Who if anyone can beat Ballygunner in Senior Hurling Championship

It’s the weekend that hurling lovers in Waterford are looking forward to, the weekend where the first round of the County Senior Hurling Championship takes place.

In the last number of years, the first round of the senior hurling championship had to be deferred, leading to complications for some as it clashed with the semi-finals of the National Hurling League semi-finals, but with Waterford narrowly losing out to Galway recently in the quarter final clash between the two in Galway, it’s all system go on the club scene this year.

The question on the lips of many this year is can anybody stop Ballygunner, and if the Gunners can be stopped, who will it be that denies them what would be a first ever first ever four in a row of titles, becoming the first club since the great Mount Sion team of the 50’s and 60’s to win the title, when they won no fewer than nine in a row.

They begin this year with a clash against Tallow this year.

The two clubs in recent years have met in recent years, with results going in the way of the current holders of the News and Star Cup.

The most recent big meeting of the two was in the 2015 County Final when the Gunners came out on top a Walsh Park, the second time they have done so in recent years when they sides clashed at the same stage of the competition at the same venue in recent years.

The Champions are under new management this year, with former Ballygunner and Waterford great Fergal Hartley again taking over the reins.

The champions will once again prove to be a tough side to beat this year and the side that knocks them out of the competition will be the side most likely to win.

They have class right throughout their team. Barry Coughlan is set to miss this game as a result of the injury he picked up in the recent win over Clare in the league, but the good news for them is that Philip Mahony who missed the league for Waterford is reported to be back fit and healthy and is set to start in the team.

His inclusion for the champions would be a massive bonus, and when you consider that they have the likes of his brother Pauric, younger brother Michael could well feature as well this year, the O’Sullivan’s, Stephen O’Keeffe etc. it’s hard to see them loose this one.

But they and many others will know that on their day Tallow are a hard side to beat.

They too are under new management this year with Johnny Geary having taken over the team.

They have made a decision to regrade a number of their players this year such as Aidan Kearney, James Murray and William Henley and it waits to be seen how long they can go without recalling them to the senior team.

The O’Brien’s are going to be vital to their hopes, as will Thomas Ryan who has put in a number of going showing’s with Derek McGrath’s Waterford side of late. Youth could well be given its chance to impress on Bride-side this year in the likes of Jordan Henley, Ryan Grey and Darragh Buckley but it’s hard to see them get anything from this game, meaning that they will be playing catch-up for the rest of the campaign.

Passage last year finished as Runners up and will be looking to go one step further again this year. They too have made changes in their management team with Peter Queally moving on after serving for a number of years guiding them to a first ever (and only) County Senior Hurling Championship in 2013.

John Treacy who was involved with the Waterford Minor Team that won the 2013 All-Ireland Final has taken over the team and it will be interesting to see how he gets on. One this is for sure, he will not be wanting in experience.

They have a number of brilliant players within their team like Eddie Lynch, the Connors’, Pa Walsh, Eoin Kelly and Killian Fitzgerald who will be looking to add to the honours that they have already won with the club.

They come up against a Lismore side that played in the Intermediate grade last year. To many it came as a shock that it was Lismore and De La Salle that contested a relegation play off in 2015, with the western side losing out.

They regrouped last year well in the intermediate grade and it will be interesting to see how they get on this year.

They will be delighted that Dan Shanahan has committed to wearing the Black and Yellow shirt once more again in 2017 after a brilliant year for them last year, helping them to Divisional, County and Munster Intermediate titles.

If Dan Shanahan is going to be key to Lismore’s hopes, words to find the value of younger brother would be hard to find. Another key player will be Kenny Moore who has transferred from Dungarvan.

Another player that will be key to them is young Jack Prendergast. With a Prendergast name from Lismore and also having Daly (remember The Growler) blood, this young lad has to have hurling in him. He was very impressive last year in the Intermediate grade and will be looking to show his talent now in a higher grade.

Expect this game to go to the wire, with a possible shoot-out between cousins Eoin Kelly on one side and the Shanahan’s on the other. Passage however get the nod to win in what could well be a close game.

The two semi-finalist last year will be looking to go one step further this year, and on paper you have to think that they can do so.

Like so many other teams this year (only Fourmilewater and Lismore have not changed managers) Dungarvan are under new management this year with former club great Derek Lyons taking over the team.

He had tasted success with the Old Boro Club on the underage scene and also has had success with different inter county underage teams and will not be looking to transfer this success to the next level.

There is plenty of ability available to Derek Lyons. While they might have not shown the promise they showed in 2012 when they won a place in the County Final losing out to De La Salle, but maybe 2017 might just be the year. In the Curran Brothers, Gavin Crotty, Kieran Power, Darren Duggan, Michael Kiely and Mick Devine they have some good players within their ranks.

Abbeyside too are a side that that have plenty of experience within their team. What has gone against them in a way in recent years is that they have had different managers for hurling and football, but Jimmy Healy is looking after both sides this year so should be able to juggle things the way Benjie Whelan does with Fourmilewater and The Nire.

What might make this game interesting is that Jimmy Healy has crossed the Causeway this year when it comes to hurling and football having being involved with Dungarvan in recent years.

