McGrath back for another year

Ken McGrath

It is great news that Ken McGrath has put his injury and illness nightmare of the last two years behind him and is ready to give it another lash in 2011 to finally bring the Liam McCarthy Cup across the Suir. Along with his Mount Sion team-mate, Tony Browne, McGrath can lend considerable experience to a Waterford panel which is likely to be flooded with members of the highly promising underage teams of the last two seasons.

In his hey-day, McGrath was one of the most elegant and stylish hurlers in the game and was one of the last players to have mastered the ancient art of overhead striking. Whether it was at centre-back or centre-forward, McGrath had the ability to dominate games. Who can ever forget his masterful performance at centre-forward in the 2002 Munster final or the legendary ‘catch’ at the death in the 2004 Munster final.

For the past two years, McGrath has struggled with injury and illness but there were signs in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final against Tipperary that McGrath was approaching something like his best form.

In an article which appeared in today’s Irish Independent, McGrath stated that he was glad that 2010 was over from a hurling point of view and that he would be rejoining the Waterford panel for training next Tuesday night.

The dogs in the street could see that McGrath had lost a lot of weight in 2009 and he looked a shadow of his former self when lining out against Limerick in a best-forgotten Munster championship clash. For the first time, McGrath spoke out about the weight-loss that has blighted him over the last two years, putting it down to a condition called sarcoidosis which affects the lungs. Now for the first time, it all makes sense!

McGrath also went on to explain that although his knees are never going to be 100%, they are currently as good as they have been in a long time and that he is looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.

As well as being excellent news for all Waterford supporters, this must also be music to the ears of Waterford manager, Davy Fitzgerald. There can be no doubt that McGrath will be recognised as one of the best players to ever pull on the famous white jersey and he would be an addition to any squad. Whether he can ever make it back to anything like his best remains to be seen but even an 80% Ken McGrath would be a lot better than some other players at full pelt.

The next decision for Davy Fitz may well be what position to deploy McGrath in. Sentimentalists may well like to see him at centre-back but it would be a massive ask for him to slot straight back in to such a pivotal position after a two year absence from the position and continue on as if he had never been away.

Others may well like to see him at the edge of the square where he could present a real goal-threat with his aerial ability and eye for goal. However, I feel that where Waterford need McGrath most is in his old stomping ground on the 40. Since McGrath went back to centre-back, we haven’t really had a reliable, scoring centre-forward who can also win the ‘dirty’ ball and bring others into the game. Remember, for a time, it was genuinely believed in many quarters that McGrath was developing into one of the finest centre-forwards to grace the ancient game.

There may be a legitimate argument for playing McGrath at full-forward but there is also the danger that he would be out of the game for long periods in there. McGrath is the type of player that needs to be where the action is. That is when he is at his best, out where the hurleys are flying, winning possession, making space and scoring points.

Whether McGrath is able to nail down a regular starting spot on the team remains to be seen but one thing is for certain, he sure won’t go down without a massive fight. It would have been very easy for him to walk away after last year’s All-Ireland semi-final with his head held high after an impressive cameo but that is not the type of individual he is. Hurling and Waterford hurling in particular are things that McGrath holds dear. It is often said that it is not about the size of the man in the fight but the size of the fight in the man that is most important but in McGrath, Waterford have a big man full to the brim of those fighting qualities.

Thoughts On Relegation

Senior Hurling Relegation

While I was having a quick browse through the Waterford GAA discussion page on boards.ie, I noticed some interesting posts about the Waterford senior hurling championship for 2011. What surprised me greatly about some of the responses was there was almost as much debate about who was going to be relegated as there was about who was going to win the championship.

Normally no one even mentions the dreaded R ‘word’ until at least half-way through the championship when they can see what teams are struggling. However, this year for some reason, people are already discussing who is still going to be around this time next year.

The general consensus seems to be that there are only three teams in the equation for the drop to the Intermediate championship and I don’t think anyone would be awful surprised at the names of the clubs mentioned. The two most recent winners of the Intermediate championship, Dungarvan and Roanmore are in the mix as are Stradbally who have narrowly avoided relegation for the last two years.

Many people also seemed to think that Roanmore were the better equipped of the three teams mentioned to have a ‘crack’ at the senior championship and that the relegation issue would probably come down to a clash of the other two teams.

This also surprised me as I would be of the opinion that this youthful Dungarvan side is only going to get better and having survived their first year amongst the big boys, they could well kick on and become a force in the senior championship over the nest few seasons, a la Passage in 2010.

It may well be wishful thinking by the city dwellers that browse boards.ie but to say that Roanmore will go further in the championship than Dungarvan is, in this writer’s opinion a bit of a fallacy. Roanmore came from absolutely nowhere to win the Intermediate championship last season, beating a relatively weak Clonea side in the final. A year previously, Dungarvan had beaten a far superior Clonea side in an absorbing county final and Dungarvan side have probably improved since then.

Although Roanmore have a couple of players such as Stephen Flynn and Stephen Murphy who were chipping in with two or three points a game, they remained largely dependent on Gavin O’Brien for the majority of their scores last season. They will need others to step up to the plate in order to take the pressure off O’Brien (who is still eligible for minor this year) and that is not as easy in the cut and thrust of senior championship. The Gracedieu based outfit do have a strong defence where Waterford panellist Frank McGrath and Ger Quinlan are the star players. They will need these two players to perform out of their skins of they are to keep out the calibre of forward they will meet in a few months time.

