Limerick trounce disappointing Waterford

            Waterford’s interest in this year’s Munster and All-Ireland Hurling Championship has come to an end with one game to play after they failed to win for the third championship game in a row this year, going under to what is a very strong Limerick side that had thirteen points to spare at the end of the seventy minutes.

            Overall 2018 has proven to be a hugely disappointing year for Waterford’s senior hurling side.

            Just last September Waterford ran Galway to within three points in the All-Ireland final at Croke Park, and knowing that the bulk of that panel and maybe with one or two new faces added to the panel, hopes were high with many that maybe 2018 might just see Waterford’s long famine without an All-Ireland Final win dating back to 1959 come to an end.

            But while some had high hopes of Waterford ending their long run without an All-Ireland, a period in which we saw all of Waterford’s Munster Rivals win at least one final at Croke Park since Waterford last won on All-Ireland Final day, there was and there is a sizeable amount of longstanding Waterford supporters who had deep reservations about the direction were going, and to a degree those that had such reservations have been proven right, even if that might not go down well in the eyes of some supporters.

            To hear the manager of the side after confirming that he would be staying on after last year’s All-Ireland Final say that he would not live in fear of being relegated from this year’s league very much angered many of the Waterford support and further supported their views that maybe the squad was not being moved in the right direction, despite the panel having some fine players, many of whom had won Minor and Under 21 All-Ireland medals, Munster under 21 medals and also Munster and All-Ireland Colleges medals from some years back.

            To see Waterford relegated the way the side were earlier this year was hugely disappointing to many supporters. In the eyes of many the towel was thrown in far too early, and the way some games were lost was hugely disappointing.

            Each year sides can win two pieces of silverware at a National Level, and the league is one of them, (the All-Ireland being the other), and it would have been nice to see Waterford go out to win the competition.

            Last year Galway won a clean sweep, winning the Walsh Cup (early season competition in Leinster), the League, the Leinster Championship and the All-Ireland, and I am sure that they will be the first to admit that each win, in each competition, spurred them on to win the next game and the next competition. Winning after all can become a habit, one that helps increase confidence in a side.

            We might be told one thing in public, and another in private, but I would love to know what the confidence was like in the Waterford set up when this year’s Munster championship started. I have a feeling that it might not be as it should have, when you consider that the side were relegated from the league a few weeks earlier and there is no guarantee that they will come straight back up next year.

            Injuries I know did not help Waterford this year, but we cant really use them as an excuse for Waterford bowing out of the competition so early this year, when you take into consideration that some of us speak so highly of the amount of talent we have in reserve.

            I would put Waterford’s early exit from the championship down to the fact that with the past number of years, Waterford are using a sweeper system, one that has not gone down well with many of Waterford’s longest supporters.

            Yes, this system was brought in for a particular purpose and it worked to an extent, but since the system began to be used only two players Tadhg Bourke and Darragh Fives played the role of the free man, and when both got injured in the same game and had to leave the field, Waterford were going to be in trouble as they had no readymade replacement to fill the role, even though they had a number of players who can play centre back.

            As a result of this win for Limerick it guarantee’s them a place in the All-Ireland quarter finals at least, along with Cork and Clare who also fill the top three places in the Munster group of the Round Robin section of the All-Ireland Championship, and they will know that if they can beat Clare next weekend in Ennis they will contest the Munster Final next month, which if they win they will advance to the All-Ireland semi finals.

            This game did start good for Waterford. Tom Devine opened the scoring with a point, but it was soon cancelled out with an effort from Cian Lynch. DJ Foran and Darragh O’Donovan from a sideline swapped scores to tie the scoring and it was looking as if Waterford could record a first win in this year’s Championship.

            But a crippling injury list was to get longer when the side lost Shane Fives with an injury early in this game, to be replaced by Shane McNulty.

            But the home side soon began to get on top as Shane Dowling hit three points in a row to give his side a three point lead.

            And things would get better for the home side when Seamus Flanagan with a sublime pass found Gearoid Hegarty who buried past Stephen O’Keeffe to give the home side a 1-5 to 0-2 lead.

