Plenty of passion but shortage of guile – Tipperary 2-17 Waterford 0-16

Not too far away at all. The sides were level six times and twice after the interval, Waterford even hit the front. When they sit down and watch the DVD, they will be kicking themselves that they couldn’t hang in there for just a bit longer.

With each passing minute from the start of the second half, Waterford began to frustrate their opponents. They got in little blocks and intercepts which disrupted Tipperary’s approach play and they grew in stature as Tony Browne, Michael Walsh and Kevin Moran emerged from defence. Stephen Molumphy and Philip Mahony put in a serious shift around the middle against an All Star pairing but further up the field problems would start to surface as the half wore on.

Then came the goal and the customary final quarter slump. When Eoin Kelly’s free dropped short and wasn’t cleared sufficiently, Shane Bourke pounced. It underlined the essential difference between the sides on the day; greater potency up front. Despite Tipp’s early goal, they managed to hit nine wides but still found a way to correct that when it was required and outscored their opponents by 1-9 to 0-5 in the second half. Waterford meanwhile, hit a brick wall (in the form of Brendan Cummins), sent four placed balls astray and ended up with ten wides. In a similar fashion to the Clare game, they only registered two points in the last ten minutes. They also failed to score from play for a period of 28 minutes. Bourke’s successful introduction also showed up the contrast in quality between the respective benches. The JK Brackens man along with Eoin Kelly and Seamus Callinan all entered the attack and contributed 1-4 between them (1-2 from play). Meanwhile, Waterford used Eoin Kelly, Paul O’Brien, Martin O’Neill and Jamie Nagle to limited effect.

The soft conditions militated against a classic but we got a battle instead. Waterford tore into it from the first blow of Cathal McAllister’s whistle. Three points to zip after six minutes. Then they made it four to one after eight minutes. Seamus Prendergast then missed out on a chance to extend that advantage to four as he directed a shot narrowly wide. Seconds later, Patrick Maher barrelled through the centre of the defence to tee up John O’Brien. The full forward wreaked havoc against Liam Lawlor as he accumulated 1-2 by the fifteen minute mark and could have added to his goal tally. The number three steadied down after that, commanded his area with authority and cut down the gaps that appeared. Patrick Maher also played an influential role in that first half as Tipp moved three points clear and more goals looked inevitable. Thomas Stapleton and Padraic Maher provided the launch pad but those nine wides, aggressive Waterford defence and fumbles in front of goal kept Michael Ryan’s men afloat. The energy and spring around midfield also helped as Stephen Molumphy and Philip Mahony covered well in defence, made vital interceptions and put their team on the attack. When Maurice Shanahan raised the roof on the stroke of half time, Waterford were much the happier. Only two points adrift by the end of the third quarter, things were still going to plan until Lar Corbett’s creativity and Bourke’s goal intervened.

When you analyze the performances of the six forwards, it paints a puzzling picture. The Tipperary full back line pulled their socks up after a bumpy start which saw them concede five points from play off Shane Walsh and John Mullane only 22 minutes into the contest. They were held scoreless thereafter. Thomas Stapleton and Padraic Maher sparkled throughout in the half back line although Maurice Shanahan caused them some problems with his pace. Those penetrating runs were all too rare from a Waterford perspective. The Lismore man endured a funny sort of afternoon as he missed three frees but still ended up with eight points and never shirked the responsibility. Seamus Prendergast made inroads on Conor O’Mahony but his shooting fell short on too many occasions. He struck three wides and hit one ball into the grateful arms of Brendan Cummins. Pauric Mahony and Gavin O’Brien will gain from the experience in different ways. Mahony’s sharpness will pick up while O’Brien can learn the demands and the pressure put on a corner forward at this level. In nine of the last ten years, Waterford have managed to fit at least one forward into the All Star selection. At the moment none of the forward division are in All Star territory and only a late season surge from Mullane is likely to change that.

Attention quickly turns to the Rebels on July 29. While numbers one to nine will remain unchanged, expect a couple of alterations in attack. Michael Ryan remarked afterwards that it will be harder to lift the troops for the quarter finals than this time twelve months ago. “I think it’s more difficult this year because when Waterford played Galway last year, and this is not taking away from the Waterford performance, Galway weren’t going as well as Cork or Limerick were going. Cork have had a couple of good wins, so have Limerick.” They can take pride in the rousing nature of the performance and pinning down Tipperary for 55 minutes but looking ahead, question marks remain over whether three or four members of the attack can hit top form on the one day and compile a winning total. Goals also remain in short supply. That’s the third time in seven competitive games this season that Waterford have fired a blank in that column. The aggressive approach in defence and the creation of 31 scoring chances offers reason to be optimistic as does the fact that question marks linger over Jimmy Barry Murphy’s charges.

Waterford v Cork no longer commands top billing but the prize on offer is enticing. In his Examiner column Donal O’Grady observed; “the game could be a good indicator as to where Cork lie in the scheme of things at present.” It takes on the very same significance for Waterford. A season defining afternoon in Semple.