Its Tipp or Limerick next for Waterford in the Munster Final

If there was any disputing who the team of the year are when it comes to hurling for the first half of 2015, there can’t be any doubts now.

Just five weeks after Waterford beat Cork by ten points in Thurles in the final of this year’s Allianz National Hurling League Final, Derek McGrath’s charges have done the double over Cork this year beating them in the first of this years Munster semi finals today.

The margin of victory today may over half of what it was in the National League Final, but a win over Cork any day of the week, regardless of the winning margin is sweat and like many in recent years this one will be celebrated for a short while, but everyone will know that there is still a long season ahead, and there is a chance that the two can meet again, and if that were to happen then all involved with Waterford will know that just as Cork were no easy touch today, they wont be either should the sides clash again.

About 4,000 more people attended this game than the National League Final. Many of those that passed through the turn-styles were the same people, and they will have learned something from this game – that history does repeat itself.

In the league final, Tom Devine who a few short years back won a Dr Harty and Dr Croke Cup medals while playing with Dungarvan Colleges, and who last year won Divisional, County and Munster Junior Club medals playing with Modeligo came off the bench and the powerfully built youngster stuck a crucial goal for Waterford, in this game it was his sides third of the game, one that secured the win for Waterford at a time when 14 man Cork were putting pressure on Waterford and had just registered a goal of their own as the game entered stoppage time after Patrick Horgan beat Stephen O’Keeffe from a penalty.

Early in the game it looked as if Waterford had shown their full hand of cards to Cork in the League Final as the 2014 Munster Champions proved to be the better of the two sides.

The first score of the game came on two minutes when Conor Lehane who was surprisingly very quiet for Cork on the day fired over from play. A minute later Cork added to their lead when Mark Ellis hit his first championship point for the rebels and when Maurice Shanahan deputising for the injured Pauric Mahony on free taking duty put an early free wide, some Rebel supporters must have been thinking the day was going to be theirs and more so when Austin Gleeson also saw an effort go wide.

Shanahan put another free wide before Austin Gleeson opened Waterford’s account from a placed ball on 8 minutes to half Cork’s lead.

Cork went two in front once more on ten minutes when Patrick Horgan put over a free.

Waterford had a chance to take the lead for the first time when Stephen Bennett got inside the Cork defence but Anthony Nash in the Cork goal did well to keep the Ballysaggart club mans effort from hitting the net. Further wide’s from Gleeson and Moran were followed with a point from Pa Cronin his first of the game to extend Cork’s lead to three.

Points from Maurice Shanahan from a free and Pa Cronin quickly followed to keep Cork three points up at the end of the first quarter.

Cork went four in front when Daniel Kearney split the posts and many were wondering if Cork were to hit the next score could they go on and win the game comfortably but there was no need for such fears for the Waterford supporters.

Maurice Shanahan again split the posts from a free before Kevin Moran, not for the first time this year playing the Captain’s roll to a tee, fired over the side’s first score of the game from open play to leave just two between the sides with ten minutes of the first half remaining.

Moments later, Cork were three in front once more when Patrick Horgan again put the ball over Stephen O’Keeffe’s cross bar, but the game changed moments later as Maurice Shanahan caught a pass from Austin Gleeson and the big Lismore man showed that when it comes to playing Cork he can do as his big brother Dan could do as he gave Anthony Nash for the games first goal.

Tadhg de Búrca followed up with a point for Waterford to give the team the lead for the first time but the sides were level for the second time moments later after Luke O’Farrell found the range.

Everybody knows that there was frailties in the Cork back line and they were exposed on twenty nine minutes for the second time in the game when a ball from Stephen Bennett to Michael Walsh helped set up Jake Dillon who got past Cormac Murphy and the De La Salle player made no mistake in beating Anthony Nash to give Waterford a 2-5 to 0-8 lead.

Maurice Shanahan and Pa Cronin swapped scores to keep Waterford three in front with two minutes of the first half remaining.

Cork however would end the half slightly the stronger of the sides as Aidan Walsh one minute from time and Alan Cadogan landed points to send the sides to the dressing rooms with Waterford leading 2-6 to 0-11.

For a long number of years when Cork and Waterford clashed, we were served up a thriller. To call this game a thriller would be wrong. The very half was very close. The sides shared 19 scores. They also shared 17 wide’s.

The second half was also close and it was also exciting.

Both sides would have looked for a good start to the half for different reasons. For Cork, they wanted to wipe out Waterford’s very small difference on the score board, for Waterford, they wanted to extend that lead.

It was Waterford that got the start that was required.

Maurice Shanahan hit the halves first score. The same player followed up with a free and then Colin Dunford, a young man with hurling in his blood, going back to his great gran-uncles, the famous Goode Brothers from Dungarvan who hurled for Waterford prior to the County winning a Senior All-Ireland, extended Waterford’s lead to four with four minutes of the half played.

Patrick Horgan steadied the ship for Cork with a point from a free on forty minutes, but Waterford were quickly back in the flow as Maurice Shanahan again pointed a minute later.

