Unstoppable Ballygunner power to 11th successive Waterford hurling title

It’s the hope that kills you. Even if the prospects of Ballygunner failing to land an 11th Waterford county title were considered remote, there was optimism that Abbeyside might be able to make more of a contest of the final than had been the case in recent years – especially with the match in their backyard of Fraher Field, Dungarvan.
A decent, coming team with a recent history of squaring up to the Gunners in underage hurling had fed the hopes that an average winning margin of 12 points in the champions’ parade of finals might be considerably tightened. In the end, the spread didn’t even cover it.
It has to be emphasised that Ballygunner were exceptionally good. Their distribution and assurance in possession were on a different level to that of their rivals.
There were early indications that they would ease out of sight but credit to Abbeyside, they rallied twice – once, cutting the deficit to two, 0-4 to 0-6 in the first half, when they were facing the wind, and again just after half-time when such signs of life were more about damage limitation than threatening the outcome.
Manager Darragh O’Sullivan was asked had the second-quarter blitz been as good a display in the county final as his team had ever given. He said that he thought it “had been up there”.
He also mentioned the west Waterford venue – it alternates the county final with Walsh Park unless two city teams reach the final and deem otherwise, as has been the case in numerous recent championships.
“We came up here. We felt we really had to be at the pitch of it. People mentioned Dungarvan. I love travelling, the lads love travelling; it adds a bit of spice to it – it takes you out of your comfort zone a little bit. Some of our best performances have been when we travel. We’re thrilled to bits, we had to work really hard
“We had difficulty getting some of them in after the Waterford intercounty team. Some of them are injured. We gave them an extended break. For Philip Mahony it’s a second match. he’s probably only training for the last four or five weeks. Dessie something similar. We’re coming strong. We’re getting more game time into the lads.”
That second-quarter demolition began after Michael O’Halloran had cut the Abbeyside deficit to two points in the 16th minute, a third successive score for the challengers. Ballygunner cut loose and outscored them by 1-9 to 0-1 for a 13-point half-time lead, 1-15 to 0-5.
The champions were exceptional during this period. The ability to pick out each other as they worked through the lines and the quality of the marksmanship meant death by a thousand cuts for their opponents.
Abbeyside equalled their tormentors’ goal count – two opportunistic strikes by captain Mikey Kiely, who must have experienced pangs of jealousy at the quality service his counterparts were getting – but they were rapiered to pieces on the points’ total.
Kevin Mahony was a handful, intuiting when he was about to receive one of the abundant flow of precise deliveries into his corner.
It was an old hand, joint-captain Pauric Mahony, awarded the official man-of-the-match, who symbolised the superiority with 11 scores from 12 attempts. But Conor Sheahan, the other joint-captain, was also a force, controlling the middle and shooting four from play.
Their ability to pick out forwards in dangerous positions was a constant menace and when the margin got to six, 0-10 to 0-4, the reliably predatory Dessie Hutchinson received the ball on the right, declined the handy point and instead cut in and fired the opening goal, but in many ways the closing argument.
In the continuing barrage, goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe got in on the act, launching a point from base camp.
Abbeyside made an encouraging start to the second half, the wind in their favour and showing a bit more composure on the ball.
Goals were swapped. Lar Power made a good save from Hutchinson but the rebound was recycled for Patrick Fitzgerald to attack from other side and hit the second goal, 2-16 to 0-8.
Within a minute, O’Keeffe had dropped a ball for Kiely, who was jostling with Barry Coughlan to get in on goal, to poke home, and a towering point by Conor Prunty meant that they had chopped five off the half-time deficit.
Seven unanswered points laid the matter to rest.
Although Kiely scored a second goal when finding a gap in the defence massed on the line from a close-in free, Abbeyside trailed by 14, 2-10 to 2-24, didn’t score again and added the final four points.
Ballygunner will start the defence of their Munster title in nine weeks, said O’Sullivan.
“We’re going to have to go to the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick to play the Limerick champions. It’s a huge challenge. These guys thrive on challenges.”
On they go.
BALLYGUNNER: S O’Keeffe (0-1); I Kenny, B Coughlan, T Foley; R Power (0-1), Philip Mahony, S O’Sullivan; C Sheahan (jt-capt) (0-4), P Leavy; M Mahony (0-1), Pauric Mahony (jt-capt) (0-11, 7f), P Hogan (0-1); P Fitzgerald (1-1), D Hutchinson (1-4), K Mahony (0-3).
Subs: C Power for Fitzgerald (49 mins); H Ruddle (0-1) for M Mahony (52); S Harney for O’Sullivan (53); B. O’Keeffe for K Mahony (55); C. Tobin for Hogan (58).
ABBEYSIDE/BALLINACOURTY: L Power; S Whelan Barret, C Prunty (0-1), B Looby; J Beresford, D Collins, E McInerney; M Power (0-1), W Beresford; M O’Halloran (0-5, 4f), R Walsh, B O’Connell; C Treen (0-2), M Kiely (capt) (2-1, 1-0f), E Kiely.
Subs: N Montgomery for E Kiely (26 mins), C Foley for McInerney, M Twomey for M Power (both 48); E Ahern for Walsh (52); B Callaghan for O’Halloran (56).
Referee: T Walsh (Modeligo).