A serious shortage of match officials as new rules bed in
Rathgormack manager Kenny Hassett will be happy that his side got the win against Gaultier.
The scarcity of match officials in Waterford is alarming as the new football rules settle in at club level.
The county board lost a couple of established whistlers this year and resources are clearly stretched looking at last weekend. For Abbeyside/Ballinacourty versus The Nire, referee Paddy Smith could only call on one linesman and two umpires. The new football rules require a full complement of officials. The linesmen keep tabs on the three up and four back rule while the role of the umpire has added importance with the introduction of the two pointers. The man in the middle needs all hands on deck.
This is nothing new as there was also a shortfall during the early rounds of the hurling championship. In the programme for the county final, chairman Neil Moore urged every club to try and recruit new referees. More numbers are badly needed to stay on top of a hectic schedule.
It was hardly a blockbuster opening weekend of senior football but how could it be given the short preparation time and the windy weather conditions. Teams are adjusting to the new rules and readjusting to the big ball. The pick of the action came in the Premier Intermediate championship as Stradbally fought back from nine points down at half time against Brickey Rangers to earn a draw.
This one has game of the weekend potential. Gaultier have a point to prove after a patchy performance against Rathgormack. Mark Fitzgerald and Dessie Hutchinson will surely benefit from last weekend's outing and be more prominent on this occasion. Patrick Fitzgerald should start up top this time around and take the heat off JJ Hutchinson. Rory Jacob will miss out through suspension while Eoin McSweeney and Tom Dalton are injury worries. Alan Dunwoody was the star of the opening weekend with a dozen points in Kilrossanty's win over An Rinn. The county man has taken over from Paul Whyte as the leader of the green and gold attack. Gaultier to put their first W on the board.
Rathgormack didn't fire on all cylinders against Gaultier but Francis Roche, Peter Walsh and Stephen Curry came up trumps in attack. There is more to come from Conor Murray and Jason Curry who only scored a point between them. These two will raise a few orange flags before the championship is out. Willie Hahessy won't be available just yet due to a shoulder injury he suffered on hurling duty with Clonea.
After a bright start against Kilrossanty, An Rinn only registered a single point from the eleventh minute onwards. Following Ben Qualter’s goal, they were outscored by twelve points to one. They could do with Donie Breathnach to increase their output. Expect a reaction from An Rinn but another Rathgormack win looks the most likely outcome.
After Sunday's win over The Nire, two more wins will send Abbeyside/Ballinacourty through to the semi finals as group winners. Patrick Hurney is still swinging over points for the Villagers. He got four last weekend including a huge one at the end when the game was in the fire. Aaron Beresford started in attack as another veteran Stephen Enright stood between the posts once again. Twin towers Conor Prunty and Michael Kiely are a formidable midfield pairing. Kiely kicked two points while Prunty made a big catch and won a big free in injury time.
With only one challenge game under their belt, Roanmore managed to squeak past Clashmore/Kinsalebeg last weekend. Matchwinner Dean Reidy, midfielder Rory Furlong and free taker Billy Nolan all impressed. Brian Everard (hamstring) and Conor Ryan (knee) are out injured while Cian Wadding is off to Australia. These two teams drew in the senior hurling championship. Courty should prevail on this occasion.
The Nire are still trying to recover from their hurling heartbreak. Jamie and Tom Barron didn't feature in last weekend’s loss to Abbeyside/Ballinacourty while Conor Gleeson and Dylan Guiry only came off the bench for the final quarter. All four will need to hit top form if they are to regain the Conway Cup. Sean Walsh appeared at full forward and midfield and kicked three points in the process. Aaron Ryan also caught the eye with four from play.
Clashmore are in the midst of an injury crisis. Tadhg De Burca is unlikely to see action in the football championship, Brian O’Halloran broke his ankle during the hurling campaign, Sam Fitzgerald suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury recently while Aidan Trihy is out with an achilles injury. They were unlucky to come away from Lemybrien empty handed last Saturday. Midfielder Brian Lynch is their driving force. Shane Coughlan shot three points from play first time out. Kickouts were an issue against Roanmore as Ed O’Halloran took over from Eoin Kelly. The Nire should possess too much quality here.
