Ballygunner and Mount Sion do battle in Championship Finale

The ribbons to adorn the Waterford News and Star Cup have been purchased and come about 4-45pm on Sunday afternoon next, we should know if it is Red and Black or Blue and White ones which will be attached as the players from the winning team mount the steps in Walsh Park.

Over the past few months twelve teams slogged it out to see which two will win the right to compete in this weekend’s final and to take home with them the principal sporting trophy in Waterford.

Ballygunner as they did twelve months ago will go into the game with the mantle of favourites resting on their shoulders, and will be hoping to go joint second in the Roll of honour moving one closer in wins to Mount Sion’s current record 35 titles.

Just like in last years final, this is the second meeting of the two this year. When they last clashed back on August 7 at the same venue, it was Ballygunner that cam out on top on a 0-20 to 1-9 score line, one of two defeats that Mount Sion suffered in the group stages of the competition, a phase of which Ballygunner went through with a one hundred per cent winning record.

That win for Ballygunner will have no bearing on this latest game. It should be remembered that twelve months ago Ballygunner and Passage clashed in the final, and when they had met earlier in the group stages of the competition, Ballygunner won the game by almost double scores, but in the final, Passage with a late surge came from seven points down with seven minutes to play fought back to win by three.

This game promises to be the making of an intriguing battle.

Both sides know where the posts are and both sides are also strong at the back which suggests that if the forwards on both sides get on top we could have a high scoring game, but if it is the back that are on top, then the opposite could well be the case.

Pauric Mahony could once again prove to be Ballygunner’s top scorer on the day. The two times Dr Harty and Dr Croke Cups winner has an eye for the posts and over the past number of years, he has put some good tallies on the board.

Yes it could be argued that many of his scores come from placed balls, but the simple truth is that once the ball goes between the posts, be it under or over the cross bar, it does not matter if the ball was struck from play or a placed ball.

While Pauric Mahony may get a large chunk of his scores from placed balls, the Gunners have plenty of players who get their scores from play including Conor Power, the JJ Hutchinson, Barry and Brian O’Sullivan and Stephen Power.

At the other end of the field, Ballygunner are equally as strong, with Stephen O’Keeffe between the posts, one of the best net minders in the business, with the net minders namesake, Alan Kirwan, Shane Walsh, Philip Mahony, Wayne Hutchinson and Barry Coughlan all experienced defenders.

For the Monastery Men former Inter County player Eoin McGrath is one of their stand out players this year. But they are like Ballygunner by no means a one man team.

Ian O’Regan like Stephen O’Keeffe is a quality goalkeeper. He most consider himself very unlucky not to have played more than he has for the county, but has often found himself playing second fettle to other quality goalkeepers. If he was playing in many other counties he would surly be their number one.

Martin O’Neill has in the last few games notched up some impressive tallies and will be hoping to do so again in this game.

Like Pauric Mahony on the Ballygunner side, a great deal of his scores come from placed balls and the one which puts over the most on the day from the chances they have could be the one that is celebrating on Sunday evening.

Martin F O’Neill, Owen Whelan, Michael Gaffney, Richie and Stephen Roche, Ian Galgey and Christy Ryan are also other players that could play major rolls for Mount Sion.

However, the real big players for Mount Sion could well be two men who are at opposite ends of their careers. Tony Browne has been there and done it all. At 41 he still is a joy to watch. Many good hurlers have come along in the past 20 to 25 years but few if any of these same players are still playing, even at a lower level, but the Mount Sion man like the Duracell Bunny goes on and on.

The player is Austin Gleeson. At 19 he is at the age that Tony Browne began to make a name for himself on the national scene and this year the Mount Sion youngster began to do the same.

The teenager is a player that very much resembles another former Mount Sion great who was equally at home in attack as he was in defence. For what it is worth, I always preferred to see Ken McGrath play in defence even though he was a terrific attacker, and the same could well be said of Austin Gleeson.

Last year he played at centre back on the Waterford minor team that won the All-Ireland and I have no doubt if he was not at number six, Waterford quest might to win a first Minor All-Ireland since 1948 could be still on.

This could well prove to be a close game. Maybe, just maybe the county board might get a second day out in the championship. If they did I for one would not be too surprised.

All year long, I have felt that the championship would lie between Ballygunner and De La Salle, with the Gunner’s in my view the slightest of favourites to win.

Mount Sion having beaten De La Salle in the semi finals will have got people to sit up and take notice as there was some that were fancying the chances of the Gracedieu based outfit this year.

Having had a fancy for Mount Sion all year, I don’t think I will chance now. To me they will go level with Erin’s Own on 13 titles in the roll of honour when it comes to championship wins.

However, I am not ruling out the chances of a Mount Sion win too easily.

Before the quarter finals, I felt that if the selectors moved Austin Gleeson from attack to defence they would be a side to be reckoned with.

The selectors must be reading my mind or I reading theirs, as since they moved the teenager to defence they look a stronger team.

Of the two sides, Ballygunner’s attack looks to be the more dangerous of the two. Maybe, Mount Sion will make another bold decision now, and move Tony Browne who has impressed in attack this year back into the half back line where he has proven to be a vital cog in the wheel over the past number of years. If they do, his presence will make it more difficult for the Ballygunner players to score than they have all year.

 

Ballygunner’s last Championship success came in 2011 when they easily accounted for Tallow at Walsh Park. Mount Sion’s last success was in 2006 when they beat Ballygunner in the final.

Sunday’s final is the fourteenth time the two sides have clashed in the final since they first meet back in 1963.

In the head to heads between the two in final’s Mount Sion lead eight wins to five. There has been three draws between the two. In replays between the two, Mount Sion also lead two wins to one.

Mount Sion V Ballygunner in County Final’s

1963		Mount Sion	4	6	Ballygunner	3	4
1965		Mount Sion	3	2	Ballygunner	2	4
1966		Ballygunner	2	6	Mount Sion	2	3
1968		Ballygunner	2	10	Mount Sion	3	2
1988		Mount Sion	0	17	Ballygunner	3	8
1988	Replay	Mount Sion	2	15	Ballygunner	3	8
1992		Ballygunner	1	12	Mount Sion	2	7
1995		Ballygunner	1	8	Mount Sion	1	8
1995	Replay	Ballygunner	3	13	Mount Sion	1	17
1999		Ballygunner	1	18	Mount Sion	2	10
2000		Mount Sion	1	20	Ballygunner	0	9
2002		Mount Sion	1	19	Ballygunner	2	14
2003		Mount Sion	1	14	Ballygunner	2	11
2003	Replay	Mount Sion	1	14	Ballygunner	1	10
2004		Mount Sion	4	14	Ballygunner	4	7
2006		Mount Sion	2	12	Ballygunner	0	12