Dungarvan Gardai Seek Missing Man

Gardai in Dungarvan have issued an appeal to the people of Waterford to help them locate a man who they say has gone missing. The man who was dressed in red with white fur on his coat and trousers and was wearing a pair of black wellingtons and had a long white beard was last seen earlier this evening. Gardai pulled a man in who they say was sitting in a sleigh pulled by a team of reindeers the leader of which had a red nose.

The Chief Garda in Dungarvan will not name the village which they last saw the man but said that Gardai were out on patrol this evening and the Garda pictured approached the man and asked who he was. The man told the Garda that he was a Mr. Claus.

It is understood that while the Garda went to his car to get a new biro to take down Mr. Claus’ details after the one he was using ran out, Mr Claus left the scene.

The Garda Chief told reporters in Dungarvan that Mr. Claus was later seen in the sky between the Comeragh and Knockmealdown Mountains but would not give a precise location where he was seen.

Garda check points have been set up all across Waterford City and County in a bid to locate Mr Claus to ask him what he was doing in the area. All vehicles are been stopped by members of the Gardai and are getting searched for the man in red.

One reporter asked the Garda Chief if the man dressed in red was wearing a Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Cork, Old Parish or Stradbally jersey. The Garda Chief told the reporter it was a red coat that he was wearing.

The Garda Chief told reporters that Mr Claus on the back of his sleigh had many bags, too numerous to count filled with parcels with the names of children all over the world wrote on them. Amongst the names on some of the parcels were Jack, Julie, Eamon, Emer, Aidan, Amber, Cian, Caoimhe, Fionn, Fiadh, Noah, Niamh, Alex, Aoibhinn, Eddie, Ellie, Liam, Leah, Kyle and Kate.

Gardai have advised that all young children go to bed early this evening as Mr Claus is likely to call to their home at some stage, and to remain in their beds all night.

Earlier this evening Aviation Chiefs at Waterford Airport were contacted by Santa Claus looking for them to keep the sky over Waterford City and County clear of Airplanes and Helicopters, telling them he wanted to get to houses all over the region to deliver presents to both girls and boys all over the world. He told the chief at Waterford Airport that he had already visited countries like Australia, New Zealand, Russia and India and would be heading to America and Canada after he had finished delivering presents in Ireland.

One vet in Dungarvan has said that before children go to bed this evening that they leave some water in a bucket for Santa Claus’ reindeers to drink when they call and maybe something to eat. The vet’s assistant has also suggested that a glass of milk or water and something to eat should be left on the table for Santa Claus to eat as he may be hungry when he calls. The vet’s assistant has also suggested that any naughty elves that may be in a house should be hidden away for the night so as not to frighten Santa Claus or to do something naughty to him like eat or drink what is left out for Santa.

Gardai believe that the man that they saw in a sleigh and a team of 12 reindeers and the man that asked for the sky to be kept clear of airplanes might be the same person.

Another Gentleman of the Media Leaves Us Too Soon

Like many others across West Waterford and beyond I was shocked and saddened to hear this evening of the untimely death of Danny McGrath after a tragic accident.

Danny was one of life’s gentlemen, who was the centre of many events and celebrations held in Dungarvan and across West Waterford, where he captured what was happening with his Camera be it a Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Dungarvan or Cappoquin, the turning-on of the Christmas Lights in Dungarvan, the homecoming of a successful team, to an event planned by the McGrath Clan which Danny was heavily involved with and the reporting of activities in Dungarvan and beyond in his Munster Express Column over the past few years.

While to me I knew Danny best through my attendance of Ladies Football Games in Dungarvan or any other venue that Waterford would be playing. Danny at some stage would be a caller into the press box at these games where he would have a word with whoever was reporting on the game taking place. Danny knowing that I had a blog and reporting on Ladies Football on it would often email me after games with a team photo or with photo’s of the players and would give me his full permission to use the same when reporting on the games.

But it was not Ladies Football that Danny had an interest in when it comes to sport. Anybody that knows me that my interest in Rugby is practically nil but it was a sport that Danny loved and I know from those that have an interest in the game that Danny was a regular attendee Musgrave Park in Cork, Thomand Park in Limerick, the Aviva in Dublin or other venues where Munster or Ireland were playing along with his camera.

