sion are already safely in the knock out stages but will be looking to build momentum for stiffer tests to come as they continue to integrate youth with the experience of Tony Browne and Ken McGrath.
Odds: Mt Sion 2/9 Draw 11/1 Dungarvan 10/3
Prediction: Mount Sion

Lismore v Abbeyside (6.30 at Fraher Field)
Billed as the clash of the weekend, this one has a lot to live up to. Abbeyside need all of the Hurneys to step up to the mark and a big display from Richie Foley to get the win they need to ensure a quarter final place. Maurice Shanahan however comes alive at Fraher Field and capable of compiling a winning total almost single handed. His scoring influence should ensure a third win from four for Lismore.
Odds: Lismore 8/13 Draw 9/1 Abbeyside 11/8
Prediction: Lismore

End of the road – Kilkenny 2-19 Waterford 1-16

A third consecutive semi final defeat left lingering questions and unsatisfactory answers coming out of Croke Park on Sunday. Did the team become constrained by a defensive mindset? Were Kilkenny there for the taking? Will Davy Fitzgerald stay on for another term?

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect was the predictability of the second half outcome. The script could be written beforehand. The concession of an early goal, John Mullane’s one man scoring show, the brief but unsustained threat to derail Kilkenny and the superior spread of scores available to Brian Cody. As Paul Flynn described on the Sunday Game however this was an opportunity missed but Waterford didn’t prove capable of pouncing on Kilkenny’s vulnerability.

In the analysis that followed the game much of the talk surrounded the overly cautious approach taken to ruffle the opposition. Nothing was wrong with the set-up in the first half however when only two points separated the sides within minutes of the whistle. After the nightmare start unfolded, Waterford bossed the possession stakes by winning almost twice as many puck outs. Seamus Prendergast put in tremendous toil all afternoon by winning puck outs, scrapping for breaking ball, shifting tackles and setting up scores for colleagues. Kevin Moran and Stephen Molumphy also made outstanding clean catches in this period. Mullane’s cracking goal and stunning point from under the Hogan Stand provided the spark and Waterford appeared set to mount a legitimate challenge. Small breaks define big championship games however as the well documented second Kilkenny goal after Mullane’s miss proves.

As well as this turning point another obvious conclusion lies in the contrast of the two attacking forces. Kilkenny’s ability to win their own ball up front, seize goal opportunities and consistently convert placed balls keeps them ticking over. By comparison Waterford’s full forward line were blown away in the second half by the Cats rearguard, Stephen Molumphy spurned a gilt edged goal chance and Pauric Mahony missed two scoreable first half frees. Four Kilkenny forwards struck two points or more from play while only John Mullane attained this distinction at the other end. Also in Waterford’s two big games this year they have hit 19 points which at this level rarely if ever emerges as a winning total. Unearthing two more consistent scorers from open play is a must for next year’s management.

To compound the concession of a second goal, the team failed to emerge with same ferocity that unsettled Kilkenny in the opening half. The game was still in the fire but within minutes of the restart a resignation seeped in amongst players and supporters. One point in the first seventeen minutes after the break speaks volumes. Three wides from Kevin Moran and two courtesy of Eoin Kelly also chipped away at morale. It must be stated however that all six Kilkenny backs stepped up a notch to improve on a shaky opening half. Paul Murphy and JJ Delaney in particular had points to prove while Tommy Walsh and Jackie Tyrell remained consistent all the way through. A rally of six points in nine minutes came all too late and the gap didn’t move closer than five.

Another element of that second half that may have raised eyebrows was the substitutions. Jamie Nagle’s introduction at the break almost immediately resulted in a Kilkenny point after being blocked down by Michael Rice. Richie Foley appears to have slipped down the pecking order during the season behind the likes of David O’Sullivan and Nagle after a lightening start to the year. By taking off Shane Walsh and Eoin Kelly two goal threats were removed from the field. The Passage man made some questionable shot selections but at least he created some openings to trouble the stout Kilkenny defence. Maurice Shanahan made an immediate impact but Thomas Ryan didn’t appear comfortable in this company. Stephen Molumphy didn’t feature prominently at any stage appearing all at sea with his roving corner forward task and can consider himself fortunate to have lasted the seventy minutes.

Exiting at the semi final stage creates all of these what if scenarios. It brings a measure of optimism that you have reached and competed at the concluding stages but frustration that taking the extra step becomes the stumbling block every time. Five points is as close as Waterford got in 2009 and haven’t looked convincing enough to bridge it in the last two semi finals. The undercurrent of displeasure with the playing style and the lack of visible progress in closing this gap to the top two remain the principle reasons that Davy’s position comes under scrutiny. Officially he says he will take time out to consider what lies ahead but from outside looking in he seems to have completed his duties.

In the next week or so however the race for the next bainsteoir will become clearer as Davy and his management team ponder their options. Falling at the semi final obstacle brings an empty sort of feeling like the third place Waterford now fill on an annual basis. We are somewhere but when the September fireworks kick into action we are nowhere to be seen. An all too familiar routine.

Time to disrupt Kilkenny’s September plans?

A Cork v Kerry All Ireland semi final appeared set in stone long before Mayo even took the field last Sunday. Thinking ahead that extra step allowed Cork’s concentration to drift and James Horan’s side pounced. Similarly in hurling circles a third successive Kilkenny v Tipperary All Ireland final looms large.

