Waterford edges out Tipperary in titanic struggle at Croke Park on a score of 1-20 to 1-18

Today Waterford triumphed over Tipperary to secure a place in the All Ireland Senior Hurling Final against Kilkenny- for the first time since 1963. This was a game brimful of skilful hurling and intense excitement. The result could have gone either way.

Waterford started off like a hurricane and had six points on the scoreboard within nine minutes with John Mullane , Eoin Kelly,Eoin McGrath and Stephen Molumphy notching scores. Waterford moved the ball crisply and used the wings to great effect.
Low ball to the forwards was paying dividends. Ken McGrath was playing a blinder at centre back. Incidentally it was noticeable that when Tipperary switched Seamus Callinan onto Ken McGrath later in the game he troubled the Waterford centre back.
The concession of needless frees by Waterford brought Tipperary back into the game. Six of Tipperary’s scores in the first half came from frees as Eoin Kelly punished Waterford indiscretions. In addition the delivery of low ball to the Waterford forwards had dropped off. The half-time score was Waterford 0-10 Tipperary 0-10. Waterford had played most of the hurling but had little to show for it.

It appeared as if Tipperary had more in the tank. Eight minutes into the second half Tipperary hit the front for the first time with a point by Conor O’Mahony . The game see sawed. Half way through the second half Tipperary led by 0-16 to 0-14. Jack Kennedy replaced Seamus Prendergast and proceeded to have a blinder for Waterford.
In the 56th minute Eoin Kelly scored a goal for Waterford. From the puck out by Brendan Cummins Seamus Callinan scored a goal for Tipperary to keep the Premier county in front. With 8 minutes remaining the sides were level 1-17 to 1-17. With seven minutes remaining Waterford hit the front and ran out lucky if deserving winners on a score of 1-20 to 1-18. Indeed Tipperary missed several clear-cut chances in the last eight minutes.
Liam Sheedy has no need to be downhearted. He has already moulded a fine young team. Nevertheless inexperience in the last 10 minutes cost Tipperary the game.

Notwithstanding the fact that Waterford played with no mean skill and verve today Kilkenny will enter the final as the hottest of favourites. This Kilkenny team is a hurling machine. There is no major weakness in the Cats outfit. In addition the desire to win three in a row will drive the Black and Amber to new heights.

So Waterford enters the final as a rank outsider. Today the Waterford defence was tighter than in previous games. But it still is not tight enough to blunt the Kilkenny attack. There is still some looseness in defence and a tendency to concede needless frees. There is an inclination to ball watch.
Defence is a 70 minutes job and demands total concentration. In the last 10 minutes of today’s game several Tipperary forwards were left loose and could have made better use of scoring opportunities. Man marking must be total against Kilkenny forwards. Clinton Hennessy had an outstanding game in goal. Indeed all defenders played their hearts out.
Aidan Kearney will have benefited from today’s game.
The Waterford half back line blunted the Tipperary attack.
The Kilkenny forward line against Cork consisted of E Brennan, M Comerford, E Larkin, R Power, H Shefflin and A Fogarty. Each and every one of these players is a match winner in his own right. These forwards must be put under relentless pressure and allowed no space. They are not averse to using their physical power through the legitimate use of the shoulder to soften up defences. The Kilkenny attack must be smothered and allowed little room.
This is no easy task. Many would argue that it is well nigh impossible

Jamie Nagle is developing rapidly into a fine centre field player whilst Brick Walsh is returning to form. Nevertheless it will be necessary to deprive the Kilkenny centre field of good clean ball. Indeed Kilkenny centre field players have a tendency to crop up all over the field and will notch scores from any loose ball around the middle of the field or closer in for that matter. So Jamie Nagle and Brick Walsh will have their work cut out to even gain parity here.

The forward line performed well today with Eoin Kelly, Eoin McGrath, John Mullane and Stephen Molumphy playing particularly well. Dan Shanahan did much good off the ball work and was a handful for the Tipperary defence even if he is not yet back to full form.
Seamus Prendergast tried very hard. Jack Kennedy when introduced plucked some great balls out of the sky and had a blinder.
The Waterford forwards as a unit worked hard and harried the defenders clearing the ball.

In the final low ball to the forwards is a sine qua non. Use of the wings and diagonal ball can open up the Kilkenny defence. Bunching will suit Kilkenny backs who are powerful in the tackle. There must be no shooting from impossible positions. Ground hurling would also reap dividends. Goalkeepers dread the ground shot especially one from the vicinity of the square. It is essential that a Waterford player is available to take a pass from the player who is being tackled.
In essence Waterford must play at a far greater level of intensity against Kilkenny mindful of the fact that Kilkenny is a far more experienced team than Tipperary.
Kilkenny are the warmest of favourites with Waterford as rank outsiders.

Waterford V Wexford All Ireland Senior Hurling Quarter Final-Reflections

Waterford defeated Wexford in this exciting game played at Semple Stadium today by 2-19 to 3-15.
The game had some excellent passages of hurling and in fairness Wexford probably deserved a draw.
Once more Eoin Kelly, Eoin McGrath and John Mullane were Waterfords outstanding forwards. Today we saw small glimpses of the Dan Shanahan of old. He scored 1-1 and was far more involved in the play. However he is not at full throttle yet.