Also a fan of Athletics down the years he was someone that attended many Athletic meetings from a local level right up to elite level where the very best athletes took part in the Olympic Games.

Sadly over the years a number of those that I have worked alongside when it comes to the media are no longer with us. Men like Seamus O’Brien, Johnny Murphy, Tony Mansfield and Rory Wyley were absolute gentlemen in my eyes. Now sadly Danny has joined them.  

To Danny’s partner Lijana, his daughter Olivia who Danny adored, his extended family so many of us are thinking of you at this difficult time for you, especially at this time of the year when ye are told there is so much to be joyful and happy about.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

May Dan’s gentle soul Rest In Peace and may his family find the strength to cope with this devastation.My Deepest Sympathy to Lijana, Olivia  

Battling Saint Mary’s Fall Just Short

There was disappointment for Saint Mary’s at Fraher Field today against Russell Rovers in the Munster Junior Club Hurling Final as they finished second best on the day; eight points behind the Cork side that it must be said on the day were the better of the two sides.

For whichever side that would return home with the trophy, it would be a year to remember for them as both sides were appearing in their first Munster Club final. The Cork side recently won their first ever adult grade hurling county final, while the Touraneena men recently celebrated in some style a first hurling county final in 30 years.

Indeed for both clubs it is not just this past year where both have proved to be successful. The East Cork side a few short years ago combined with their neighbours in Cloyne won a County Minor Hurling Championship and many on this team have gone on to win honours at a higher level in recent years.

The East Cork side have won the Imokilly (East Cork Divisional) junior title in the last two years. They won the Imokilly Junior League two years running 2017 and 2018 and last year they won the Imokilly and County Junior B Football Titles, the first adult county final that the club had won in its 90 year history, but this latest win tops all that they have achieved up to now.

For Saint’s Mary’s the Sliabh gCua/Saint Mary’s G.A.A. Club have completed its 50^th successive year playing in Western and County Championships in Waterford.

Those 50 years (1970 to 2019 inclusive) have thrown up many memorable days. Two Intermediate Hurling and Two Intermediate Football County Finals have been won. A grade below, three County Junior Hurling Finals have been won, while in the lifetime of the current club three County Junior Football Finals have been won. In addition the club has won numerous titles at divisional level in both the Junior and Intermediate grades.

The club has competed in the past at different times in the senior grades in both hurling and football for a short while and in 1989 when the club won a Junior Hurling and Intermediate Football Double at Divisional and County Level, it was named as Waterford’s Club of the Year, and is in contention for it to happen again this year following the success they had on the field of play, winning Divisional and County Finals and going on to give a very good account of themselves in the County Final against what is a very good Russell Rovers side from Cork.

This game was moved to Fraher Field yesterday evening (Saturday) from Mallow where the Munster Junior Club Finals are played in recent years on the Sunday closest to December 8. The move came about because of the weather conditions and the issuing of Status Yellow weather Alert by Met Éireann, where Storm Atiyah would generate wind speeds of between 65 to 80 Kilometres an hour with gusts set to reach between 110 and 130 Kilometres an hour.

Many people (myself included) often take a pop in charge of administration of Gaelic Games (or other sports) when they make a call that we might not all agree with, and when they make one like they did last night, to split the finals and to bring the starting time forward so that people attending the games can get home (if they wish) in daylight and before the winds reach their expected fastest speeds the officers deserve great credit for putting the safety concerns of players and supports ahead of everything else. So the Officers of the Munster Council take a bow.

Going into this game the Saint Mary’s side would have known that the two Russell Rovers corner forwards Brian Hartnett and Josh Beausang were going to be the two biggest dangers to their chances of winning a first provincial title for the club and it was this pairs performances that proved to be key to the East Cork side winning, as Josh Beausang netted a goal with the games first attack and Hartnett netted a second for the Cork side eight minutes from the hour mark, a score which proved to be the winning of the game.