Halk-Eye does not yet operate in Thurles, but had it been in use it would have been called into use on 46 minutes.

Those that have been reading with a while on here will know I am not in favour of Halk-Eye and we could have seen here why. We will all admit that Hurling is one of the fastest field sports in the world.

At first glance it looked as if Stephen O’Keeffe had done well to deny Pa Cronin. The umpires were slow to react or make their mind up as to what happened. The ball was worked down the field. It was well inside the Cork half the field when a call was made to Referee, I am sure on the radio mic/earpiece that the officials use to inform him that the Ballygunner man pulled the ball from behind the crossbar and back into play.

Suppose, before the call was made to Barry Kelly, suppose a quick ball was sent in around the Cork goal and resulted in a goal for Waterford. What would have happened if the referee on the day had to say that the goal did not count as a point had been scored at the other end of the field. Suppose Waterford lost the game by a point or two after ‘that’ goal was cancelled out. Would we in Waterford accept it? I doubt it.

For me, if Halk-Eye is to be used by the G.A.A. it has to be a worked in such a way that the indication as to whether a score is given is rapid, like what happens when it comes to goals scored in the Premiership in England. We should not have to have a referee making a signal to someone in the stand asking him to check pictures as to whether a score is to be given or not. We saw in a second in a recent premiership game between Swansea and Arsenal that a goal was scored. In the G.A.A. we have to have indications just as quick, or even quicker if Halk-Eye is used, or better still let games be decided on human error, and by human error I mean if players and mentors blame a referee or umpire for a wrong call loosing a game, let them blame themselves just as much for errors they make.

Cronin’s score left Cork trailing 2-10 to 0-13 but soon a more manageable four points were again between the sides when Shane Bennett not long after coming on, split the posts with his first touch.

Points from Maurice Shanahan and Patrick Horgan both from frees were traded to keep Waterford four in front before Stephen Bennett edged Waterford five in front with nineteen minutes remaining.

Patrick Horgan and Stephen Bennett traded scores to keep Waterford five in front. Kevin Moran and Patrick Cronin were next to trade scores. Alan Cadogan made it a four point game once more but with ten minutes to go, Man of the Match Maurice Shanahan brought his tally to 1-8 for the afternoon with another free.

Free takers Patrick Horgan and Maurice Shanahan again swapped scores. Cork had their numbers cut to fourteen as Luke O’Farrell was sent off on a straight red card for an off the ball incident.

Cork however refused to throw in the towel. Bill Cooper brought his side to within four of Waterford, but Waterford went five up once more Shane Bennett hit his second of the game for Waterford.

Another Patrick Horgan free was struck before Patrick Curran on his championship debut swapped scores to keep five between the sides and on the end of normal time Conor Lehane won the Rebels a penalty which Patrick Horgan beat Stephen O’Keeffe to leave just two between the sides with just under four added minutes still left to play.

From the restart Waterford attacked up field and Modeligo’s finished to the net making himself the hero of the game not for the first time in a Waterford shirt in recent years as he put five between the sides.

A late ’65 was won by Cork and in an effort to get something from the game they opted to leave Patrick Horgan in around the house and get sub Darren McCarthy to strike into the town end of the ground from the new stand of the side of the field but his shot between the uprights for a consolation score.

 

Waterford: Stephen O'Keeffe; Barry Coughlan, Noel Connors, Shane Fives; Austin Gleeson, Tadhg de Búrca, Philip Mahony; Jamie Barron, Kevin Moran; Maurice Shanahan, Colin Dunford, Jake Dillon: Stephen Bennett, Michael Walsh, Brian O'Halloran. Subs: Shane Bennett for Brian O'Halloran (44), Tom Devine for Stephen Bennett (60), Eddie Barrett for Colin Dunford (62), Patrick Curran for Jake Dillon (67).

Scorers: Maurice Shanahan 1-9 (0-7f, 0-1 '65), Jake Dillon, Tom Devine 1-0 each, Shane Bennett, Stephen Bennett, Kevin Moran 0-2 each, Tadhg de Búrca, Austin Gleeson (f), Colin Dunford, Patrick Curran 0-1 each. 

 

Cork: Anthony Walsh; Shane O'Neill, Stephen McDonald, Brian Murphy, Damien Cahalane, Mark Ellis, Cormac Murphy; Daniel Kearney, Bill Cooper: Conor Lehane, Patrick Cronin, Aidan Walsh; Alan Cadogan, Patrick Horgan, Luke O'Farrell. Subs: Rob O'Shea for Brian Murphy (45), Darren McCarthy for Daniel Kearney (50), Paudie O'Sullvan for Aidan Walsh (56).

Scorers: Patrick Horgan 1-7 (0-6 f, 1-0 Pen), Patrick Cronin 0-5, Alan Cadogan 0-2, MArk Ellis, Daniel Kearney, Aidan Walsh, Bill Cooper, Conor Lehane, Luke O'Farrell, Darren McCarthy ('65) 0-1 each.

 

Referee: Barry Kelly (Westmeath).