The Waterford forward line is not functioning fully as a unit.
More combined play, ground hurling and diagonal balls are an essential prerequisite for the Semi Final against Tipperary. In addition the half forwards must continuously harry the Tipperary defenders who are clearing ball. This involves 70 minutes of concentration. As a Waterford forward carries the ball towards the Tipperary goal others must run off the ball and be prepared to take a pass a la Ben O’Connor, Gerry O’Connor or Cathal Naughton for Cork
Brick Walsh struck a lot of good ball at centre field. Jamie Nagle is improving from game to game and struck a beautiful point.

Unfortunately Waterford has major defensive problems. Ideally Ken McGrath is a centre back. However I think that Davy Fitzgerald has no option but to play Ken at full back.
The Waterford defence plays too much loose hurling. Backs are too prone to ball watching. They must man mark. It was noticeable today that Wexford forwards continuously roamed the field without being picked up. Each back is responsible for the man he is marking. His function is to prevent the forward from scoring.
Today the Waterford backs were caught flat-footed by diagonal balls. Loose Wexford forwards picked up soft scores. Each defender must pick up an opposing forward and mark tightly. Once more this demands concentration.
Players such as Rory Jacob and Stephen Doyle got too much room today and nearly snatched the game for Wexford.
The looseness was not confined to the full back line. It also extended to the half back line.
This problem has dogged Waterford for the last five years and has probably cost the county an All Ireland.
Failure of the backs to tighten up will result in a hammering by Tipperary. Tipperary forwards play with blinding speed and skill. Backs should not be afraid to use the shoulder once it is not into the opponent’s chest. Each back must continuously ask himself the question: Where is the player I am supposed to be marking?

Tipperary followers-after Waterford’s performance today- are now speaking in terms of their opponents in the All Ireland final. They fancy themselves against either Cork or Kilkenny.
Davy Fitzgerald and his backroom staff have done well to revive this Waterford team which had a poor National League campaign and which performed very poorly against Clare in the Munster Championship.
Notwithstanding Waterford’s sluggishness the team is now in the semi-finals. After the debacle against Clare few supporters could have hoped for as much.

Senior Hurling Qualifier: Waterford V Offaly

Waterford’s defeat of Offaly in this All Ireland Senior Hurling Qualifier was not too surprising. The game played at Semple Stadium Thurles featured some quality hurling from both sides.
Offaly backboned by u-21s is a team on the rise. Offaly players in general displayed high skill levels with excellent blocking, hooking and some deft flicks. They tackled furiously and at times knocked Waterford players out of their stride. However some needless frees were conceded. Nevertheless J Bergin, D Currams, S Dooley, D Molloy and D Kenny amongst others are players for the future. Offaly manager Joe Dooley has put in place firm foundations.

What of Waterford? The performance was like the curate's egg good in places and bad in places.
Looking at it positively the full back line did not concede any goals. However the half back line has its problems. In general the back line is not watertight enough and tighter marking is required. Loose Offaly players were noticeable throughout the game.

There were stellar performances from Eoin Kelly and John Mullane in the forward line. Eoin Kelly contributed 2-13 (0-9 from placed balls). The forward line is not functioning as a unit. Seamus Prendergast and Dan Shanahan may not be fully fit. Both had injury problems. Movement off the ball and support play is not as it should be for an effective forward line. To a certain extent some players are inclined to overplay the ball. On drier grounds more ground hurling is essential against teams such-as Wexford-which favour continuous picking of the ball. In addition it speeds up the game.

It was noticeable that on a couple of occasions the Offaly goalkeeper caught the Waterford forwards off guard and took a short puck out to a defender.
Some Waterford players need to speed up their striking. They are too easily hooked and blocked down.

Wexford will enter the quarter-final game against Waterford as firm favourites. I suspect that Waterford Manager Davy Fitzgerald will not be too unhappy with this state of affairs.

Munster Senior Hurling Championship-Clare defeats lethargic Waterford

Today at the Gaelic Grounds Limerick, Clare easily defeated reigning Munster Champions, Waterford by 2-26 to 0-23.
This was one of the poorest performances from a Waterford side since the early eighties.
Whilst deprived of the services of injured players Ken McGrath, Eoin Kelly, Eoin Murphy and Paul Flynn, the reality is that the team with some notable exceptions displayed an insipid attitude and appeared singularly short of the fitness levels required.
An insidious mentality has begun to permeate hurling circles in Waterford. There is a belief that the Munster Championship has lost its significance. This appears to have translated to the players. There was a lack of appetite for this game.

