Carew gets debut win with Waterford

Waterford Senior Footballers secured a victory for Niall Carew in his first game in charge of the team with an extra time win over University of Limerick in the quarter finals of this years McGrath Cup at the WIT Campus at Carriganore.

The Kildare man has only been in charge a few weeks but has wasted no time in putting in place his plans for the year.  He along with his backroom team have introduced a number of new players to the Senior Inter County Football scene and re-introduced a number of players who were part and parcel of the set up in the recent past.

It was the students that got off to the better start in this game racing into a four point lead with ten minutes played.  Alan Moloney twice pointed for the students in these opening minutes with Ed Walsh and Liam McGovern also getting their names on the score sheet.

Darren Guiry on his debut pulled a point back for the home side and from here to the break it was predominantly Waterford that were in charge of the games proceedings.

Paul Whyte pointed for Waterford before Alan Moloney hit his second of the game.

Paul Whyte and Darren Guiry hit their second scores of the game. Gavin Nugent pulled the sides level before Moloney scored again for the visitors but the sides went in all square as Gavin Nugent just before the break hit his second score of the game.

Waterford began the second half as they had ended the first half by taking control of the game.

Gary Hurney and Paul Whyte gave Waterford an 0-8 to 0-6 lead only for Moloney to pull one back for the students.

Gary Hurney who will miss Waterford’s opening games in the National Football League due to a suspension carried over from 2012  soon put Waterford two points in front.

The Students entered a Purple Patch. Ed Walsh pulled Waterford’s lead back to one with a point before substitute Denis Keoghan hit a brace of scores to give his side a one point lead with time ticking down.

From a young age, coaches should be coaching the players of the future the importance of playing right to the final whistle and in this game it was clear to see why.

Trailing by a point with the seventy minutes played, Waterford never threw in the towel and two minutes into added time they got rewarded for doing so as Tony Grey hit a point to send the game to extra time.

In the extra twenty minutes, it was Waterford that proved to be the hungrier of the two sides and has been seen time and time again the side that did prove to be the hungrier were rewarded with a passage to the next phase of the competition.

Gary Hurney and Shane Ahearne hit points for Waterford only for John O’Rourke pulled one back for the students. The Home side however turned around two points to the good as Tony Grey once more broke forward to hit his second point to give Waterford a 0-13 to 0-11 lead.

Gary Hurney hit a brace for the home side to give then a four point lead early in the second half of extra time, but Alan Moloney, the students best player on the day pulled one back to leave just three between the sides.

The students needed a goal at this stage to be in with a chance of getting something from the game, but the Waterford defence remained watertight and just before the end, Shane Ahearne hit his second score of the game to secure a victory for Waterford on a 0-16 to 0-12 scoreline.

Waterford are now away to Tipperary next weekend in the semi finals.

Waterford will go into the game as the underdogs against the Premier Men who knocked the reigning champions – Cork out of the competition at the quarter final stages of the competition, but Niall Carew’s charges will not be too put out by how the bookies thing they will fair in a two horse race.

Waterford: Stephen Enright; Tadhg Ó hUallacháin, Martin Scurry, John Hurney; Tony Grey, Shane Briggs, Ronan Cahill; Tommy Prendergast, Shane Ahearne; Maurice O'Gorman, Patrick Hurney, Paul Whyte; Darren Guiry, Gary Hurney, Gavin Nugent. Subs: Conor Phelan for Tadhg Ó hUallacháin, Liam Ó Lonáin for Darren Guiry, Conor McGrath for Gavin Nugent, Stephen Prendergast for John Hurney, J McGrath for Martin Scurry, Sean Dempsey for Ronan Cahill, John Wall for Tommy Prendergast.

Scorers: G Hurney 0-5 (1f), P Whyte 0-3 (2f), G Nugent, D Guiry, T Grey, S Ahearne (1f) 0-2 each.

UL: Rory Byrne; Martin Tierney, Thomas Clancy, Brian McGuire; Luke Mulligan, Niall Fitzgerald, Dean Ryan; David Niblock, Kevin Canty; Liam McGovern, Alan Moloney, Gavin Ryan; John O'Rourke, Shane O'Callaghan, Ed Walsh. Subs: David Dolan for Gavin Ryan; Denis Keohane for Shane O'Callaghan; John Spillane for Dean Ryan (78).

Scorers: A Moloney 0-6 (2f, 2 '45'), E Walsh, D Keohane 0-2 each, L McGovern, J O'Rourke 0-1 each.

Referee: Brian Tyrell (Tipperary).