A Munster Final Win For Waterford Could Be The Launch Pad To Bigger And Better Days.

The second biggest hurling day on the G.A.A. calendar and the third biggest day on the Association’s calendar is upon us. This year’s Munster Senior Hurling Final is just days away.

Near neighbours Waterford and Tipperary clash in this year’s final, a repeat of the final won twelve months ago by the Premier County side on a 0-21 to 0-16 score line.

In total the two counties have clashed in ten previous finals, the first coming in 1925 when Waterford lost 6-6 to 1-2, and this weekend’s clash of the two counties is the sixth in a provincial final since Waterford famously won a first Munster Senior Hurling crown in 2002 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh for the first time in almost forty years.

While Waterford’s record against our four rivals in Munster has improved considerably in the last twenty years, when it comes to provincial finals against our neighbours on the Northern side of the River Suir against Tipperary our record does not make for pretty reading, winning just once in a Munster Final in the last five meetings of the two sides and over all, in the other final’s between the two sides, Waterford have won on just one other occasion winning 0-11 to 0-8 in 1963 when Waterford went on to contest the All-Ireland Final but loosing out to Kilkenny at Croke Park.

The sides have already played each other once in a competitive game this year, when Waterford won 1-18 to 1-17 at Thurles in Round Three of this year’s National League.

On the day Waterford were without the services of the influential Maurice Shanahan who was suspended after his sending off against Cork while the home side lost Seamus Callanan, a player who is equally important to Tipperary as is Shanahan to Waterford. The Drom and Inch man was a late withdrawal with a hamstring strain.

John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer who misses this weekend’s game for Tipperary after he was sent off in their semi final win over Limerick was his sides scorer in chief in the league clash between the two sides back in March.

He accounted for 0-11 of his sides eighteen scores, all but two of which came from frees. John McGrath who is one of the leading lights in the game also produced the goods for his side hitting 1-2 while older brother Noel as well as Michael Breen and Brendan Maher also got on the score sheet for the home side.

For Waterford Patrick Curran finished as top scorer finishing with eight points behind his name, half a dozen of which came from frees.  Tom Devine who came on in the third quarter for Mikey Kearney hit Waterford’s all important goal. Shane Bennett chipped in with three points while Kevin Moran and Austin Gleeson hit a brace a piece while Jamie Barron and Colin Dunford also had white flags waved.

The home side looked as if they had the points on offer bagged in that game after John McGrath struck for a late goal, but Waterford dug deep and points from Shane Bennett and Patrick Curran helped to bring the sides level with the game deep in stoppage time.

The sign of a good team is one that never gives up and this is what Waterford did. The side could have settled for a draw and sit on top of the league table with five points after beating Kilkenny and Cork in the earlier rounds of the league, but Waterford pressed hard for the score that would give them the full amount of points to play for. And they were rewarded when Cork referee Colm Lyons awarded Waterford a free deep inside their own half the field and brought Austin Gleeson back to take it and the Mount Sion man made no mistake in dissecting the posts to give Waterford the perfect start to the league, three wins from three games.

Both sides will feel they go into this weekend’s clash well prepared. Tipperary have had two games in the championship beating Cork 0-22 to 0-13 in the quarter finals and last time out they had another excellent 3-21 to 1-16 win over Limerick who many were expecting to be a better outfit.

Waterford in recent weeks would have had a tough battle with Clare in the League Final a game that ended in a 0-22 each draw before loosing the replay 1-23 to 2-19 and in the semi finals last time out they beat Davy Fitzgerald’s charges 1-21 to 0-17.

Tipperary with John O’Dwyer’s sending off against Limerick will have to make changes to their starting line up, but they would be expected to be kept to the minimum.

Darren Gleeson will be expected to start between the posts with Cathal Barrett, James Barry and Michael Cahill in the full back line with Seamus Kennedy as well as Ronan and Padraic Maher playing in front of them.

In the middle of the field Brendan Maher and Michael Breen would be expected to continue while Noel McGrath, Patrick Maher and Dan McCormack could well prove to be the sides starting half forward line.

Seamus Callanan will start on the edge of the Waterford square with John McGrath in the left corner forward position. Who comes in for John O’Dwyer remains to be seen. The smart money could well rest on either Niall O’Meara or Jason Forde who have played in a lot of Tipperary’s games this year.

Waterford have a very settled looking side heading into this Sunday’s Final and it is expected that Manager Derek McGrath and his selectors will give the side that started against Clare last time out a vote of confidence to continue.

That will mean Stephen O’Keeffe in goal once more with Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors and Shane Fives playing in front of him.

The half back line is proving to be key to Waterford’s run of fine results in the last eighteen months and it is expected that if Darragh Fives shakes off the injury he is reported to be carrying into the game he will continue along side Tadhg the Búrca and Philip Mahony. If the Tourin Club man misses the game this weekend, it would be expected that maybe Austin Gleeson will fall back and play in defence.