Saint Mary’s won the toss and opted to play with it at their backs in the first half, but when they went in at the break locked 1-4 to 0-7 on the scoreboard they knew that it would take a big second half performance while playing into the wind if they were to win.

Played out in front of a paying attendance of 1610, the East Cork side who won their first ever adult hurling county final earlier this year got off to a brilliant start when Brian Hartnett played in Josh Beausang for a goal struck from close range inside a minute of the throw in. And when Jack McGrath followed up with a point within a minute of the early goal, the sizeable Saint Mary’s support which came from across the county must be wondering was it going to be one of those days.

The Touraneena men however hit back with an opening point from top scorer Eoin Kearns from a placed ball which was cancelled out on six minutes with a score from Kieran Walsh. Sean Fitzpatrick followed up with another point for Saint Mary’s to leave that early goal between the sides, before Aidan Kearney made a timely interception form a Josh Beausang effort which seemed dissent for the back of the net on nine minutes but the former inter county hurlers touch deflected the ball out for a ’65 which Beausang missed while playing into a strong wind.

Eoin Kearns and Josh Beausang swapped scored from placed balls with 18 minutes played. Kevin Moynihan pointed for the East Cork side on 20 minutes but this would prove to be their last score of the half, as the Touraneena men enjoyed a period of dominance.

Two Eoin Kearns points the second of which came from open play narrowed the gap to one, and when Dermot Tobin put over an excellent score on 26 minutes it looked as if it might be the Mary’s Day on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception but alas it was not to be.

Saint Mary’s could and should be in front at this stage. The Touraneena men had a clear cut penalty call on 16 minutes, just moments after Josh Beausang pointed to give his side a 1-3 to 0-3 lead, when Mike Kearns was pulled down in the box, but with the referee some way off the play and the big full forward refusing to make a meal of things which some would have the referee decided not to give the Touraneena side a penalty, and in the first minute of added time at the end of the half hour, Jason Sheehan had a goal attempt smothered by the Russell Rovers defence, while Eoin Kearns with the final puck of the half put a pressure free from 55 metres out just to the left of the left hand upright.

Kevin Sheehan on the restart put the Touraneena men in front, but they were not long in front as Josh Beausang with a brace of frees edged his side in front on 35 minutes. Eoin Kearns levelled matters on 38 minutes for the Touraneena men but this was as good as it got for them on the day.

Playing with the aid of a very strong wind into the town goal Beausang from a free and Jack McGrath pointed for the Cork side before Beausang put over a delightfully struck sideline cut at the midway point of the of the second half to put his side three points up.

Eoin Kearns and Beausang scored from frees to keep three between the sides and on 50 minutes Jack Power had a goal effort deflected out for a ’65 which when struck by Eoin Kearns fell just short.

Brian Hartnett pointed for the East Cork side on 51 minutes and with the next attack the same played when he found himself one on one with Saint Mary’s net minder John Patrick Fitzpatrick finished to the net to all but secure the win for his side as it put them seven points up.

JJ Coffey and Josh Beausang swapped scores before Beausang added another brace of frees to ensure that the title was heading to Cork for the second year in a row.

This is a Saint Mary’s side that deserve great credit for what they have done this year. Winning a Divisional Final was never going to be a certainty. There is as anyone that follows the Western Championships will tell you some very strong sides in the competition. After winning the Western Final, winning a County was never going to be easy. Ballydurn, just like Saint Mary’s are a side with the last number of years that are trying hard to get out of the Junior grade and when they sides met at Walsh Park, they made it very difficult for Saint Mary’s.

After winning the county final anything that happened after that was going to be a bonus. Beating Castletown Ballyagran was good. Beating a fancied Carrick Davins side in the semi finals was even better, and while many were not expecting anything out of Saint Mary’s in today’s Munster Final, they did themselves proud and were well in contention going into the final ten minutes. Maybe had Saint Mary’s been awarded the penalty they should have got midway through the first half and had it resulted in a green flag been waved, maybe the game might have had a different outcome.

