DÉISE’S DAY
Waterford oust Davy’s Models to make the last four
WATERFORD may be without Tadhg de Búrca for their All-Ireland semi-final after the defender was sent off for an off-the-ball incident near the end of the Déise’s victory over Wexford yesterday.
The sweeper was red-carded with four minutes of normal time remaining in the quarter-final clash at Páirc Uí Chaoimh after he appeared to interfere with Harry Kehoe’s faceguard.
The incident was missed by referee Fergal Horgan but flagged by his linesman, although an apparent lack of clear video footage may prompt Waterford to appeal.
Derek McGrath’s side never trailed during the game, with Kevin Moran capitalising on a defensive error to score a crucial goal shortly before half-time — by which stage Waterford had built up a five-point lead.
As expected, both sides utilised the sweeper system, with Wexford boss Davy Fitzgerald using his post-match press conference to lash out at critics of his team’s style following the four-point defeat.
SOMEWHERE, in a Waterford or Wexford attic, there is an oil painting of a team of hurlers lined up 1 to 15… ageing rapidly. It would have been a shock if yesterday’s All-Ireland quarter-final was a modern classic, played out in conventional fashion. The hurling brains of respective managers Derek McGrath and Davy Fitzgerald have reframed the ancient game for the 21st century and if it’s not to everybody liking, well, they can take it or leave it.
The English teacher in McGrath might not fully appreciate the Wildean reference as his developing team stride boldly forward, even as the critics of the sweeper system see a portrait of the game being brought into a state of disrepair.
Waterford are in an All-Ireland semifinal for the third-successive year under McGrath’s management. That is a serious achievement in its own right. Wexford, for their part, exit stage left with a proud body of work for 2017 to look back on, taking the fight to the favourites all the way, a soft goal conceded just before half-time undoing much of their good work.
Yet a sense of frustration with the tactical set-ups simmered around Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday, especially on the occasions that the ball was being batted from end-to-end at times like a baseline Wimbledon rally.
And so the press conference afterwards threatened to overshadow a cagey quarter-final with McGrath offering a thoughtful defence of what his team are achieving and Fitzgerald lashing critics of how the modern game is developing, ten-time All-Ireland winner Henry Shefflin and Irish
Daily Mail columnist Michael Duignan among his targets.
It is possible to admire the brilliant management of both men — and yet feel short-changed by the lack of flow to the fare on offer. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.
The result means that Waterford await this morning’s draw to see whether they face off against Cork or play All-Ireland favourites Galway in the semi-final in two weeks’ time, Tipperary the other team who have come through the back door.
McGrath’s biggest concern is the red card to Tadhg de Búrca in the 66th minute for what appeared to be interference with a faceguard after an off-the-ball tangle.
Given that De Búrca has been a pivotal figure in the sweeper setup that has underpinned Waterford’s transformation under McGrath, much will rest on whether a likely appeal is successful. Darragh Fives is one option to fill the role if the red card stands and De Búrca misses the semi-final.
Kevin Moran was one of the players who stood out in a game where so much thinking had gone in to nullifying the opposition’s strengths.
There wasn’t a whiff of a goal chance until his crucial strike just before the break. It came from a nothing ball in to the Waterford forward line. Eoin Moore tried to play a stick pass backwards only for it to be read by Shane Bennett. He flicked the ball on to Kevin Moran, who was running in behind. He pulled on it past the advancing Mark Fanning who had raced off his line.
Instead of being in possession of the sliotar and going in at the break just two down, the final whistle sounded seconds later with Waterford buoyed by a gift of a goal to lead 1-12 to 0-10, just when Wexford looked to be getting their measure.
‘The whole game is going to hinge on the middle third,’ prophesised Fitzgerald beforehand and that’s how it came to pass, Waterford starting with energy and confidence — not surprising on the back of beating Kilkenny for the first time since 1959 in the Championship.
A couple of quick Moran points set the tone and Wexford couldn’t handle the ball-winning abilities of Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, a lack of discipline in the tackle saw Pauric Mahony keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Lee Chin launched over two deadball bombs himself from distance to keep Wexford in touch with Eoin Moore and Diarmuid O’Keeffe showing the counterattacking dimension to Wexford’s play.
While the goal set them back, Rory O’Connor was a revelation out around the middle third, a point from the teenager who only sat his Leaving Certificate this year and another set-up for Chin reducing the gap to two.
It was then that Waterford showed their character, Austin Gleeson thundering into the game with a free from all of 100 metres and another score after a burst through the middle.
Waterford’s bench too made a big impact just to keep the momentum going, Maurice Shanahan pointing to the sky with each of his two points and Brian O’Halloran clipping over two more quality scores.
After the gap had stretched out to six it was hard to understand what led to De Búrca’s sending off, Jack O’Connor’s goal from a rebounded free from Jack Guiney deep into injury-time not near enough to sway the match in Wexford’s favour.