In marked contrast the Clare players were superbly fit. Except for the first ten minutes of the game the Bannermen were on top.
Their backs hunted in packs. Waterford forwards were generally surrounded by two to three players. Waterford attackers attempted to mix it with the Clare backs. This led to bunching and suited the Clare defence. More ground play, less bunching and more wing play and low ball could have opened up the Clare defence. Waterford forwards were largely static and failed to move off the man. They were sitting ducks for the no nonsense Clare defenders. Waterford forwards generally played as individuals. John Mullane gave probably the greatest performance of his life in a Waterford shirt and was certainly man of the match.
It is obvious that injuries have taken their toll on Dan Shanahan and Seamus Prendergast. It was noticeable that Clare halfbacks cleared their lines with little pressure being exerted by Waterford half forwards.

The Waterford defence was under extreme pressure throughout the game. Similarly at centre field Clare dominated. Both in defence and at centre field the Waterford marking was too loose. A simple illustration of this, Diarmaid McMahon was moved onto Brian Phelan. He promptly drifted away from his marker and scored three points in quick succession in the first half. Even in victory loose marking has been a facet of the team’s play, which was unsatisfactory. Much of the pressure exerted on Waterford backs emanated from ball supplied by Clare halfbacks and centre-field. In fairness Dave Bennett was immaculate from placed balls.




It is time to radically recast the team. Ken McGrath should be placed at full back and Brick Walsh at centre back. Tony Browne is beginning to slow and should be placed in a corner back position. Kevin Moran should be tried at centre field. It is time for Waterford mentors to insist on man to man marking in defence. They must be ruthless with players on this issue. In the course of Championship matches one mentor should supervise the backs, another keep an eye on centre field and a third should monitor the forward line.



Finally in future National Hurling League campaigns Waterford must experiment more. Today Garry Hurney was thrown in at the deep end. He has plenty of potential but would have benefited greatly from experience gained in the National Hurling League.



It is back to the qualifiers now for Waterford. The team has the capacity- especially with the return of injured players- to undo the damage inflicted today. The back room team must radically recast the defence for the game against Antrim. Hopefully fitness levels will improve. Tight marking by the defence and centre field is a sine qua non. No opponents should remain loose between the 65 metre line and the Waterford goaline. A return to combination play by the forwards allied to more wing play and ground hurling is an essential prerequisite for success. In addition forwards must move off the backs more.

National Hurling League Quarter Final: Tipperary 1-16 Waterford 0-14 (As seen from a Waterford view point)

This game was a long way short of championship intensity, and was deservedly won by a Tipperary team, which appeared hungrier for league success.
Waterford started intensive training in February, which is six weeks later than usual.
Tipperary appeared fitter. It is a moot point as to whether Waterford was really serious about winning the league this year.

Waterford’s full back line appears to have tightened up somewhat -from last week- but still needs to adopt a greater man marking approach.
Aidan Kearney did well on Eoin Kelly whilst Kevin Moran and Brian Phelan worked hard. There is scope for further improvement.
The half line of Tony Browne, Ken McGrath and Jack Kennedy played well. However it could tighten up more. Once more greater man-to-man marking is required.
As a general point Ken McGrath-one of the greatest centre backs of all time- might be better off dropping balls short rather than attempting to score from some long range frees.

Dave Bennett -who played in place of the injured Eoin Kelly- had an outstanding game from placed balls and general play. Michael Brick Walsh worked tirelessly.

The forward line is clearly lacking in sharpness. Forwards in general are playing as individuals. Combination play seems to have gone out the window. This year so far there is very little movement off the ball. There appears to be no pattern to Waterford forward play. More ground hurling is essential. At times the forwards are drifting too far out from goal.
In the first half Shane Casey showed up well at times. Eoin McGrath tried hard.
Dan Shanahan and Seamus Prendergast appear to be somewhat unfit. John Mullane might benefit from a move to midfield where he could pick up loose ball. Stephen Molumphy lacks match practice.

This defeat may prove beneficial to the team as it will deflate supporters expectations and take the pressure off the players.

National Hurling League: Wexford 2-12 Waterford 3-8 (A Waterford perspective)

The Waterford versus Wexford national league game played at Walsh Park was quite entertaining. Both teams were short regulars.Waterford fielded without Ken and Eoin McGrath, Tony Browne, Paul Flynn Stephen Molumphy and John Mullane (introduced in second half)

Looking at this game from a Waterford perspective the negatives outweigh the positives.It is arguable that a porous full back line has cost Waterford an All Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.


Today Justin McCarthy introduced newcomer Ritchie Foley (Abbeyside) at full back. Foley tried hard. However it is clear that he is not a full back. He is more suited to the half back line. Waterford's problems in defence persist. Shane Casey (Dunhill) another newcomer saw little ball but scored 1-1. His goal was superb. He has potential to develop into an accomplished inter county senior forward.

Of the regulars Eoin Kelly( Passage) was prominent throughout the game. He roamed the field and even acted as a sweeper. Quite frankly I cannot understand why. He shot numerous wides. On some occasions he shot from too far out. He worked himself to the point of exhaustion but would be better employed shooting from closer range or passing to a better placed forward if positioned too far out field. It is glaringly obvious that players lack full fitness.

In the second half the Waterford forward line lost its pattern. The full forward line and half forwards drifted too far outfield. This made scoring very difficult. This must not happen again.