Saint Mary’s move up a grade next year and will be involved in the Intermediate Championship. This is a competition which is much tougher to win than the Junior One, and maybe even harder to win than the senior grade in Waterford, so closely are some of the teams competing are matched. There are a number of teams that have played in the senior grade in recent years, and sides that come down do not always go up at the first time of asking.

This is a Saint Mary’s team that has a mixture of youth and experience. In key areas of the field the side has a number of very big men who are all able to hurl. They have shown in the last number of months that they have benefitted from the coaching from the likes of Mossie Geary and Dan Shanahan.

Yes, this side will be a year older next year and it remains to be seen if all involved in this year’s panel will make themselves available next year. Can the side pick up an extra player of two? Additions like Brendan McGourty, John O’Shea and Aidan Kearney in the last few years have made a telling impact when mixed by the young players who were born and brought up in the area.

Saint Mary’s may not win next year’s Intermediate Championship. To do so would be a massive ask, however they won’t be fodder for any of the sides that you would expect to win it or at least the sides you expect to do best. Saint Mary’s this year played against them in the West Waterford League and they reached the final which is yet to be played. Yes, I know that some of those sides may well have played some or all of the games without key personnel, some of whom were involved in different inter county sides, but in reaching the final as a junior side against intermediate teams, the men from Touraneena have shown that they won’t be too far away when it comes to the shakeup of who wins what in 2020.

Russell Rovers: Ross Walsh; Kevin O’Brien, Eoghan O’Sullivan, Paul Lane; James Kennifick, John Paul Ivers, Chris Ruddy; Kevin Tattan, Kieran Walsh; Daniel Moynihan, Luke Duggan Murray, Jack McGrath; Brian Hartnett, Kevin Moynihan, Josh Beausang.

Subs: Daniel O’Brien for Jack McGrath (56), Eoin McGrath for Kieran Walsh (62), Kevin Ivers for Chris Ruddy (63), James Ahern for Paul Lane (66).

Scorers: James Beausang (1-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 sl), Brian Hartnett (1-1), Jack McGrath (0-2), Kevin Moynihan and Kieran Walsh (0-1 each).

Saint Mary’s: John Patrick Fitzpatrick; Cillian Tobin, Denis Coffey, Ronan Gleeson; Aidan Kearney, Brendan McGourty, Dermot Tobin; Sean Fitzpatrick, Kevin Sheehan; Jack Power, Jack Skehan, Eoin Kearns; Stephen Coffey, Mike Kearns, Jason Sheehan.

Subs: JJ Coffey for Stephen Coffey (20), John O’Shea for Jack Skehan (ht), Cian Geary for Jason Sheehan (53), Gearoid Hallinan for Jack Power (63).

Scorers: Eoin Kearns (0-7, 0-6 frees), Dermot Tobin, Sean Fitzpatrick, Kevin Sheehan and JJ Coffey (0-1 each).

Referee: John O’Halloran (Limerick).

Saint Mary's Are Last Man Standing

Seán McCague might not be the most memorable of G.A.A. President’s in the Association’s history in the minds of many. The Monaghan man became the Associations 33^rd President in 2000 and it was in his time that the controversial Rule 21 was removed. Rule 21 banned members of the British Security Forces from participating in Gaelic Games events, despite strong expected opposition from Counties Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone, five of the six counties in Northern Ireland.

The Scotstown native may well be remembered by some as the man who convinced then Taoiseach to pledge half the money needed to complete the development of Croke Park and making it the fine Stadium that we know it to be today.

But in the three years that Sean McCague was President of the G.A.A. something else happened, something that many of us have long forgotten.

Those in and around my age and those who are older may well remember growing up that Saint Patrick’s Day was important date in the G.A.A. Calendar. It was on this day that the two best Provincial Hurling and Football Sides clashed for the Railway Cups, after coming through from two semi finals played about a month earlier. Many of the best players right around the country were selected to play on these provincial sides, and it was many players from what may well be called unfashionable counties in hurling and football got to play on the same team as some of the more famous names in the game down the year. These were important competitions and when some of the more famous players were asked to list the honours which they had won in the game, they would include how many Railway Cup Medals they had in their collection.