In 2005 Galway blocked the path of a hat trick of Kilkenny v Cork deciders. In this year’s semi final pairings Waterford are given the better chance in performing the role of party pooper for the big two. Moving forward from third place in the hurling rankings to earning a shot at the September 4 final is a significant leap however. Kilkenny eased through Leinster with eleven point victories over both Wexford and Dublin while no team has come closer than eight points to the reigning champions in Munster. Meanwhile Waterford and Dublin have proved the best of the rest but only wins over Limerick and Galway count as their significant scalps. Which all leads to the odds of 13/2 about the Déise this Sunday.

With the burden of the Munster final removed from their shoulders after the Galway recovery a competitive performance lies in wait. Davy and this panel of players demand more however as reflected in the manager’s comments in Thurles a fortnight ago. “What’s the story now we just turn up and get beaten in a semi final is that the story? Or do we go out and give it everything again?” A repeat of the application and hunger shown in the quarter final will be seen as a minimum requirement but how will the team set up tactically for another monumental challenge? For a start a vote of confidence should be placed in the same fifteen that started last time out.

Will Davy bring players deep to stay in the game early on or revert to a traditional formation? Either way a lively start in the manner of the Galway game or a scrappy, low scoring opening would suffice. The midfield and half forward line need to provide a platform for possession. Michael Fennelly and Michael Rice present an All Star centre field pairing while Tommy Walsh and company won’t be as easily shaken as the Galway combination. If midfield and Seamus Prendergast in particular break even or better then profiting on the form of Shane Walsh, who has scored 2-6 in championship 2011, becomes a key component. Not only did he strike two goals against JJ Delaney in 2009, his goal at Nowlan Park in April was one of the best in the National League. As Tipperary proved definitively in last year’s All Ireland final Kilkenny’s full back line remains a point opposition teams can target. Rory Jacob in this year’s Leinster semi final found those gaps but couldn’t translate them into goals. Pauric Mahony’s placed ball accuracy also needs to be maintained as Paul Flynn and Eoin Kelly clocked up big totals in the semi finals of 2004 and 2009 but still didn’t emerge on the winning team.

Despite these rays of encouragement building a case for a Kilkenny victory makes for a much easier argument. While the five week lay off may take the edge off their sharpness a quick glimpse at their semi final record paints a different picture. 11 wins in 13 semi finals since 1998 tell that particular tale. Waterford’s record stands at 1 win and seven defeats since 1998. Kilkenny will look to put this one to bed at an early stage in a similar fashion to last year’s semi final meeting with Cork. Isolating Henry Shefflin at full forward against Waterford may be one way of doing so. In the 2009 encounter the Ballyhale man ran riot against Aiden Kearney scoring 1-14(1-6 from play). 3-26 in three championship games against Waterford is another startling reminder of his threat. The forward unit as a whole demonstrated in Leinster that they are still as lethal as ever. They hit the 29 point mark on both occasions and a similar target would prove difficult to reach for the Waterford attack.

They build this attacking platform with dominance at midfield and the half back line. The centre field warfare brings together two formidable pairings. Michael Fennelly powers his way through the 70 minutes while Michael Rice poses an attacking threat with 1-6 banked to date. Winning or losing this battle will prove a determining factor but Moran and O’Sullivan possess the physicality and hurling ability to stand up. Other clashes like Prendergast v Walsh, Mullane v Tyrell, Walsh v Power and Browne v Larkin all promise sparks if they materialise but if form and recent meetings are anything to go by Kilkenny hold the edge in most of these duels.

Other small factors also come into consideration. The Croke Park factor counts as one. Sunday’s game marks Kilkenny’s fourth visit to GAA headquarters this year while Waterford make their first appearance since last year’s semi final and have to look back to 2008 for their last win. Barry Kelly’s appointment as referee will result in close monitoring of his decisions after Davy Fitzgerald questioned his display in the 2009 edition. “There was a free given on the sideline for a shoulder at a crucial time, while we got pulverised by a few shoulders ourselves. How does this happen to the big teams? I’m not giving out about Kilkenny. They are an awesome team and deserve respect, they’re worthy All-Ireland champions. You need a fella to stand up with a bit of balls and ref the thing. That’s being honest.”

The unspoken fear is that Kilkenny will strike early and often. While this fear factor, that accompanied the four in a row side, still operates it's not to the same degree. The importance of riding out the bad patches and staying within striking distance is paramount and this means keeping the goals out and also scoring two or three at the other end. While Waterford possess enough elements to make it an uncomfortable afternoon the evidence suggests that this may prove a step too far. Power, accuracy and determination to qualify for another crack at Tipperary should sustain Brian Cody’s men and ensure a five point win against a stiff Waterford resistance similar to 2009.

Blue and White GAA Starting Fifteen: Clinton Hennessy, Darragh Fives, Liam Lawlor, Noel Connors, Tony Browne, Michael Walsh, David O’Sullivan, Kevin Moran, Shane O’Sullivan, Seamus Prendergast, John Mullane, Pauric Mahony, Eoin Kelly, Shane Walsh, Stephen Molumphy.

All Ireland Semi Final
Kilkenny v Waterford
Throw in 3.30 at Croke Park
Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath)

Betting:
Kilkenny 1/9 Draw 18/1 Waterford 13/2