Waterford have huge chance to advance to League Final against a reported understrength Tipperary Side

Sunday next is a big day for Waterford hurling.

How many times have we said that in Waterford in the last twelve or thirteen years? In the past when it was said big days were in store, but this Sunday is truly a big day, maybe the biggest we had in a very long time.

I don’t know what are the views are of readers of what is said on here when it comes to religion. To be honest, I don’t really want to know. For those who religion does mean something and who are Catholics that attended Mass last weekend, they will have heard the priest read a gospel story about Thomas and his lack of belief until he say the proof

In the Gospel we were told that Thomas was also known as ‘the Twin’. While it was not told to us, Thomas also became known as ‘Doubting Thomas’.

When it comes to Waterford hurling in the last year or two there is or was many Doubting Thomas’ around in the last year or two. And to be honest, it’s very hard not to be a Doubting Thomas.

Many felt the changes in the Waterford Senior Hurling panel in the last year were big changes. Experienced players were not invited to be part of the panel this year or chose not to be. Many knew of the talent that is coming through in the county, but many of the Doubting Thomas’ felt bringing so many of these young players in together without the experience that the side was loosing was a big gamble.

So far things have worked well for Waterford. Derek McGrath’s charges were always going to make the quarter finals of the league. In the quarter finals its fair to say they had a considerable amount of luck. Firstly in that Clare and Kilkenny along with Cork and Tipperary from Division 1A did not make the knockout stages, and secondly to meet Galway, who are usually awful or average to good and on the day of the quarter finals, awful would be kind to describe the performance of Galway at Walsh Park.

This weekend we will get our best indication where Waterford are at.

Playing Tipperary at any time is not an easy task, but maybe Waterford are getting them at the right time.

Tipperary are going to have to make changes to the side which beat Offaly in the quarter finals.

Defiantly out is Seamus Callanan who was sent off in that game. It is refreshing to see that the Drom and Inch club player has accepted the dismissal. In the last few years players sent off in games have had too many appeals to try and overturn the suspension.

Also out is Noel McGrath. Nobody likes to hear the news that broke about him during the week. Thankfully there is great advances made in medicine in the last few years. It May be a little while before we see him back in the Blue and Gold shirt but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later after he has had his surgery and makes a recovery.

Regular goalkeeper Darren Gleeson is also said to be out of this weeks game. He got injured in the round four game against Kilkenny and was replaced by Darragh Egan. The Kildangan club player has played in the games with Cork and Offaly since then and although Darren Gleeson played for Portroe in the championship last weekend, officials on the Tipperary County Board have said that it could be a few weeks yet at a top level.

Cathal Barrett and Kieran Bergin could also be ruled out of the game this weekend while Denis Maher and John O’Dwyer were reported by some to be unavailable this weekend. It also remains to be seen if duel players Bill Maher and John McGrath will be considered as they are involved with the Tipperary Under 21 football team who have an All-Ireland Semi Final coming up.

However there is some good for the Premier County as the likes of Michael Cahill, Paul Curran and Bonnar Maher are reported to be available for selection and Lar Corbett who has not played any part in the league up to now returned to training during the week and could well be sprung from the bench at some stage on Sunday if he is not given what would be an unexpected starting spot.

In the league up to now, Tipperary have hit 9-117 which is just short of the 9-133 Waterford have hit. Seamus Callanan has hit 3-37 of that tally for Tipperary and will prove to be a loss to his side. However they have the players available to them to take up his roll.

Able to call upon the likes of Conor O’Mahony, Paddy Stapleton, Pauric and Roan Maher, James Woodlock, Jason Forde, Brendan Maher, Niall O’Meara, Shane McGrath, Shane Bourke, Thomas Stapleton, Gearoid Ryan etc. to make up for the players that will and could be ruled out.

Like Waterford they have had some impressive displays along the way. They lost their first game 2-20 to 0-14 against Dublin but since then its wins all the way in the league, beating Galway 2-18 to 0-20, Clare 2-19 to 0-20, Kilkenny 2-22 to 1-13, Cork 2-28 to 4-21 and last time out against Offaly 1-16 to 0-13.

Waterford since drawing against Limerick in their opening game in the league when they drew at the Gaelic Grounds just like Tipperary have had wins all the way beating Laois, Offaly, Antrim and Wexford before proving too strong against Galway last time out.

Along the way while Derek McGrath and his selectors have given their fair share of players their time to shine, the starting line up for much of the time has proven to have a settled look to it.

The goalkeepers position is between Ian O’Regan and Stephen O’Keeffe. Little if anything separates the Mount Sion man and the Ballygunner man and which ever is selected on Sunday will not let the side down.

The full back line should again be made up of Shane Fives, Barry Coughlan and Noel Connors. The half back line will consist of Tadhg de Búrca, Austin Gleeson and Philip Mahony. In the middle of the field Jamie Barron and Kevin Moran will start.

Up front Michael Walsh, Philip Mahony, Colin Dunford, Brian O’Halloran will all start barring some unforeseen circumstances. Who will make up the rest of the forward line? Jake Dillon could well get one of the places meaning the final place is between Stephen Bennett and Maurice Shanahan.

The Ballysaggart man has started recent games, but the Lismore man has come in in the last two games and made a massive impact. His introduction against Galway last time out was possibly the winning of the game. Will Derek McGrath and his selectors go with Shanahan from the off or will they hold him in reserve and hope to put him on with twenty minutes to go and hope he makes the same impact he did against Wexford and Galway. It will interesting to see. Could we see both Bennett and Shanahan start? Both are big men and could cause the Tipperary backs especially if they are understrength all sorts of problems and if they are both selected who drops out.

A few weeks back if someone had asked me who would win this game, I would have not hesitated in giving an answer that may not ring well in the ears of many Waterford supporters.

However with the losses that Tipperary will have and those that they could well have, I am much more optimistic about Waterford’s chances.