However in the mid 1980’s a call was made to move these competitions from their traditional date to a date later in the year. As a result the competition became less prestigious so much so that these days if you asked even the keenest of G.A.A. fans who the current champions are or when and where the finals were played, they could hardly tell you.  

After taking the Railway Cups away from their Saint Patrick’s Day date, G.A.A. Chiefs decided to slot the All-Ireland Club Football and Hurling Senior Club Finals into that date and to play them at G.A.A. Headquarters, meaning that Club players who might not normally get to play at the Jones’ Road venue now had a chance. The competitions which began in 1971 when Waterford man Pat Fanning was President of the Association became an important occasion for many G.A.A. fans who opted to watch the games either in Croke Park themselves or Live on TV rather than to go and watch Saint Patrick’s Day Parades in Towns or Villages close to where they live.

The profile of the competitions grew with each passing year, but it was only the best senior teams were getting to test themselves against the best sides in other counties, that was until during the Presidency of Sean McCague it was proposed that the Intermediate and Junior Clubs should also be given the right to test themselves against sides from other counties just like the senior sides, and since 2003 the two best junior and intermediate clubs in both hurling and football from the previous year are getting their day at Croke Park and be in with a chance of winning an All-Ireland Title for their club, some of whom might never get the chance to represent their county in the senior grade for a number of reason’s with a lack of population in their area being one preventing them from winning a county and provincial title at senior level.

This coming Sunday two sides Russell Rovers from East Cork and Saint Mary’s from West Waterford clash in the Munster Junior Club Hurling Final at the G.A.A. Complex at Mallow, a game arguably the biggest that either of these two sides have ever played in.

The Cork side will go into this game as the favourites. Some of the bookies have then so red hot favourites that some in the Saint Mary’s Camp might be asking themselves if it is worth their while making the journey to the outskirts of the North Cork town for the game. But of course we all know that Bookies often get it wrong, and sometimes they get it very wrong.

The Cork side will have seen their Neighbours Fr. O’Neill’s win the Munster Intermediate Final recently, beating Ballysaggart in the final at Dungarvan’s Fraher Field, and will go into this game believing that ‘Anything you can do, I can do better’.

But the same could well be said of Saint Mary’s. In 2014 the Touraneena side’s neighbours Modeligo appeared in the Munster Junior Club Final at Mallow against another East Cork side Castlemartyr who were again hot favourites to win that day, but it was the West Waterford side that made the journey home as Provincial Champions. If the Russell Rovers side go into this weekend’s game believing that they can do what Fr. O’Neill’s have already done, then Saint Mary’s who have the majority of their players played underage hurling and football with Modeligo down the year’s under the name of Naomh Brid, the Saint Mary’s players will be believing that they can do exactly what Modeligo did a few short years back.

The East Cork men will go into this weekend’s game in fine form. In the last two years they have lost just one championship games, last year’s County Junior Hurling final where they lost out to Cloughduv who went on to win the Munster Club title before losing out to All-Ireland Champions Dunnamaggin in the All-Ireland Semi Final.

The Cork side are in fine form in fact over the past number of years. They reached and won the last three East Cork (Imokilly) Junior Club Championship’s. they have reached the last two Cork Junior Hurling Finals and in 2017 they reached the semi final of the competition.

But then again, the same could well be said of Saint Mary’s. The Touraneena men reached the County Finals in 2015 and 2016 losing out to Fenor and Ballyduff Lower on both occasions. In the two years that followed they came up against Ardmore and Ballinameela in the West Waterford Championship, two sides that were relegated from the Intermediate Grade the previous Autumn and who bounced back up at the first time of asking. The two went on just like Saint Mary’s this weekend to reach the Munster Final, with Ardmore winning the competition and going on to win the All-Ireland Final in the spring of 2018.

The East Cork side on Sunday will be playing their tenth Championship game of the year, all but two of which, their opening Divisional game and their Divisional County Final were knockout games.

Their road to Sunday’s Munster Final began with a win over neighbours Killeagh in the first round of the Imokilly Championship which game won them a place into the quarter finals of the competition where they proved too strong for Lisgoold. In the semi finals they had to work hard to beat Saint Ita’s and in the Divisional Final they had three points to spare over Carraig Na bhFear.

