Ballygunner 2-28

Abbeyside 2-10

Tomas McCarthy reports from Fraher Field

BALLYGUNNER REIGNED SUPREME in Waterford once again this afternoon. Eleven county titles in a row and 58 matches unbeaten for the boys in red and black, and 3,358 days since they were defeated in the Déise.

Goals in either half from Dessie Hutchinson and Patrick Fitzgerald saw Darragh O’Sullivan’s team run out 18-point winners in front of 4,012 supporters. Ballygunner saved their best performance of the season for county final day.

Pauric Mahony posted 11 points as he claimed his 13th medal. Dessie Hutchinson (1-4), Conor Sheahan (0-4) and Kevin Mahony (0-3) also starred. Ten different players got on the scoresheet. Stephen O’Keeffe and Ian Kenny impressed at the back.

Abbeyside went with an unchanged team. The Ballygunner line-up showed two changes from the semi final win over Passage as Shane O’Sullivan and Michael Mahony replaced Sean Harney and Cormac Power.

Abbeyside captain Michael Kiely won the toss but chose to play against the breeze. Ballygunner took advantage straight away as number seven Ronan Power landed a long distance point inside a minute. Michael O’Halloran equalised from a free before the champions struck five unanswered points.

Dessie Hutchinson, Kevin Mahony, Pauric Mahony and Conor Sheahan made it 6-1 after eleven minutes as the Gunners created space in front of goal.

A mighty Michael Kiely point in front of the bank lifted the Abbeyside supporters, their first score from play in the 14th minute. Two O’Halloran frees cut the gap to two.

Ballygunner blitzed their opponents 1-9 to 0-1 in the second quarter. Dessie Hutchinson saw a shot at goal blocked by a combination of Eoin Kiely and Lar Power. On 23 minutes, the Waterford attacker unleashed a bullet past Power at his near post after Pauric Mahony poked the sliotar inside.

Pauric shot six first-half points (three from play) while younger brother Kevin got three. Goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe punched the air when he split the posts from inside his own 45. His pinpoint distribution launched attack after attack throughout the opening half. Charlie Treen ended a 14-minute barren spell for Abbeyside. Injury-time efforts from Peter Hogan and Pauric Mahony (free) made it 1-15 to 0-5. They were guilty of seven first-half misses.

Six minutes into the second period, Lar Power made a point-blank save from Hutchinson. The Gunners kept the ball alive and Patrick Fitzgerald found the far corner. A minute later, Stephen O’Keeffe spilled a Willie Beresford point attempt and Michael Kiely flicked the ball home. Conor Prunty then scored from his own half but ten points was as close as the Villagers got.

Hutchinson added three more to his tally as they stretched seventeen clear. With five minutes left, Kiely lashed home a close range free.

Scorers for Ballygunner: Pauric Mahony 0-11 (6fs), Dessie Hutchinson 1-4, Patrick Fitzgerald 1-1, Conor Sheahan 0-4, Kevin Mahony 0-3, Stephen O’Keeffe, Ronan Power, Peter Hogan, Mikey Mahony, Harry Ruddle 0-1 each.

Scorers for Abbeyside: Michael Kiely 2-1 (1-0f), Michael O’Halloran 0-5 (4fs, 1 65), Charlie Treen 0-2, Conor Prunty, Maurice Power 0-1 each.

Ballygunner

1. Stephen O’Keeffe

2. Ian Kenny
3. Barry Coughlan
4. Tadhg Foley

7. Ronan Power
6. Philip Mahony
5. Shane O’Sullivan

8. Conor Sheahan
9. Paddy Leavey

15. Mikey Mahony
11. Pauric Mahony
12. Peter Hogan

10. Dessie Hutchinson
14. Kevin Mahony
21. Patrick Fitzgerald

Subs: 13. Cormac Power for Patrick Fitzgerald (49), 17. Harry Ruddle for Mikey Mahony (52), 20. Sean Harney for Shane O’Sullivan (53), 25. Billy O’Keeffe for Kevin Mahony (55), 18. Conor Tobin for Hogan (58).

Abbeyside

1. Lar Power

2. Sean Whelan Barrett
4. Brian Looby
3. Conor Prunty

5. James Beresford
6. David Collins
7. Evan McInerney

8. Maurice Power
9. Willie Beresford

10. Michael O’Halloran
11. Rian Walsh
12. Billy O’Connell

25. Eoin Kiely
14. Michael Kiely
13. Charlie Treen

Subs: 15. Neil Montgomery for Eoin Kiely (25), 18. Colin Foley for McInerney (39), 24. Mark Twomey for Maurice Power (48), 27. Eoin Ahern for Walsh (51), 21. Brian Callaghan for O’Halloran (56)

Referee: Thomas Walsh (Modeligo)