            If that goal was to prove to be a blow for Waterford, the next Limerick score proved to be an even bigger blow as a rare Stephen O’Keeffe mistake saw Graeme Mulcahy pounce and push the ball over the goal line for a second Limerick goal.

            Dowling and Cian Lynch added further scores for the home side before Waterford hit the next three scores, Pauric Mahony putting over a brace of scores with one from Stephen Bennett in between to leave Waterford trailing 2-7 to 0-5.

            This in fact was the only time in this game when the visitors would hit three scores in a row. Back came Limerick with the next six scores, Tom Morrissey scoring twice with Kyle Hayes hitting one in between and was followed up with a Hat-trick of scores from Shane Dowling which opened up a 2-13 to 0-5 lead.

            Pauric Mahony responded with a brace of scores for Waterford, but Cian Lynch finished the first half with the last score of the half giving his side a 2-14 to 0-7 lead at the interval.

            Waterford needed a good start to the second half to get back into this game and they restarted brightly as Pauric Mahony put over an early free which was followed with a score from play off the stick of Stephen O’Keeffe.

            Shane Dowling and Kyle Hayes cancelled out Waterford’s early scores with points for the home side.

            Waterford brought Thomas Ryan into the action at the break and it looked as if the move was going to pay off when the Tallow man got inside the Limerick defence and finished past Nicky Quaid to leave nine between the sides.

            But Limerick sure as Night follows day hit back and it was no surprise to see Shane Dowling send the umpire reaching for the white flag to wave once more, when he landed another brace of scores and Seamus Flanagan got one to extend their side’s advantage on the score board.

            Pauric Mahony put over two points in a row, but they were cancelled out with efforts from Shane Dowling and David Dempsey as Limerick now lead 2-23 to 1-12.

            Maurice Shanahan another sub used by Waterford at the break got his name on the score sheet with a point, but it was goals that Waterford needed and they never really looked like they were going to happen, not on this day anyway.

            Pauric Mahony and Shane Dowling swapped scores before the respective top scorers for their respective sides in this game repeated the act moments later, keeping the home side thirteen points up.

            Dowling got his fifteenth of the game and his sides last score of the game moments from the end of this game and while Mikey Kearney would later score for Waterford it put a mere gloss on the score board.

Limerick: Nicky Quaid; Sean Finn, Mike Casey, Richie English; Diarmaid Byrnes, Declan Hannon, Dan Morrissey; Darragh O’Donovan, Cian Lynch; Tom Morrissey, Kyle Hayes, Gearoid Hegarty; Seamus Flanagan, Shane Dowling, Graeme Mulcahy. Subs: David Dempsey for Gearoid Hegarty (54); Barry Murphy for Graeme Mulcahy (60); Will O’Donoghue for Darragh O’Donovan (64); Paul Browne for Cian Lynch, Barry Nash for Seamus Flanagan (both 69)

Scorers: S Dowling (0-15, 0-13 frees); G Hegarty (1-1); G Mulcahy (1-0); C Lynch (0-3); T Morrissey, K Hayes (0-2 each); S Flanagan, D Dempsey, D O’Donovan (0-1 each.

Waterford: Stephen O’Keeffe; Conor Gleeson, Noel Connors, Shane Fives; Philip Mahony, Austin Gleeson, Michael Walsh; Jamie Barron, Stephen Roche; Kevin Moran, Pauric Mahony, DJ Foran; Patrick Curran, Tom Devine, Stephen Bennett. Subs: Shane McNulty for Shane Fives (4); Maurice Shanahan for Patrick Curran, Thomas Ryan for Stephen Bennett (both HT); Jake Dillon for Stephen Roche (52); Mikey Kearney for Jamie Barron (65)

Scorers: Pauric Mahony (0-10, 0-9 frees); Thomas Ryan (1-0); Stephen O’Keeffe, DJ Foran, Tom Devine, Shane Bennett, Mikey Kearney, Maurice Shanahan (0-1 each).

Referee: Sean Cleere (Kilkenny).