Double injury blow for The Nire brothers
Kilrossanty's Paul Whyte celebrates his goal with team mate Jack Whyte. The group decider against Rathgormack will be played at Fraher Field on Saturday night under the lights. Photo: Noel Browne
Brothers Jamie and Tom Barron will miss the rest of the club football season through injury.
A double blow for The Nire in their bid to regain the Conway Cup. Jamie is out with a knee injury while Tom has suffered a broken wrist. Jamie was named on the Team of the Championship last year after shooting 1-12 in six matches.
The Ballymacarbry men, who got their campaign back on track against Clashmore/Kinsalebeg, are one of five teams in with a shout of making the semi-finals this weekend. All eight clubs have something to play for heading into the last round. Top spot is a ticket to the semis, second will secure a quarter final spot while third and fourth go through to the preliminary quarter finals.
Both Group B games should be played at the same time. Abbeyside/Ballinacourty and Clashmore/Kinsalebeg will know exactly what's required when they meet on Sunday afternoon.
Third place in Group A and an easier preliminary quarter-final is the prize for the winner here. Both sides are searching for their first win of the season. Gaultier players and management had a debrief on the pitch after last week’s loss to Kilrossanty. They went out of the game at midfield in the second half and wasted seven first half chances. Dessie Hutchinson got 2-1 but there is more in Patrick Fitzgerald and JJ Hutchinson. Will Gary Cullinane be fit after coming off injured last weekend? An Rinn looked way off the pace against Rathgormack. They have only scored 1-7 in two games to date. A more potent Gaultier to get off the mark here.
A county semi-final and a three-week break is at stake between the two form teams of the 2025 championship.
Kilrossanty are unbeaten across both codes this year. Alan Dunwoody is one of the deadliest finishers in Waterford with 20 points in two games. Paul Whyte’s introduction at full forward helped them turn the tide against Gaultier. He scored 1-2 and assisted 1-1. Padraig and Seamus Fitzgerald are two formidable athletes around the middle. Full of pace and power. Donie Fitzgerald picked up Dessie Hutchinson last week. Will he be tasked with Stephen Curry this time? The Rathgormack full forward has slotted nine points from play in two outings.
The champions haven’t put a foot wrong. Billy Power returned from Dubai for the An Rinn game and will be sticking around for this one. Conor Murray pulled the strings from centre forward as he usually does. Will Willie Hahessy make a reappearance? If he does return from injury, he will surely follow Alan Dunwoody. Even without Hahessy, they haven’t conceded a goal.
Remarkably, Rathgormack are yet to raise an orange flag so far. It suits them better to work the ball closer to goal than take on long range shots. By contrast, Dunwoody has nailed four. Rathgormack to win a humdinger under the Saturday night lights.
Roanmore's senior football fairytale continued last Sunday. Billy Nolan’s booming free from all of 55 metres saw them take another scalp. In the last two seasons, the Sky Blues have beaten Abbeyside/Ballinacourty, Clashmore/Kinsalebeg, Stradbally, Brickey Rangers and An Rinn. A win or a draw here and a semi-final place is theirs.
The Nire needed four Jamie Barron points to see off Roanmore last year (0-12 to 0-8). They won't be able to call upon the hurling All-Star on this occasion. Conor Gleeson is back from injury however and Thomas O'Gorman is back from retirement.
There will be plenty of needle between these two after that chaotic and controversial senior hurling quarter final. The Nire to scrape over the line this time.
These two will be at an advantage as they will know the result from the night before. Victory for The Nire will give Abbeyside/Ballinacourty a shot at top spot in the group. It could come down to points difference in the end between Courty, The Nire and Roanmore. With Clashmore/Kinsalebeg severely weakened by injuries to key players, the Villagers should bounce back from last week's surprise loss.
