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Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Déise victorious on the double
A LITTLE bit of history at Fraher Field last Sunday as Waterford won their first trophy under the managerial guidance of Davy Fitz, although the one point victory (1-9 to 0-11) over the students of UCC in the Waterford Crystal final came at a price with the straight red card dismissal of Eoin Kelly.
Meantime the news from far off Ballinamore that the senior footballers had mastered Leitrim in their opening round game in Division Four of the National League really set many a pulse racing. What a magnificent start for new manager John Owens, and what a superlative win without the likes of Gary Hurney and Shane Walsh.
Back to the hurling and that nail biter at Fraher Field where the result just might have been different had not UCC squandered so many chances in a first half that they almost totally dominated. But great credit to our fellows for holding up as manfully as they did after Eoin Kelly had walked the plank, and really it’s a refereeing decision with which the Passage clubman can have no serious argument.
He is now facing a minimum one month ban that will most definitely rule him out of our opening National League joust against Anthony Daly’s Dubs in Walsh Park on Sunday week. it’s the one real downer from last Sunday.
Overall not a great final in terms of hurling quality and not a great display by our fellows either. We were certainly so much better against Clare a week earlier, and it could be that the intensive level of the training in recent weeks and the multiplicity of games played in that same time period just may have taken a physical toll against the students.
But let’s not split hairs. The trophy is in our cabinet and, given that our one and only win in the tournament came all of a dozen years ago 1998 there’s a lot obelised about right now.
THE LEAGUE
Next up of course it’s the National League and that opener against the Dubs on Sunday week. There will be no return earlier than March for the likes of Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, Eoin Murphy, John Mullane, Seamas Prendergast, and Dan Shanahan, and now with Eoin Kelly suspended and Shane O’Sullivan on the injured list Fitzy could be without as many as eight or nine players that would be regarded as regulars.
It’s a situation that will certainly test the mettle and quality of the rest of the panel. More about that next week, meantime however well done to all and sundry on that “Crystal’’ victory. Let’s hope it will be the first of many before season’s end.
FOOTBALLERS FLYER
What a result that was from Ballinamore last Sunday, and what a brilliant start to John Owens term as manager of the county senior football team. I’ll bet that 0-13 to 0-10 win over Leitrim made the trip home from the West a whole lot shorter than it was going up there.
As I write I don’t have any details about the game itself, but quite honestly the result is good enough for me, and if I’m to be wholly truthful I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised at it. I didn’t think the lads would do the business deep in “enemy’’ territory but I was never happier at being proven wrong.
Of course the all important thing now is to go on and build on last Sunday, starting with next Sunday’s home game against London. Its fixed for Fraher Field but as I pen this piece the news is that London are seeking to switch it to Walsh Park because of the fact that they will be flying into and out of Waterford airport at the weekend. Whatever the venue we should make it two league wins from two starts.
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