When Davy Fitzgerald declined to put his name forward for another term in the Déise hot seat last September, one of the reasons he offered was the road from Clare to Waterford. “The thing that made up my mind was the thoughts of driving that road again. It’s about 100 miles each way, I’d leave at two in the afternoon and mightn’t land home again until one or two in the morning. That would take an awful lot out of anybody.” On Sunday he will travel that long and winding road to Walsh Park once more for a Crystal Cup semi final where both he and Michael Ryan will clash for the February bragging rights before the more important matter of a Munster semi final on June 17.
Much attention will centre on the battle off the field but new faces on both sides need games like these to make their mark as the league fast approaches. With this in mind, Michael Ryan may chop and change from last weekend as he takes stock of his options before reducing the size of the extended panel. Players like Gavin O’Brien, Paudie Nevin, Paul O’Brien and Aiden Kearney should all get a run this weekend to force themselves into the reckoning and create further headaches for the management. Brian O’Halloran, Dean Twomey and Martin O’Neill have already served notice that they have something to offer in an increasingly competitive environment. Those on the fringes for the last couple of years like Maurice Shanahan, Thomas Ryan, Jamie Nagle and Shane Casey should also look to use this competition to build up a head of steam that they can bring forward into the league.
Davy Fitzgerald has made a habit of talking down his young Clare team but privately he will be pleased with the response so far. He has used the Crystal campaign to survey the underage talent at his disposal and collected some notable scalps in the process. Although WIT fielded a weakened side in the first round, Clare took full advantage and posted a hefty total of 3-25. In two tough battles with Limerick they eventually came through on Tuesday night, despite selecting a different starting fifteen in the replay. The return of Tony Carmody to the set-up is also a notable development as his experience may boost a youthful attack come championship time.
Davy will pass through places like Oola, Bansha and Cahir on his journey to the match on Sunday but it won’t bother him too much on this occasion. He has learned a lot already in this competition about the players available to him for the bigger challenges ahead. The home side are likely to take the field with a more battle hardened selection than their visitors and also with a few on board determined to nail down a place. This should take them to a third Crystal final in a row but Davy still won’t fret as beating Waterford in spring would taste nothing like beating Waterford with a Munster final place at stake.
Waterford Crystal Cup Semi Final
Waterford v Clare
Throw in 2.00 at Walsh Park
Referee: Johnny Ryan (Tipperary)
Extra time if necessary
Odds: Waterford 4/6 Draw 9/1 Clare 11/8
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