Waterford’s game against Offaly in the All-Ireland SHC qualifiers on Saturday was one of those no win games for the Deise. If they won by 20 odd points, which they did, then everyone would say that Offaly are a poor 1B team and you should be hammering them, but if they went up there and just about scrope over the Faithful men then the obituaries to this team would be out in force.
Therefore the only two things that really counted from this game are that they won the match and escaped injury free. They did the first part easily but an ankle injury suffered by Kevin Moran means that management and supporters alike will have to sweat most of the week to see if the De La Salle man and captain of this team is fit enough to take his place on Saturday.
There’s no doubt that the performance against Cork was hugely disappointing and the most important thing in this game was about lifting the spirits of the team and trying to get a bit of confidence back into the team and despite a nervy opening 20 minutes that was achieved in spades and in the last quarter you could see the confidence flowing back into this team, albeit against weaker opposition than anything they will face from here on in championship 2017.
SLOW TO GET GOING
Signs were a little worrying after 21 minutes when the sides were level at 0-6 apiece but from here to half-time Waterford really opened up and put this game to bed quickly with the aid of a strong breeze, outscoring Offaly 1-12 to 0-2 in the 17 minutes of play before the half-time whistle, the goal coming from Shane Bennett.
You’d have to wonder just what the eight Offaly backs were doing during this period as the Waterford attack and midfielders seemed to be able to take their scores at will, as Galway did in their previous match. That said, two of the most pleasing facts from this game was that Waterford had 12 different scorers, including 0-8 off the bench, and the second being the impact of that bench.
Patrick Curran, despite the fact that he was the fifth sub introduced, scored four points (one from play), Colin Dunford got two and Jake Dillon and Tommy Ryan got one each. It was also good to see Stephen Daniels get some good game time.
Speaking of game time, how good was it to see Darragh Fives get a full 70 minutes under his belt, and score two lovely points into the bargain? This man is a class act, there’s no doubt in the world about that but he has been cursed by injury and therefore it was brilliant to see him play a full game, he could be key to this team’s chances next weekend.
Much was made of Austin Gleeson’s performance in the Munster semi-final and the debate centred about where to play him in order to get the most out of the dual Hurler of the Year. On Saturday he operated around the half-forward line, dropping back into midfield at times and on top of scoring six points (and he was very unlucky not to get a goal) from play he really put in a great shift and looked well on the way back to top form, which will also be crucial to Waterford’s chances next weekend.
BENNETT BACK IN?
Of course another plus ahead of next weekend’s game for Derek McGrath, Dan Shanahan and Eoin Murphy will be the fact that Stephen Bennett will be available to them again after serving his one match suspension on Saturday. But will he get back in the team?
Personally I’d definitely play him but I’d position him on the edge of the small square and leave him there and concentrate on trying to get good ball into him. He showed during the U-21s’ All-Ireland winning campaign last year and during this year’s league campaign that he is a deadly finisher but too often in the Cork game he found himself out around the half-forward line and midfield and that’s not his game.
I’d also go for Colin Dunford in midfield. He was very lively when he came on in Tullamore on Saturday and as far as I can see the Colligan man is always lively especially at this time of year when his speed can be used most productively on the hard surfaces. He injects much needed pace into the team and he’s well able to take a few scores too. Other than that I don’t see too many changes for what will be a big test for Derek McGrath and his charges.
THE TIME IS NOW
So it’s Kilkenny, for the fourth time in three years in championship and not to be crude, it’s s**t or get off the pot at this stage. Win or go home until next May or June, that’s not a nice thought and there’s no doubt that being out of the championship on July 8 would be a disaster for this Waterford team, especially after the strides made last year. But I’ve a feeling it won’t come to that. This team has a great record of bouncing back and I think last Saturday was the ideal way to get back on the horse and back to winning ways, now it’s about stepping it up to a different level, a level they haven’t come near in any of their matches to date in 2017 but a level they are easily capable of. But there’s no point having the potential to produce such a performance, it must be produced on Saturday for 70 minutes. If not it’ll be curtains for 2017.
There’s a lot of talk about Kilkenny being a pale shadow of their former selves, and there’s no doubt that they are not the force they were a few years ago but I’d caution against Déise fans getting carried away, I’m certain the players and management won’t.
It goes without saying that Waterford will rarely have a better chance to beat the Cats in championship for the first time since 1959 but there’s a reason why Kilkenny have won 11 of the 17 All-Ireland finals played since 1999. You write them off at your peril. Just look at last year’s semi-final when Waterford seemed destined for the All-Ireland final and they came back and got the job done in the replay. Cautious but optimistic, I think that’s the way most Déise fans will go into Saturday night’s game. The time is now………
LATEST ODDS
The latest Paddy Power betting for the 2017 All-Ireland SHC after Monday’s draw:
Galway 13/8
Tipperary 11/4
Cork 11/2
Clare 7/1
Kilkenny 15/2
Waterford 12/1
Wexford 25/1
Dublin 100/1
