JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SHC Top Ten Scorers

Patrick Curran (Dungarvan) 5-45
Martin F O'Neill (Mount Sion) 2-44
Thomas Ryan (Tallow) 2-37
Maurice Shanahan (Lismore) 0-42
Michael Kearney (Ballyduff Upper) 1-35
Stephen Cliffe (Abbeyside) 1-33
Owen Connors (Passage) 0-31
Stephen Power (Ballygunner) 3-20
Jake Dillon (De La Salle) 0-28
Shane O'Rourke (Cappoquin) 0-26

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SHC Quarter Final Predictions

Only eight survivors remain on this treacherous route to next month's county final. De La Salle got the bullet last Saturday and the three time winners only have one more lifeline to cling to against Lismore. Fourmilewater and Ballyduff Upper made miraculous recoveries to reach the last eight after looking out of sorts during the spring. Dungarvan, Ballygunner and Passage are all jostling for outright favouritism as the competition heads into a critical phase.

19 September

Ballygunner v Mount Sion (5.15 at Walsh Park)
A big test for the champions as they enter a knockout battle without Pauric Mahony, Wayne Hutchinson and Alan Kirwan from last year's county final winning outfit. Sion seem rejuvenated following two positive results where they hit the 21 point mark. Midfield may be a key battleground. Mount Sion wrestled control of this sector against Lismore with Martin O'Neill and Austin Gleeson pushing them forward. They nearly allowed the win slip through their fingers however. Ken McGrath would have been disappointed with 18 wides over the hour. Their opponents lived off scraps and still managed to scavenge three goals. Ballygunner targetted Sion's full back division last October and Brian O'Sullivan bagged 2-2 along with the man of the match award. They will look to isolate O'Sullivan and his accomplice Peter Hogan in one on one scenarios. This greater goal threat hands the Gunners a slight edge.

Odds: Ballygunner 8/11 Draw 8/1 Mount Sion 13/10
Prediction: Ballygunner

Fourmilewater v Roanmore (7.30 at Fraher Field)
These are two of the lowest scorers left in the hat with Fourmile on 4-67 and Roanmore on 4-62. In the absence of Liam Lawlor and Conor Gleeson, the likes of Dermot Ryan, Craig Guiry and Diarmuid Wall have come to the fore in the Ballymacarbry ranks. They rattled off the last eight points against De La Salle to clinch their quarter final spot. With three straight wins under their belt, they come into this game full of confidence. Roanmore will fondly recall their group stage win against Fourmilewater last May when they restricted their opponents to just two points from play. Laurence O'Neill's charges have only given away three goals in this year's championship. Conor Gleeson's return to the Fourmile forward line may break the ice here.

Odds: Fourmilewater 2/5 Draw 10/1 Roanmore 21/10
Prediction: Fourmilewater

20 September

Passage v Ballyduff Upper (6.00 at Fraher Field)
This is a repeat of the 2013 quarter final at the same venue. The Reds led by nine points in the opening half before Owen Connors nabbed a vital goal on the stroke of half time to flip the game. Passage will need to put some consideration into their match-ups against the Ballyduff full forward line of Kevin Casey, Andrew Casey and Mikey Kearney. This trio came up with 2-12 out of 2-13 against Abbeyside. Ballyduff won't mind carrying the underdogs tag yet again. Shane Kearney has settled into centre back flanked by Tom Feeney and Michael Kearney. Peter Queally's side look well balanced and stronger defensively than two seasons ago. Eoin Kelly shot 2-4 against Cappoquin last weekend in an attack that has returned 9-83 across six games. They should pull away in the last ten minutes.

Odds: Passage 1/4 Draw 11/1 Ballyduff Upper 3/1
Prediction: Passage

Dungarvan v Tallow (7.30 at Fraher Field)
Dungarvan are the highest scorers in the championship to date on 9-88. Deadly inside pair Patrick Curran and Ryan Donnelly pose a constant green flag threat. Gavin Crotty also chipped in with 1-2 off the bench against Roanmore last weekend. Tallow didn't want the mid-season break to arrive and appear to have lost some of that momentum. They must keep out the goals at all costs to give them a chance here. Up top, Thomas Ryan and Ryan Grey are capable of stretching a Dungarvan defence that can cough up goal chances.

Odds: Dungarvan 1/3 Draw 10/1 Tallow 5/2
Prediction: Dungarvan

Waterford's road to Croker - All Ireland intermediate camogie final

 

Waterford 6-9 Antrim 1-3 (Round 1)
Waterford were 3-6 to 0-0 up after 22 minutes at Walsh Park with goals from Patricia Jackman, Lorraine Bray and Caithriona McGlone. The hosts drifted off before the break however as Orlagh O'Hara flicked to the net for Antrim. Jennie Simpson then stopped Emma McMullan's penalty early in the second half. The Déise blasted 3-2 over the closing ten minutes as Beth Carton, McGlone and Molly Curran completed the rout.

Waterford 3-5 Kilkenny 0-12 (Round 2)
“Relief is my immediate reaction,” admitted manager Sean Fleming after watching his side progress to the semi finals in unconvincing fashion. “We didn’t play well, let’s be fair. Kilkenny had to win and they came out with full determination to do it. We are disappointed with our performance but we are delighted with the result.” The Cats led by 0-11 to 2-3 with ten minutes left before Dawn Power's ground stroke flew into the bottom corner. The Dungarvan corner forward contributed a valuable 2-1 from play with midfielder Lorraine Bray striking 1-2.