He will be looking to the likes of Conor Prunty, Neil Mountgomery, Richie Foley, Patrick Hurney, the Collins’ brothers, Mark Ferncombe etc. they have more than enough to match their neighbours from across the harbour.

I must admit that prior to reading this week’s Dungarvan Leader, I had forgotten the fact that Dungarvan are without the services of Patrick Curran for this game due to suspension carried over from last year. His loss will be a big one to The Old Boro Club, but they nor Abbeyside will need any motivation for this game and players on both sides won’t mind who is present or missing too much as the fifteen players selected on both sides will be giving it their all.

Expect this game to go to the wire, with Dungarvan maybe winning by a very small margin.

Mount Sion may not be as strong a side as they once were, but they are still Mount Sion and will always be challenging for the title each year.

Ken McGrath who has managed the side in recent years takes a back seat this year and is replaced by Nicholas Mackey.

Austin Gleeson is going to be their most vital player, but the question remains where he will play, in defence or in attack. A personal view is that he is a far better defender than he is attacker.

However they will want more than Ossie to be his best this year. Ian O’Regan will be between the posts. He has shown time and time again this year that he is a quality goalkeeper and if he was regarded as Waterford’s number one when the Munster Championship begins it would hardly be a surprise.

They too have players like Stephen Roche who again has impressed for Waterford of late, Owen Whelan, Aaron Coady, Martin and Stephen O’Neill as well as Mickey Daykin and Donal Power within their ranks.

Their first game of the year for the second year in a row is against Fourmilewater.

For a number of years now the Ballymacarbry based club tends to always be the Bridesmaid but never the Bride.

In Benjie Whelan they have an excellent manager who does a good job of juggling being a duel senior club.

He has at his disposal some of the finest players within the county.

Jamie Barron is going to be their most crucial player, but he has missed the last few Waterford games due to an injury and it remains to be seen what involvement he has in this game.

But even without him they still have plenty of class in their team able to call on the likes of Conor Gleeson, Dermot Ryan as well as former inter county hurlers Shane Walsh and Liam Lawlor.

Again expect this game to go to the wire. Last year Fourmilewater won the game by a small margin and if they can include Jamie Barron in their team for the full sixty minutes they will feel that they can record another win here, but if he is missing Mount Sion get the nod.

Most pundits are expecting Portlaw and Ballyduff Upper to finish bottom of their respective groups this year, with many expecting the mid county side to drop back down to the Intermediate grade after a two year stint in the senior grade.

It is hard to see either club get their campaign off to a winning start this weekend.

Portlaw did well last year to retain their senior status, beating Cappoquin in the play-off final at Walsh Park.

Andrew Kirwan is over Portlaw this year, taking over from Niall O’Donnell.

They have being putting in a lot of work in the last number of weeks, and will be looking to get their championship campaign off to a good start. DJ Foran is in good form going into this game and will look to show the form he has shown in recent Waterford games into this game. But they will be looking to more than him to step up to the mark, and in the likes of Frank Galvin, John Hartley, Paul Power, Blake O’Connor and Michael Donnelly they have some good players.

They have a rough opening game however against Roanmore, a game that happens to be the first of the championship.

The city side have made great strides in the last number of years, after a number of years where they were hanging in there each year. They have made the quarter finals in the last few years and will look to maybe go a step further this year.

Gavin O’Brien and Billy Nolan are going to be key to the Sky Blues this year. Many regard the latter as one of the best goalkeepers in the country but he lines out in attack with his club which shows his versatility. Eoin Madigan and Daniel Murphy are also players that are key to the city sides hopes this year.

A good start for both sides is absolute vital for both sides but it’s hard to see the more experienced Roanmore side not winning here.

In the last game of the weekend, Ballyduff Upper and De La Salle do battle.

Ballyduff Upper this year are under the guidance of Michael Walsh and are going great guns in the games that they have played to date.

Last year they found the tough going and will be hoping for a better year this time round. They will be hoping that Cian Leamy can make a return this year after a year out last year due to injury and will also be looking to the likes of the Hannon’s, Casey’s, Eoin Scanlon and Kearney’s with Mikey in particular vital for them.

De La Salle have Owen Dunphy back at the helm this year. They have not won the title since 2012 which has shocked a number of people. Maybe in the eyes of some they were the cause of this themselves, publically displaying the famous 3.3.1 on the back of their shirts before what it was meant to signify had taken place.

Jake Dillon and Kevin Moran are going to be vital for them this year but so too will the likes of Shane McNulty, Stephen Daniels and Michael Doherty etc. and they should be good enough to start here with a win.

 

This weekend’s fixtures:

Roanmore V Portlaw on Saturday at 2pm in Walsh Park

Lismore V Passage on Saturday at 6pm in Fraher Field

Mount Sion V Fourmilewater on Saturday at 7-30pm in Fraher Field

De La Salle V Ballyduff Upper on Sunday at 2pm in Fraher Field

Tallow V Ballygunner on Sunday at 3-30pm in Fraher Field

Dungarvan V Abbeyside on Sunday at 7pm in Fraher Field