Tomás McCarthy reports from Walsh Park
PAURIC MAHONY PRODUCED 13 points as 11-in-a-row chasing Ballygunner overcame a plucky Passage 0-22 to 0-13 and set up a Waterford SHC Final against Abbeyside next Sunday in Fraher Field. A repeat of the 2018 decider. The Gunners are now 57 games unbeaten in the Déise.
The holders only led by four points at half time after playing with a stiff breeze. Darragh O’Sullivan’s men improved their execution on the restart however and outscored their opponents 13-8 against the elements. Mahony accounted for nine second half singles while Dessie Hutchinson hit two.
Passage goalkeeper Eddy Lynch made two point blank saves from Pauric Mahony and Patrick Fitzgerald to keep his team in the contest. Tight marking full back Callum O’Neill held Kevin Mahony to a point while county defender Mark Fitzgerald protected his full back line. Teenager Thomas Carey landed eight points as he completed the championship with 0-42 to his credit.
Passage got two early scares as Dessie Hutchinson flashed a ball left and wide and Patrick Fitzgerald blasted another goal chance over the bar. A below par Ballygunner were guilty of seven wides with wind assistance. Five Thomas Carey points, including a beauty in front of the stand, kept Passage in touch. Mahony nailed two dead balls at the end of a dour half as the champions led 9-5 at the break.
Gunners boss Darragh O’Sullivan was red carded by referee Nicky O’Toole as the teams walked towards the dressing rooms. The men in red and black went up a gear as Hutchinson hit two points at the start of the second period. Gary Cullinane delivered a massive score at the other end but Passage couldn’t take advantage of the strong wind. Ballygunner carried more punch up front as Pauric Mahony sent over nine points (five frees and four from play).
In the curtain raiser, Waterford attacker Michael Kiely shot 2-2 as Abbeyside defeated Mount Sion 3-20 to 0-19. The skipper was also involved in the third goal for Charlie Treen as the Villagers pulled clear in the second half with the wind at their backs.
Man of the match Willie Beresford gave an all action display at midfield. Top scorer Michael O’Halloran hit nine points while Billy O’Connell (0-3) and Rian Walsh (0-2) also caught the eye.
Conor Prunty tracked Austin Gleeson all over the pitch and clipped over a stunning point from a tight angle. Brian Looby made a brave block seven minutes from the end to deny Sion sub Adam Regan a certain goal.
Gleeson was held scoreless from open play but did convert nine frees. Alan Kirwan posed their biggest threat up front. The corner forward fired three points from play inside five minutes as Sion moved 6-1 ahead. On the quarter hour mark, Michael Kiely won a penalty and buried it past Ian O’Regan. After playing against the breeze, Abbeyside only trailed by one at half time.
Kiely netted again two minutes into the second period and Benji Whelan’s men kept their noses in front after that. Billy O’Connell belted over three points before county midfielder Neil Montgomery made his first appearance of the 2024 championship. On 57 minutes, Kiely found Willie Beresford and he played a wonderful pass across goal for Treen to strike home the clinching score.
Great result – horrible game
Agreed; all that spitting and shouting at the ref, never mind the tribalistic thuggery it engenders internationally.
A lot to be said for oval shaped balls.
And as is evident here you will often find a cock on the end of them
This is qualified success in a worldwide sport, not reaching the quarter finals of a sport played by 10 teams… Genuine achievement by an extremely mediocre side. Possibly the worst Irish side in my life, but much more commendable than coming out of a group they were expected to come out of(like the oval-balled lads) and then losing to a side they should beat. These boys have a massive task in front of them now. If they can pick up some points it’ll be a result. And if they do a Greece, yourself and the D4 crowd will probably be first on the bandwagon. I’ve been on it years though and there’s plenty of room whenever you’re ready.
99.999% Qualified which is a great achievement for the material that Trap has. Europe is more difficult to qualify for than the World cup well done to the team. It will give the country something to look forward to next summer the kind of buzz that an oval ball would never give to such a wide section of the population.
Worst Irish side in your life?! what age are you, 2? This is easily the best Irish side in 10 years, possibly on a par with the ’02 team. Its the tactics that make the team look bad.
Oh please,no more oval ball shennanigans,please.
Great achievement overall to qualify and well done to the lads but Ireland’s style looked like that of a second rate Jack Charlton’s tonight for much of the time, belting high balls at and into Walters, who did very well. If only we had a player who could put his foot on the ball in the centre of the park and spray the odd decent pass. The result is obviously the most important thing but we are just not an enjoyable team to watch at present and the players to me seem to be stifled, mainly by Trap’s tactics.
A win is a win no matter what you can watch any match and get a bad game but when it your team and you win it’s a great feeling and I hope it’s lift us all out of this recession come on Ireland
“international football has never been more open. As a result ……teams like Greece actually winning etc. “. That’s incredible , Greece were the most defensive team ever to win a championship. Their games were like watching chess in slow motion. Some sports reporters give you the impression they have never done more than read each others articles.
I think it’s fairly obvious he means ‘open’ in the sense of ‘there for the taking’, as opposed to an open style of play.
Tens of thousands of paddies boarding flights to Poland next Summer- whoda thunk it?
I could almost hear Michael O’Leary hiking up prices at the end of the game.
Did anyone else notice the flag the Estonian supporters were flying last night? It was the Union Jack, with the Three Lions crest of England, but in the Estonian colours. What was that all about?
Did wonder about the union Jack alright. Weird!
great article,spot on!
No no Alan,that s only when all the normal priced flights to Poland are sold that Michael will raise the prices,do u know so all the rest of us can have the chance to buy tickets at €400 odd euro