Balance of Power shifts in race for number one

On Friday evening at Fraher Field a thrilling championship battle between Ballyduff Upper and Ballygunner developed into an exhibition of shot stopping at both ends. The two best goalkeepers in the county took turns to display their abilities and keep their side in the hunt for the victory.

Gunners’ keeper Stephen O’Keeffe was called into action early to stop Brendan Hannon’s close range effort. Late in the first half Stephen Power went for goal from a 21 metre free but Adrian Power was equal to it. Into the second half and leading by 0-16 to 0-12, Ballyduff looked to kill off contest. Shane Kearney let rip from 21 metres out and instead of nestling in the bottom corner, O’Keeffe dived full length to flick the sliotar away. With a minute remaining, Wayne Hutchinson was through one on one with Power but somehow the Ballyduff netminder swatted it away for a 65. Power was clearly psyched up after that and savoured his latest save a little bit too much. A shemozzle broke out and Power received a yellow for his trouble. Philip Mahony converted the 65 and the Gunners could still salvage a point. Barry Coughlan surged forward from corner back in the fourth minute of injury time to unleash a fierce shot that Power batted away overhead and out to safety. The final whistle sounded and while both goalkeepers kept clean sheets, Ballyduff claimed the two points. In inter county terms however, the tables have been turned. Unfortunately the club circuit will be the only place to see the Ballyduff Upper number one in action this summer as Power’s departure from the Waterford senior panel for 2012 was confirmed during the week.

After holding a firm grip on the goalkeeping jersey since 2005, Clinton Hennessy’s decision to step aside after the conclusion of last year’s championship left the door open for a new candidate to fill the vacant slot in 2012. Power was regarded as the clear front runner to step into the breach after serving as understudy to Hennessy since 2008. 2012 was supposed to be the year when his patience would finally be rewarded but cracks appeared early in the campaign to scupper those plans.

At the beginning of the year, the new management team cast their net wide and surprisingly Ian O’Regan and John Coady joined the extended panel. As Power and O’Keeffe focussed on their Fitzgibbon duties with WIT, the Mount Sion man received game time to impress. O’Regan started four competitive games on the bounce including the league games against Cork and Kilkenny. Rumours began to circulate that Power had walked away. After the league defeat to the Cats, Michael Ryan set the record straight on the matter. “Adrian Power never left the panel, I don’t know where that story came from” maintained the Déise boss. “That’s the biggest joke of all time. Adrian Power had a thesis to hand in last Friday so he took a few days off. He’ll be back in full training on Tuesday night. He had a bit of a hand problem as well, he had an injury with his hand but he will be back in training on Tuesday night like everybody else and he will be fighting for his place.”

O’Keeffe replaced O’Regan for the Tipperary and Galway games and managed to keep clean sheets on both occasions. Power reappeared for the final round against Dublin at Fraher Field, kept his goal intact and put himself back in the frame for permanent selection. Seventy minutes of competitive action didn’t satisfy Power’s appetite however. Just when he was beginning to build up a head of steam the league was over and opportunities to impress became limited ahead of the big day against Clare. An eleven week build up to the championship leaves a lot of time for players to kick their heels, even with the distraction of club activity. Then when two challenge matches did arrive against Dublin and Wexford, Power again found himself frozen out. He played the second half against the Dubs but when he failed once again to make the first fifteen against Wexford his patience ran out. He envisaged yet another summer on the sidelines and it didn’t sit well. Five seasons of hard work spent at the top level but still no championship appearance to show for it.

He first came to prominence after he made a miraculous save for WIT in the 2008 Fitzgibbon Cup final against Davy Fitzgerald’s LIT. In extra time, with substitute Blaine Early bearing down on goal, Power flung himself to his left to save from point blank range. In a game of 55 scores this save proved equally as important in this classic tussle. That stop charted at number 15 in TG4’s list of the Top 25 hurling saves in the television age. On the back of those heroics, Power was elevated to the Waterford senior panel that reached the All Ireland final.

He has also performed consistently well for Ballyduff Upper in the county championship since their breakthrough success in 2007. He kept three clean sheets in last year’s championship and only conceded six goals in seven games. He also produced an array of dazzling saves against Abbeyside in the first round at Fraher Field. With Hennessy maintaining his high standards Power was limited to three league appearances against Dublin, Tipperary and Cork in 2011. Apart from his shot stopping ability he also possesses a booming puck out. He won the Waterford long puck competition three years on the trot from 2006 to 2008 and claimed Munster success in 2008. At club level his ability to score points from long distance is well known. In the 2007 county final against Ballygunner, Power scored two points from frees on the way to the club’s first title in 20 years. His ability to sweep up behind the full back line has also improved recently. The question marks rest with his temperament and also a tendency to over elaborate at times when in possession.

In 2005 The Sunday Tribune identified Power as one of the emerging stars for the future. He joined household names like Michael Fennelly, Joe Canning, Cathal Naughton and Brendan Maher on that list. While all of those players have made huge strides in the last seven years, Power is yet to make his championship debut. After serving his apprenticeship for four seasons under Davy Fitzgerald, Power looked to be in pole position to make that long overdue debut this summer but the wait continues after this latest setback.

Power’s withdrawal leaves Stephen O’Keeffe in the driving seat. The Ballygunner stopper played a key part in Waterford’s minor hurling success in 2009 when they toppled Tipperary in the Munster final at Semple Stadium. At club level he has graduated seamlessly into the number one shirt to succeed Pat Haran and collect two county medals. During last year’s run to the title he only conceded five goals in eight games. While time is on his side, he already possesses all the elements to develop into a goalkeeper of the highest calibre. Under a high ball he is neat and tidy and can also pull out a top drawer save when required. The only imperfections in his game lies with his delivery of the ball in open play which may need to be sharper as displayed against Na Piarsaigh last November. The young netminder has been a member of the panel for the last two seasons and received two league appearances in 2011 against Wexford and Kilkenny.

On Friday night, Ryan was offered a reminder of the talent lost to this year’s panel but he also would have been reassured by the performance of the man in red and black who will start against Clare on June 17.