Big gains despite narrow loss – Galway 1-12 Waterford 0-14

 

“These moral victories, I hate them.” Niall Carew took pride from a composed performance against the odds but still couldn’t hide his annoyance with an agonising near miss.

As Derek Fahy sounded the final whistle, Paul Whyte slumped to the ground and stayed there for a bit. At a showery Salthill, Waterford grabbed the attention of the football world for the afternoon and Whyte bloomed into a championship forward. In sporting fashion, Paul Conroy marched down to console with him. These two played Sigerson Cup football together with UL this year. Both had illuminated the seventy minutes that went before with an exhibition in point taking.

Members of the maroon media had yet to see Whyte before Saturday but they were instantly impressed. Comparisons to Mattie Forde and Declan Browne flew around the press box by half time. He struck his scores with conviction all afternoon. Gary Hurney has carried the torch for more years than he cares to remember but the hand over to Whyte was made last weekend.

After reaching the last fifteen minutes in good shape with a three point cushion, a couple of small margins tipped in Galway’s favour. Carew identified a crucial refereeing call towards the end. “We pushed them all the way and we were leading right up to the 65^th  minute and even at the end there we had a great opportunity when Shane Ahearne legally batted the ball down to Tony Grey and the referee gave a free against them. That happened continuously during the game. He never gave Shane a break and Shane is so honest as a footballer and how he found Shane to be the guilty party is beyond me.” A lack of experience in these situations also cost the 7/1 outsiders dearly. Instead of continuing to attack with patience and purpose, they started to play conservatively and dwell on the ball in defence. In unfamiliar territory and with the pressure ramped up, a couple of mistakes and turnovers crept in. Not many mind but enough to make Galway hopeful. As Galway got their act together, Waterford retreated ever so slightly and the hosts pushed on. Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce in favour of the basement teams. Michael Farragher’s delivery fell into the arms of Sean Armstrong and he slipped in Michael Meehan. Although blighted by injury, he remains a leading light and he dispatched his shot past Stephen Enright. A roar of sheer relief greeted the game changing goal to dispel the deep sense of uncertainty.

Up to that point, the only noise from the stands was the grumbles of the Galway fans. Panic spread like wildfire onto the field of play. Alan Mulholland tossed on substitutes like firing coins into a slot machine and hoping for a different outcome. One passage of play summed it up neatly. Their star performer Paul Conroy overhit a free across the field and hopped over the sideline. Waterford got on with it smartly as Galway dwelled on another unforced effort. A quick exchange of passes between Whyte and Shane Briggs, the former sent over another point from the left flank.

This performance caught most of us on the hop but the players and management had prepared for this all year. At the Munster championship launch, Tony Grey had a target of two championships in mind. All through the league, after wins and defeats, Carew reminded the media that the emphasis was placed firmly on championship. That ambition was backed up by a performance if not the result they craved.

The opening minutes didn’t point towards anything of the sort. Meehan hit an early groove and Danny Cummins looked menacing. Within seven minutes, they were three points up. At the throw in, Waterford made eleven positional switches and put thirteen men behind the ball. This left just Liam O Lonain and Paul Whyte up top but they gradually got to grips with the plan of action. They steadily built from the back and in Whyte they had someone to shoot reliably from distance. Andy Doyle also burst from deep for two points.

The start of the second half would determine the direction of the contest. Sean Armstrong showed an electrifying burst of speed and the defence prised apart. The ball slipped out of his hands however and Waterford attacked them from there with the breeze in their favour. They posted six unanswered points in a seventeen minute spell. Whyte scored two and set up one with Hurney also kicking a pair of points. They showed an assurance in possession and looked in control of their own destiny. Shane Ahearne and Tommy Prendergast stood out at midfield and drove forward. Shane Briggs and Tony Grey mixed their defensive and attacking duties. They knew when to take a step forward or a step back. The last line of defence recovered their iffy start and the O’Gormans frustrated the hosts by breaking up their patterns. 22 and a half minutes of second half passed by without a single score from the home side. They struggled to get their hands on the ball and when they did, they took the wrong options. They lacked composure and patience to think their way out of trouble. Only Conroy's class at midfield and Meehan's goal spared them from another embarrassing chapter in their recent history.

Although there was an understandable despondency, this was a timely shot in the arm for Waterford football. Many of these players like Stephen Enright, the Ahearnes, Prendergast and Whyte are only starting out on their inter county careers. If they can maintain the composure and tactical awareness from Salthill instead lingering on the gut wrenching ending, they can kick on. And next time around, when they get into the position to take the scalp of a traditional power, they will see it through.