With two sides from each division into the knockout stages of the county championship, the East Cork side were paired with Éire Óg a game that they won with some ease, and in the quarter finals again put up a big score in beating Kilbree. Things were someone tighter in the semi final against Newmarket and in the County Final again proved too strong for Carraig Na bhFear for the second time in a few short weeks, this time running out winners with 11 points to spare.

The East Cork sides only game in the Munster Championship was another one sided affair as they ran out winners with 13 points to spare over Kerry Intermediate Champions Kilgarvan. The East Cork side did not have to play a semi final, getting a walkover when Clare did not have a team in place to fulfil the fixture two weeks ago.

 In their last two games the Cork side have put up very big scores and in Josh Beausang and Bud Hartnett (a winner of the Cork Senior Championship with Midleton in 2013) they have forwards that know where the posts are. But they also have players in the like of Luke Duggan-Murray, Daniel Moynihan and Jack McGrath in the half forward line outside of them who will chip in with smaller but still significant scores over the course of the hour as will Kieran Walsh in the middle of the field. The Cork side’s half back line of John Paul Ivers, James Kennefick and Chris Ruddy look to be very strong while Ross Walsh in goal is also an excellent player, all of whom will have benefited from the coaching received by Frank Flannery in recent times and more recently from Noel Furlong.

The Touraneena men’s passage is just as impressive. In a league style West Waterford Championship they lost their first game by 11 points to a very strong Abbeyside second string side, but since then they beat Colligan, Tourin and Kilrossanty and got a walk over from Geraldines in the group stages of the competition.

Finishing second in the group behind Abbeyside who won all five of their fixtures, Saint Mary’s entered the knockout stages of the competition at the semi final stages and were pitted with neighbours Colligan who had beaten Geraldines in the quarter finals. This proved to be a game filled with goals, which Saint Mary’s won by six points.

In the Western Final they went into it as the underdog against an Abbeyside side who needed two attempts to get past Kilrossanty and they got revenge for their earlier defeat winning with six points to spare.

Saint Mary’s were now into a first County Final in 30 years where the opposition proved to be the same as in 1989 – Ballydurn at the same venue – Walsh Park and the winning margin for Saint Mary’s against a side that most were fancying to win, having lost the final two years ago and last year’s East Waterford Final – two points.

Saint Mary’s had now achieved what they set out to do at the start of the year, getting out of the Junior Grade and anything else that happened would be a bonus.

Pitted against Castletown-Ballyagran from Limerick in the quarter finals at Fraher Field goals from Jason Sheehan and the Kearns brothers proved to be the difference between the sides, and last time out against another fancied side Saint Mary’s proved too strong for Tipperary Champions Carrick Davins in Clonmel which set up this weekend’s game.

In attack this year the Touraneena men are lead by brothers Eoin and Mike Kearns. Eoin is the sides top scorer this year while younger brother Mike is proving to be a handful playing on the edge of the square and when he had good ball played into him he can cause lots of trouble with his physic as he lays the ball off for those around him or if he heads towards goal sides are often forced to foul him.

Jason Sheehan and Jack Power are regulars in attack as well for Saint Mary’s in recent games while the likes of Stephen and JJ Coffey, Jack Skehan, John O’Shea and Cian Geary have all come in and done a job.

In the middle of the field Kevin Sheehan and Sean Fitzpatrick are solid all year, with Kevin Sheehan chipping in with crucial scores late on in games which have given the side an injection of energy to get over the final few minutes when maybe the pressure might come on them.

If Russell Rovers have a strong half back line, so to have the Touraneena men. Aidan Kearney has played senior hurling for Waterford, Brendan McGourty has done likewise from Down while Dermot Tobin is very much a whole hearted players. In the full back line Denis Coffey who again has played for Waterford is flanked by two young players in Ronan Gleeson and Cillian Tobin who have come on immensely with the coaching they have received from Dan Shanahan, while John Patrick Fitzpatrick while he may be the veteran of the side at 45 years produced a man of the match performance against Carrick Davins in the semi final producing a number of breath taking saves.