Jamie Barron and Kevin Moran will start in the middle of the field, while in attack Michael Walsh, Pauric Mahony and Shane Bennett will start in the half forward line with Maurice Shanahan flanked by Patrick Curran and Austin Gleeson for the throw in.

If Austin Gleeson is needed to play in his own half of the field and a vacancy needs filling in attack expect it to be between Colin Dunford who has missed out on starting since been omitted for the league final replay loss to Clare and Tom Devine. Of the two many would expect the Colligan man to get the start as the Modeligo club man often plays his best in the county shirt when he comes off the bench in the second half. But Jake Dillon who has started eight of Waterford’s ten competitive games and coming on in the two games he did not start in, scoring 1-5 could well come into the reckoning.

This is a game that could prove to be too tight to call with any degree of certainty.

One thing is for sure. Goals are going to prove important. In their ten games to date, Waterford on average have hit less than a goal a game hitting seven goals, in the league and championship to date. At the other end of the field Waterford are doing somewhat better conceding six goals in their ten games which is a considerable improvement from what we saw just two years ago.

Tipperary have played eight games so far this year in the league and championship, hitting on average of a goal a game while at the opposite end of the field it must give Waterford hope that the Premier County side have been leaving in goals, conceding ten so far in their eight games.

On the law of averages, when it comes to scoring, Tipperary are fairing a little better than Waterford scoring on average of 24 points a game in their league and championship games while Waterford in their ten games have averaged 21.2 points a game.

At the other end of the field Tipperary are working out slightly the better of the two sides as well conceding 19.125 points a game in their eight competitive games to now while Waterford in their ten games have conceded an average of 19.2 points a game.

Games are not won on averages however and by the time that the two of these sides next play, be it an All-Ireland Quarter Final or and All-Ireland Semi Final and we cannot rule out a Munster Final replay, these statistics will have changed again.

And just as the game will not be won on statistics it will not be won either just by the fifteen men that start for the two respective sides. The game as we are told with a long number of years now is no longer a fifteen man game.

The use of the bench is going to prove crucial for both sides, be it with the use of full time subs or temporary blood subs.

Waterford might look as if they have to stronger bench of the two sides. Of the side that is expected to start in reserve for Waterford on Sunday or be outside those named on the programme eight players have accounted for 4-28 for Waterford with the likes of Colin Dunford, Jake Dillon, Tom Devine, Brian O’Halloran and Thomas Ryan hitting the highest tallies for Waterford.

The timing of the subs could also play a role for Waterford. Tom Devine, Mikey Kearney and Brian O’Halloran have all come on in the 47 or 48 minutes for Waterford and hit 1-3 between then. Tom Devine, Maurice Shanahan, Brian O’Halloran and Jake Dillon have all come on in the 57 minute and have hit 1-4 between them after coming on. Could any sub coming on this Sunday at the same point in the game make the same impact?

Five points separated the sides last year when they played at Thurles. This year it could be argued that Waterford are a more experienced side and will call on much the same players that started twelve months ago.

For Tipperary up to five players that started twelve months ago, (Shane McGrath, Kieran Bergin, James Woodlock, John O’Dwyer and possibly one from Niall O’Meara or Jason Forde) will or may not start for different reasons. The loss of John Bubbles O’Dwyer who hit 0-7 against Cork is going to be a big one for Tipperary.  

Discipline is going to be the key. Seamus Callanan will be expected to be Tipperary’s number one free taker from scoring difference and he won’t miss too many chances of putting scores on the scoreboard when given the chance. For the challengers in this year’s final, they are spoilt for choice as Pauric Mahony, Maurice Shanahan, Patrick Curran, Shane Bennett and Austin Gleeson are all quality strikers of a placed ball.

Who pays closest attention to Seamus Callanan is going to prove key. If he is given quality ball in the full forward line he is likely to punish Waterford. But to pay too much attention to him could well allow others players to play the roll that the Drom and Inch man often does for Tipperary.

Since Waterford have began to play Knockout hurling this year they have hit six of their seven goals scored so far this year with Patrick Curran rattling the net twice and Maurice Shanahan, Jake Dillon, Shane Bennett and Tom Devine hitting the net once each.

Goals are going to win this game. Both sides are strong at the back. Waterford with their sweeper system whether we agree with the system or not, we have to agree that the side has profited from it. Tipperary could well find it hard to break down.

Those of us on the South Side of the River Suir as it heads towards the Atlantic Ocean have to feel confident that a win in this game in a realistic possibility.

To keep Seamus Callanan quiet is a must for Waterford and if this is managed and the likes of Patrick Curran, Maurice Shanahan, Tom Devine or Shane Bennett can crack a goal or two as we know they can, then Waterford could well be celebrating another Munster Final win.

Beating Tipperary in 2002 at Pairc Ui Chaoimh began a great few years for Waterford hurling. The prize that the county however so much craves for still has to come. Surly it is only a matter of time before it does happen. Maybe another Munster Final win over Tipperary might be the launch pad to bigger and better things that was achieved after beating them last time out in a Munster Final.