Waterford reach league semi final

3,500 people saw Division 1B winners Waterford advance to the last four of the National Hurling League at Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon, beating Galway in the quarter finals.

While hurling purist may not be over happy with the tactics used by Waterford in getting to the penultimate round of the competition, it has to be said that the stats show what is happening is working.

83 scores have passed Waterford in the league and of this tally 54% have come from placed balls, which shows that at the back Waterford are a tight unit.

However, is remaining tight at the back, is it a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul as Sunday’s game was the third in a row that Waterford failed to score a goal in.

Waterford did hit seven goals in this years league, none of them were hit in the three games were against the three other sides that advanced to the quarter finals from group 1B or against Galway.

They (who ever they are) say that to win games you have to score goals, and this will be the case more over against the stronger sides, and for this to happen, maybe Waterford will have to play with extra forwards. However, maybe I am wrong, maybe I am harsh in my thinking, maybe it is a case that when it comes to tactics, I like to see six on six.

In the last four, Waterford will now play Tipperary at Nolan Park on April 19 and Cork play Dublin on the same day.

While Waterford have done well up to now, it is a little difficult to tell exactly how the side is going. Maybe after the Tipperary game who will be without Seamus Callanan who will be a big loss to them, but they have plenty of ammunition to replace him, we will have a better clue.

Something that is pleasing to see in Waterford’s six games in the league to date is that Derek McGrath and his selectors have give 27 players a chance to stake a place in the team ahead of the championship. Three players, Barry Coughlan, Tadhg De Búrca and Michael Walsh have played every minute of every game, and of the twenty seven players used, eighteen have got their names on the score sheet.

Galway won the toss and opted to play against the strong wind in the first half, and were possibly made to pay for it as they trailed 0-14 to 0-5 at the break.

Waterford took the lead with less than a minute on the clock as Kevin Moran got onto the end of a fin Barry Coughlan clearance and the lead was doubled soon afterwards for the host when Brian O’Halloran hit his first of the afternoon.

Joe Canning pulled a point back for Galway from a free, the first of four he hit in the first half, but this was as close as Galway got to Waterford for the remainder of the afternoon.

Austin Gleeson and Pauric Mahony from a free fired over points for Waterford before Mahony from play and Canning exchanged scores from a free.

A brace of Pauric Mahony frees extended Waterford’s lead to five before Brian O’Halloran and Andy Smith with Galway’s only score from play in the first half swapped scores.

Another brace of Pauric Mahony frees went between the uprights at the city end of Walsh Park to give Waterford a 0-10 to 0-3 lead after which Kevin Moran picked off his second of the afternoon, a score that was possibly the best of the afternoon struck from inside his own half of the field.

Canning and Mahony swapped frees to keep Waterford eight in front with six minutes of the half remaining and in the time that remained, the home side continued to dominate as Jake Dillon and Austin Gleeson with a superbly struck side-line cut extended Waterford’s lead to ten, but just before the break Joe Canning from a free knocked one off Waterford’s lead.

Galway came out for the second half looking a much different side to the one that went to the dressing room at the end of the first half.

They hit the first five scores of the second half to reduce Waterford’s lead to four. Joe Canning was first off the mark, Cathal Mannion and Andy Smith hit points before Mannion and Canning struck again.

Galway were now getting on top and Waterford needed to do something.

Waterford’s response was to spring Maurice Shanahan from the bench and he played a huge part in the remainder of the game.

Pauric Mahony broke Galway’s flow of scores with a converted free soon after the big Lismore man’s introduction. Shanahan got on the score sheet himself shortly afterwards and Mahony landed a brace of frees to give Waterford a 0-18 to 0-10 lead and were not looking comfortable again having began to look shady after Galway got within four of them.

Joe Cooney pulled back two points for Galway from placed balls to get within six of Waterford, but Waterford with the likes of Kevin Moran, Tadhg de Búrca, Jamie Barron and subs Maurice Shanahan and Tom Devine all playing major parts held out.

Devine and Michael Walsh both landed late scores for Waterford to secure a semi final spot and Ian O’Regan did his chances of winning over the number one shirt permanently no harm at all in this game making an excellent save from Joseph Cooney in the closing minutes of the game as Galway searched for a goal that would have given then confidence going into the last crucial minutes of the game.

WATERFORD: Ian O’Regan; Shane Fives, Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors; Tadhg De Búrca, Austin Gleeson, Philip Mahony; Jamie Barron, Kevin Moran; Jake Dillon, Pauric Mahony, Michael Walsh; Brian O’Halloran, Stephen Bennett, Colin Dunford. Subs; Maurice Shanahan for Stephen Bennett (48), Tom Devine for Brian O’Halloran (61), Shane O’Sullivan for Colin Dunford (64), Gavin O’Brien for Jake Dillon (68), Martin O’Neill for Pauric Mahony (68).

Scorers: Pauric Mahony 0-10 (9fs); Kevin Moran, Brian O’Halloran, Austin Gleeson (1 s-l) 0-2 each; Jake Dillon, Tom Devine, Maurice Shanahan, Michael Walsh 0-1 each.

GALWAY: Colm Callanan; Johnny Coen, Paul Killeen, John Hanbury; David Collins, Padraig Mannion, Gearoid McInerney; Andy Smith, Iarla Tannian; Joseph Cooney, Joe Canning, Jonathan Glynn; James Regan, Cathal Mannion, Jason  Flynn. Subs: Greg Lally for Paul Killeen (H-T), Niall Healy for James Regan (H-T), Aidan Harte for Jason Flynn (49).

Scorers: Joe Canning 0-8 (6fs, 1 65’); Cathal Mannion, Andy Smith 0-2 each.

Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly)