Huge Hurling Weekend in the Déise County

The Waterford GAA County Board are set for some bumper admission fees this week with no few than six huge games down for decision in the Senior Hurling Championship. There is nothing like a local derby game to bring supporters out to shout for their local side especially in a knockout game, a stage of the competition which we now reached.

Four of the six games to be played this weekend are at the quarter final stages of the competition, while two games will see four clubs fighting for all their might to retain their status in the senior grade in 2020, but unfortunately for one, they will drop down a grade in a few weeks time.

Of the six games to be played over the next 48 hours no fewer than five could be classed as a local derby and with no more second chances available to any side, and with every score like winning the lotto jackpot it is envisaged that a number if not all of the games this weekend will go right to the wire.

While three games will be played on both Saturday and Sunday, just one of the four quarter final games will be take place on Saturday and what a game that could prove to be as neighbours Ballygunner and Passage the last two winners of the championship (Passage in 2013, Ballygunner each year since 2014) do battle at Walsh Park in a game that is expected to attract a big attendance.

Passage last weekend had a worthwhile workout against Tallow in the first round knockout games which will stand to them this coming weekend, but they will not need any telling that if they are to advance here they will have to up their performance considerably on last weekend’s game if they are to reach the last four.

Ballygunner this year are seeking to win a rare sixth final in a row in the Déise County and it really is theirs to lose in the eyes of many supporters in the Déise County. Things were fairly straight forward for them in the group section of the competition, but they will know that it is from now that things will start getting serious.

On Sunday afternoon there is just the one game down for decision at Walsh Park where neighbouring clubs De La Salle and Roanmore do battle.

Ideally the County Board would have loved to play the two games in Walsh Park this weekend as a double header, but their hands were somewhat tied behind their backs this weekend.

With no lights at Walsh Park the County Board and with other events on this weekend the fixture makers were forced to go with two separate games. Had they gone for a double header on Saturday because the annual Tony Forrestal Competition is on it Waterford this Saturday the county board would not have wanted to clash with the latter rounds of this competition so were forced to give Saturday’s game a 3pm throw in. If they were to go with a double header it would mean that De La Salle and Roanmore would have had a 1pm or 1-30pm start and with such an early time you to start a game on a Saturday afternoon you would have to wonder how many people would show up to see the first game.

The county board’s hand were also tied for a double header on Sunday with the All-Ireland Football Final on TV at 3-30. While some will say they have little or no interest in what will be happening at Croke Park, it is possibly fair to say that a sizeable amount of supporters of Gaelic Games will be watching this game to see can Dublin become the first side to win five titles in a row or will Kerry stop them in the same way Offaly stopped their great team winning five titles in a row back in 1982.

Of course the option was there for the county board to play the games between Ballygunner and Passage as well as De La Salle and Roanmore under the lights at Fraher Field on Saturday evening, but if this was to happen the amount of people giving out about four city teams travelling to the West of the County for the games would be even greater than those that are giving out about the games not forming a double header in Walsh Park.

Sunday afternoon’s game in Walsh Park is also likely to draw a good attendance to the Keane’s Road venue.

De La Salle topped Group Three of in the round robin section of the competition where like Ballygunner in group one, they finished with maximum points after recording wins over Lismore, Passage and Ballyduff Upper. In those three games De La Salle put up some impressive tallies if they were able to repeat this in the knockout stages of the competition who is to say that they won’t end the year as County Champions for the fourth time.

Roanmore are always a very difficult side to beat and they could well prove that to be true in this game. They had an outing against Ballyduff Upper last Saturday evening where they looked early in the game that they could win the game by a big margin but in the end some would suggest that they were somewhat lucky to win the game by the two points which they did, and if they were to turn off for any length of time here it could cost them dearly against a dangerous De La Salle side.

If Walsh Park has big numbers passing through the turn styles on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the attendance inside Fraher Field on Sunday evening for a double header could be the biggest the venue has seen in some time.

Mount Sion qualified for the quarter finals of this year’s championship when they saw off the challenge of 14 man Clonea at Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon last. While they are not as strong as they were in the past, they are still a side that should never be underestimated.

They played in a tough Group Two in the group stages of the competition where they recorded wins over Roanmore and Fourmilewater which will give them confidence going into this game.

Lismore since coming back up to the senior grade after a year in the Intermediate ranks where they proved to be the best in Munster at that grade have done well and have put up some good scores in this year’s competition and will take some beating as they contain a nice mixture of youth and experience.

Both sides in the County Senior Hurling league also had very respectable results even if both sides missed out on qualifying for the knockout stages as they both finished in mid table positions in opposite groups, but it should be pointed out that they done this without key players.

The final game of the weekend could well prove to be a massive battle between two sides of the River Colligan as it flows into Dungarvan Bay.

The meeting of Dungarvan and Abbeyside is sure to attract a huge attendance to the Fraher Field, where not only will there be a place in the last four for the winners, but there will also be the bragging rights for some weeks to come for supporters of the winning side.

Last year’s runners up qualified for this stage of the championship by virtue of winning group two of the round robin section of the competition where they had wins over Mount Sion and Fourmilewater and in their final game had a draw against a Roanmore side that are never easy to beat.

