CATS MAKE SPLASH IN WATER’ WORLD
Waterford 2-9 Kilkenny 0-18
Allianz HL Division 1A TOMAS MCCARTHY
BY KILKENNY splashed their way to the League semi finals and a rematch with Limerick at a wet, wet, wet Walsh Park yesterday afternoon.
The pitch resembled a quagmire by the end as players plodded through the muddy conditions. First half goals from Patrick Curran and Dessie Hutchinson gave already relegated Waterford hope and a five point lead but the black and amber battled back.
In front of an attendance of 2,907, TJ Reid nailed eight frees while Eoin Cody shot three points from play.
Victory came at a cost however as Derek Lyng lost All Star defender Mikey Butler to an ankle injury while Mikey Carey hobbled off with a hamstring problem.
The visitors went with 10 of the team that lined out in the All Ireland final defeat to Limerick last July. Full forward Luke Hogan looked lively early on. He scored two points and got fouled for a free which TJ Reid converted (0-3 to 0-0).
In the eighth minute, Shane Bennett mishit a 65 but Patrick Curran flicked to the net. It got better for the hosts six minutes later as Bennett shrugged off two defenders and offloaded to Dessie Hutchinson who fired home.
When Mark Fitzgerald finished off a slick short passing move, Waterford led by five. ‘Davy, Davy,
Davy’ cheered a group of young fans. Points from Reid (free), John Donnelly and Kevin Blanchfield cut the gap to two at the break (2-5 to 0-9).
As water splashed up off the surface, six TJ Reid frees and two Eoin Cody efforts from play turned the game in Kilkenny’s favour.
They got their noses in front with 11 minutes left. Referee Johnny Murphy penalised for steps three times in the second half, much to the frustration of Davy Fitzgerald and his management team. The home side created enough chances to earn a share of the spoils. Substitute Neil Montgomery was only a whisker away from a green flag while Shane Bennett and Padraig Fitzgerald missed late point chances.
Eoin Cody assisted an injury time point for Kilkenny sub Billy Ryan to push them two scores clear. Patrick Fitzgerald raised a white flag at the other end before a late penalty appeal was waved away. A fourth puck of a ball defeat for Deise ahead of their Munster championship opener against Cork on April 21.