Comeragh rivals set to meet again in championship battle
Nire who beat Roanmore in their Co.Senior Football championship match in Fraher Field. Photo Sean Byrne
having contested the last three finals Rathgormack and The Nire continue their cross Comeragh rivalry in Fraher Field on Sunday with Rathgormack defending their county title against their neighbours and arch rivals who they beat in last year’s decider to avenge the defeats in the finals of the previous two years.
For over twenty years the Waterford football championship had been dominated by Stradbally, The Nire and Ballinacourty but in 2019 Rathgormack, having painstakingly rebuilt from underage upwards, were back at the top table and winning the senior title for the first time since 1999 with a 2-6 to 1-6 win over Ballinacourty. Since then, Rathgormack have taken over from Stradbally in the top three, playing in each final since then and losing in successive years to Ballinacourty and The Nire on the double before regaining the title in impressive style against their predecessors last year.
This year the draw decrees that the great rivals meet at the semi-final stage but there will be no lessening of tension or resolve where both teams are concerned as the title remains at stake and there is no place to go for the losers here.
When Rathgormack won the title against Ballinacourty in 2019 they were a young side and looked set for a lucrative future at the top of Waterford football. Despite reaching the final in the following three years they lost out to strong Ballinacourty and Nire sides. Another team might easily have been disheartened by those narrow defeats but this Rathgormack side is made of sterner stuff and retained their focus to bounce back last year to score a decisive 1-9 to 0-6 final win over The Nire. Now they are defending their title and determined to even the score with a win on Sunday.
Unbeaten on their run through the Group stages of the championship Rathgormack will start favourites in this game following impressive wins over Ballinacourty, Kilrossanty and Brickey Rangers. They will field mainly the side that has served them well throughout their recent championship journeys. They are now an experienced, well drilled side and will be looking to their current county players such as Paudie Hunt in goal, Michael Curry, Conor Murray, Jason Curry, Stephen Curry and Jason Gleeson as well as such as Willie Hahessy, Mairtin Power, Conor Walsh and James Power to see them through here.
The Nire are no less well served in experienced title winners with players such as James McGrath, Dermot Ryan, Jamie Barron, Dylan Guiry and Tom Barron on board backed up by young rising stars such as Tholum Guiry, Aaron Ryan, Sean Walsh and Michael Morrissey. On Sunday last they did well to repel a strong challenge from an ambitious Kilrossanty side and they will be hoping that the experienced Conor Gleeson, who did not start on Sunday but was introduced late on, will have recovered from injury sufficiently to play some part in this game.
There is no question but that these are two well matched sides and there will be very little between them at the final whistle. As defending champions Rathgormack must start slight favourites. In the Currys and Jason Gleeson they would appear to have the edge in firepower but if The Nire’s Jamie Barron and Sean Walsh can gain a foothold in the outfield exchanges they also have the players up front to make their mark, particularly if Conor Gleeson is playing from the start.
This clash has all the makings of a memorable encounter that can go either way with defending champions Rathgormack just getting a tentative vote of confidence.