Dungarvan were in a very tough group one which contained the reigning champions Ballygunner who they lost out to in the second series of games on a 1-18 to 0-14 score line. In their other two games they had wins over Tallow and last year’s intermediate champions Clonea, but four points was not good enough to give them a place in the last eight of the championship automatically as they had to play Fourmilewater in a first round game last Sunday evening which they won 1-27 to 2-13.

So which four sides will advance to the last four and the semi final draw after the fourth quarter final game on Sunday evening?

One thing that I feel is that all four games could well prove to be close games and I for one would not be surprised to see at least one of them go to extra time and maybe even having a replay arranged to see who advances to the last four.

But there has to be a winner and putting my head on the block I am opting for Ballygunner, De La Salle, Lismore and Dungarvan.

Meanwhile the two relegation playoff semi finals will take place at Fraher Field on Saturday afternoon and are again local derby games.

The meeting of Cross Comeragh Mountain sides Clonea and Fourmilewater is first up. 

Clonea came up from the Intermediate ranks last year and while nobody would have expected them to make great headway in the senior ranks this year most would agree that for them to retain their senior status would be a good year for them and to build on that.

Fourmilewater are not having a great year this year finishing bottom of the pile in their group in the round robin section of the competition and last weekend they lost out to Dungarvan at Fraher Field. It should be pointed out however that they are having a horrible year with injuries to key players.

The players on both sides will know each other quite well having played against each other on a number of occasions in recent years, but in football so for them to play against each other in hurling will be a bit of a rarity.

On paper Fourmilewater are the stronger of the two sides, certainly are the more experienced of the two at this level which you would think should stand to them, but Clonea have some quality players. Fourmilewater would be the fancied side to win, but if they are unable to field their strongest side, then you would have to give Clonea a major chance of winning.

The second semi final sees neighbours Tallow and Ballyduff do battle.

Both sides would have seen the other play at Fraher Field on Saturday evening last and it is hard to know what they think after doing so.

Ballyduff against Roanmore looked a pretty poor side in the first half but stayed in touch thanks in no small part to the free taking of Eoghan Murray, but they also know that early in the game he did not have his eye on things and missed a number of placed balls effort.

Tallow in the first half of their game against Passage looked quite good for a game against a side that most would not have given them a chance in, but they never really showed up for the second half and that will be a worry to their management team.

The way that Ballyduff came back at Roanmore in their game will give them plenty of hope going into this game and if they can show the same fight as they did late on in that game then you have to give them a chance here.

Tallow in the second half against Passage did not look like a senior side and if they played as good as they did in the first half last weekend they might not be involved in this game.

So who will win and who will have one more chance to retain their senior status next year. Something is telling me that in the first game even though they have had their injury worries this year Fourmilewater should have that little bit on Clonea. All too often we have seen the side that came up from intermediate drop back down after one year. Will the same happen this year?

In the second game things could be very close. On paper Tallow look to have the stronger panel and if they are able to call on a full strength side then they should survive.

There is plenty more action in both divisions this weekend.

            Four games were played in the west of the county this evening. Colligan advanced to the semi finals of the Junior A Hurling Championship when they beat Geraldines at Dungarvan while over the road in Fraher Field Kilrossanty had a 2-19 to 3-9 win over Tourin which will go down as a shock to many, but a result predicted to me this evening by a very knowledgeable hurling supporter. In the Intermediate Hurling Championship Ardmore had a 3-18 to 3-15 win over Ballinameela at Fraher Field, while in the junior ‘C’ Hurling Championship in Stradbally Abbeyside had a 3-10 to 2-8 win over neighbours Kilgobinet.

In the east of the county the semi finals of the junior ‘A’ Hurling Championship were played. At Walsh Park Ballydurn proved too strong for Mount Sion winning 3-11 to 1-10 while in Dunhill Tramore had a 4-13 to 1-12 win over Ballygunner.

Tomorrow (Saturday) there is a number of games are down for decision. Up west in the Intermediate Hurling Championship Stradbally play Brickey Rangers at the Dungarvan Club grounds at 2pm while there is a double header in Fraher Field where An Rinn take on Modeligo at 6-30pm followed by the meeting of Clashmore and Cappoquin 90 minutes later.

In the eastern half of the county the first of the quarter finals in the Intermediate Hurling Championship will be played at Kill where there is a double header. First up at 4-30 is the meeting of De La Salle and Portlaw which is followed at 6pm by the meeting of Dunhill and Erin’s Own.

On Sunday the remaining two games quarter finals in the eastern intermediate hurling championship will be played. Ballygunner and Ferrybank clash at Ballybeg at 11-30pm and later in the evening neighbours Ballyduff Lower and Butlerstown clash at Walsh Park for a 6pm start.

Two games are down for decision in West Waterford on Sunday. In the Junior ‘B’ Hurling Championship An Rinn take on Ballyduff Upper in Lismore for a noon start followed by the meeting of Shamrocks and Ballysaggart in the Intermediate championship at 1-30 at the same venue.