Waterford 4-11 Kildare 1-10 (Round 3)
Beth Carton bagged 3-1 and Aisling Power was also among the goals in Newbridge as Waterford secured top spot in Group 2. The Lilywhites played with a stiff breeze initially and established a 0-9 to 1-1 interval advantage. Waterford burst out of the traps in the second period as Power raised a green flag. Although Melissa Lyons netted for the home side, a Carton brace and the dead ball accuracy of Patricia Jackman ensured a comfortable away victory.

Waterford 3-10 Meath 3-9 (All Ireland semi final)
Waterford staged an audacious second half comeback to edge out Meath at Nowlan Park and qualify for their first ever All Ireland intermediate final. Sean Fleming’s side trailed by 3-5 to 0-5 after 33 minutes but three goals in eight minutes by Shona Curran, Aisling Power and Beth Carton utterly changed the complexion of this contest. The Déise defended heroically over seven minutes of stoppage time to cling on for a historic win. Patricia Jackman cemented her status as Waterford’s most valuable player with one of her finest hours. The Gailltir leader galvanised the troops especially when they were struggling. She also raised five white flags including two from play.

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford SHC Round 5 Predictions

 

Super Saturday is almost upon us as seven teams scramble for the three remaining places in the quarter finals. The other five will be aiming to finish as high as possible and warm up for next weekend. There could be a couple of high profile casualties by eight o'clock on Saturday evening. October 11 is the date fixed for the county final with quarter finals and semi finals scheduled over the next fortnight. This will leave a two week gap before the decider. All twelve clubs have dropped points so far this season with Passage the only unbeaten side.

12 September

Abbeyside v Ballyduff Upper (5.00 at Lismore) Group 1
The resilient Reds defied the odds once more in round four with an astounding win against De La Salle. It gives them an outside chance of survival if they can add another win and Fourmile do them a favour at Fraher Field. Seanie O'Brien's Abbeyside will surely benefit from getting three weeks of hurling under their belt. While they lived with Ballygunner for the first half, their slicker opponents gobbled them up by twelve points to three over the second period. Management will also be aware of the havoc caused by Peter Hogan and Brian O'Sullivan as both corner backs were substituted. Mikey Kearney and Kevin Casey are livewires for Ballyduff and they can test any defender for pace. Richie Foley will also miss out due to his red card against Ballygunner. On the plus side, the Hurneys and Michael O'Halloran should boost their attacking options after missing out last time around. These two clubs have history going back to the 2007 and 2008 county semi finals when they were among the big hitters. In 2012, they played out a lively 2-19 to 4-13 draw in Cappoquin. Abbeyside can make the necessary adjustments to qualify.

Odds: Abbeyside 2/5 Draw 10/1 Ballyduff Upper 2/1
Prediction: Abbeyside

De La Salle v Fourmilewater (5.00 at Fraher Field) Group 1
De La Salle are running out of road after losses to Abbeyside and Ballyduff Upper and one more could spell disaster for the three time winners. They hit 25 wides a fortnight ago including fifteen in the second half and also blew an eight point lead. Fourmile are back in the race with two wins on the bounce. Jamie Barron will support his half back line as they will seek to keep this as tight as possible. Michael O'Gorman's absence robs them of a physical presence around the half forward line however. With the gun to their heads, De La Salle should eek out a result.

Odds: De La Salle 4/9 Draw 9/1 Fourmilewater 2/1
Prediction: De La Salle

Ballygunner v Tallow (5.00 at Bushy Park) Group 1
With both of these teams safely through to the last eight, top spot is the only issue up for dispute here. Denis Walsh experimented a little against Abbeyside by starting Barry Coughlan at midfield and Eddie Hayden filling the number three berth. He also switched free takers in the second half with Brian O'Sullivan taking over from Stephen Power. Tallow also experienced issues with placed balls against Fourmilewater before towering minor player Ryan Grey banged over six in the final quarter. Terence McSweeney will look for a response following a rather flat performance but the Gunners seem poised to take the spoils.

Prediction: Ballygunner

Mount Sion v Lismore (6.30 at Fraher Field) Group 2
There is only room for one of these teams in the knockout rounds. Lismore have missed out in three tight finishes to date in games with Dungarvan, Cappoquin and Roanmore. Maurice Shanahan claimed fifteen of their eighteen point total against Roanmore and he will need to strike something similar again to haul his team out of trouble. Mount Sion mustered a huge performance to draw with Passage and carry more momentum into this game. Martin F O'Neill hit 1-11 including a brilliant solo goal and appears comfortable with the dead ball responsibilities. Austin Gleeson, Stephen Roche and Owen Whelan should all be available to Ken McGrath here.

Odds: Mount Sion 1/2 Draw 9/1 Lismore 7/4
Prediction: Mount Sion

Dungarvan v Roanmore (6.30 at Walsh Park) Group 2
The winners of this game will probably take second place in the group behind Passage. Dungarvan shot the lights out against Cappoquin but they will have to work much harder to crack open Roanmore. The question marks lie at the other end and Kevin Daly's return from injury towards the tail end of that landslide win was a welcome development. The Sky Blues showed their resolve to reel in a five point deficit against Lismore and reach the quarters. This offers the ideal preparation for what lies ahead in the next stage of the competition.

Prediction: Dungarvan

Passage v Cappoquin (6.30 at Kill) Group 2
Passage will want to amend the draw against Mount Sion and cement number one position in the standings. Peter Queally held Eoin Kelly in reserve until the second half of that game but should feature from the start here. Despite suffering heavy beatings to Mount Sion and Dungarvan, Cappoquin can still advance to business end if they can upset the 2013 champions and Lismore take out Sion. Keith Landers, Andy Molumby and David Cahalane put up some resistance against a rampant Dungarvan. If Mount Sion beat Lismore, the Cornerstone boys will definitely play senior hurling in 2016.

Prediction: Passage