In the history of this competition both Cork and Waterford have the best records in the competition. 12 different Cork Clubs Courcey Rovers, Ballinhassig, Ballygarvan, Fr O’Neill’s, Kilworth, Meelin, Dripsey, Charleville, Kildorrery, Dungourney, Mayfield, Cloughduv have all won it, while Waterford have a representative in the final in each year since 2013 with Ballysaggart, Modeligo and Ardmore all from West Waterford winning the competition.

So who will win on Sunday? The Cork Club will go into the game as the raging hot favourites. Some bookies have them at 1/3 with the West Waterford side at 11/4. Bookies while we never see them going from A to B on a bicycle are not always right. Sometimes they take a hit. Will they this time out?

Last time out Saint Mary’s played some of the best hurling that any Touraneena side has ever played, clearly benefitting from the coaching of Dan Shanahan, regarded by many as one of the best coaches in the game right now. At times you can see the style of play which Dan achieved so much in the first decade of the present Millennium. You have the side playing some good hurling out the field and when a ball is played into the forwards you have a big powerful full forward (like Dan) causing all sorts of problems for the opposing backs.

Some might say that I am bias here, and I might be, but I always like to be fair in what I put in print. I believe that while the Cork Side will go into Sunday’s game as favourites, Saint Mary’s stand an excellent chance of winning on Sunday. Will they? I hope so.

Waterford Senior Hurling and Football Fixtures Are Confirmed

Waterford’s fixtures in both Senior Hurling and Senior Football have been confirmed. In hurling for the Munster Championship it is to be confirmed that Walsh Park will be the venue for the games against Tipperary and Cork.

In both the Munster League and the McGrath Cup the two group winners will contest the finals of the competition. In the National Hurling league the top three teams in each group advance to the knockout stages. The second placed team in one group will play the third team in the opposite group in the quarter finals. The two group winners advance to the semi finals.

The Munster Hurling Championship the top two teams contest the Munster Final. The winner advance to the All-Ireland semi finals, the runners up and the third placed team enter the All-Ireland qualifiers at an earlier stage. In football the winner of the Waterford and Limerick game will contest the semi final against the winner of the Tipperary and Clare game. If Waterford fails to reach the Munster Final they will contest the new All-Ireland ‘B’ Championship.

 

Waterford’s 2020 Senior Hurling Fixtures:

20 December 2019	Munster League	Waterford	Cork	Fraher Field	7-30pm
5 January	Munster League	Waterford	Kerry	Austin Stack Park	2pm
26 January	National League	Waterford	Cork	Walsh Park	2pm
2 February	National League	Waterford	Westmeath	Mullingar	2pm
15 February	National League	Waterford	Limerick	Gaelic Grounds	7pm
23 February	National League	Waterford	Galway	Walsh Park	2pm
1 March	National League	Waterford	Tipperary	Thurles	2pm
10 May	Munster Championship	Waterford	Tipperary	Walsh Park	2pm
17 May	Munster Championship	Waterford	Limerick	Gaelic Grounds	2pm
31 May	Munster Championship	Waterford	Cork	Walsh Park	2pm
14 June	Munster Championship	Waterford	Clare	Ennis	2pm

 

Waterford’s 2020 Senior Football Fixtures:

2 January	McGrath Cup	Waterford	Limerick	Fraher Field	7-30pm
5 January	McGrath Cup	Waterford	Clare	Ennis	2pm
25 January	National League	Waterford	Limerick	Fraher Field	7pm
2 February	National League	Waterford	Wicklow	Aughrim	2pm
8 February	National League	Waterford	Wexford	Fraher Field	7pm
22 February	National League	Waterford	Sligo	Markievicz Park	2pm
29 February	National League	Waterford	Carlow	Fraher Field	7pm
14 March	National League	Waterford	London	Fraher Field	5pm
22 March	National League	Waterford	Antrim	Glenavy	1pm
9 May	Munster Championship	Waterford	Limerick	Fraher Field	7pm