When you compare that to the Dungarvan side, you will see that the old boro men have the necessary strength in depth to have an extended run in the championship. They have exceptional young players in Colm Curran, Darren Duggan and Eoin Healy while the likes of Jamie Nagle and Gavin Crotty have been getting game time in the Waterford Crystal Cup for the Waterford senior team.

The last mentioned team that appear to be in the equation are ‘Brick’ Walsh’s Stradbally. Over the years, Stradbally have given a lot to the senior championship and it was a testament to their never-say-die attitude that they managed to avoid the drop for the last two years. Although football is most certainly their priority, they still manage to perform to a high level in the small ball code as well. It must also be noted that they have never availed of the opportunity to rest big players in hurling games, even when they have had big football matches coming up and for that they must be praised.

It would be unfair of me to comment on who I think will slip through the trapdoor to Intermediate in 2011 and I will not do so. Needless to say, it is always sad to see someone relegated but that is part and parcel of the championship and just as someone will go down, someone else will also come up.

Waterford Crystal Cup Quarter-Final

Waterford Crystal Cup Quarter-Final

Waterford 1-12 C.I.T 0-11

Waterford recovered from a shocking first half display to eventually shake off the challenge of the student s of C.I.T to book a semi-final spot against Clare this weekend. On a freezing cold day in Walsh Park, it was a five-star performance from Abbeyside star, Richie Foley which was the catalyst for Waterford’s victory.

It was a strange looking Waterford side which took to the field with Mount Sion’s Christopher Ryan, Tourin’s Darragh Fives and Dungarvan’s Gavin Crotty making their competitive debuts for Davy Fitzgerald’s side. Perhaps the unfamiliarity was a contributing factor to the sluggish start that they made.

Although an early free from Richie Foley cancelled out an excellent opening score from CIT’s Cork panellist Lorcan McLoughlin, the students were by far the better team for the majority of the opening period.

CIT made good progress down the right hand side of their attack where Tony Murphy and Clare native Patrick O’Connor looked dangerous. These two players linked up well on several occasions in the first half, resulting in three points for CIT.

Up at the other end, Waterford were making little or no impression with CIT’s John O’Callaghan and Ross Cashman looking very impressive at full and centre-back respectively.

With Ryan Clifford proving a most reliable free-taker CIT eventually managed to open up a five point lead with 23 minutes on the clock as the scoreboard read 0-6 to 0-1 in the rebel college’s favour.

Waterford did rally somewhat as half-time approached, as a Maurice Shanahan free and a scrappy Seamus Prendergast point narrowed the CIT lead to four points.

However, playing with a stiff breeze, the students attacked again and a Ryan Clifford free and another excellent effort from Murphy gave the visitors a 0-9 to 0-3 lead at the break.

Davy Fitzgerald probably issued a few stern words to his charges at half-time and brought Roanmore’s Frank McGrath on for Christopher Ryan. With the words of their manager echoing in their ears, Waterford injected some urgency to their play for the second half and two points in as many minutes from Gavin Crotty and Foley had the deficit down to four points.

Although Tony Murphy did manage a point for CIT, the pendulum continued to swing in the Decies favour as Richie Foley fired over a free.

Davy Fitzgerald brought on Ballygunner teenager, Pauric Mahony for his debut and he made an instant impression, being brought down for a 21 yard free in the 43^rd minute. Richie Foley stepped up and buried the resultant free in the back of the net narrow the CIT lead to a point.

The students temporarily threatened to weather the storm when Clifford scored another free but further Waterford points from Foley and Brian O’Halloran soon had the home side back on level terms.

With both the initiative and the wind in their favour, Waterford were never going to lose the game from that position and four more frees from the unerring Foley dragged Waterford into this weekend’s semi-final.

Waterford’s aspirations of further progress in this competition did receive a blow with 16 minutes to go, when Maurice Shanahan picked up a straight red card for a wild pull.

Although neither the performance or the game will live long in the memory, this game did give Davy Fitzgerald a chance to blood some of the younger members of his extended panel as along with those already mentioned, Dunhill’s Eamonn Murphy also made an appearance on Sunday. There would only be a handful of players who would be completely happy with their performances but amongst those would be Liam Lawlor, Darragh Fives, Michael Walsh, Richie Foley and Seamus Prendergast.

There was a small degree of Waterford interest in the CIT team as Dungarvan’s Shane Kearney played very well at right-corner back. Although Stephen Daniels was listed on the CIT panel, he did not line out, which may have had something to do with John Mullane’s stag in Newcastle.

Waterford: C Hennessy: J Maher, L Lawlor, C Ryan; D Fives, M Walsh, J Nagle; S Molumphy, B O’Halloran; S Prendergast, R Foley, M Shanahan; G Crotty, S Walsh, S Casey; Subs: F McGrath for C Ryan, P Mahony for G Crotty, E Murphy for S Casey Scorers: R Foley 1-8 (1-7f), M Shanahan 0-1f, S Prendergast 0-1, G Crotty 0-1, B O’Halloran 0-1

C.I.T. T Quaid; S Kearney, J O’Callaghan, J Herlihy; S McDonald, R Cashman, C Leahy; L McLoughlin, S White; P O’Connor, C Casey, M Bowles; T Murphy, M O’Sullivan, R Clifford; Subs: S O’Brien for M Bowles, N Kelly for L  McLoughlin, S Corcoran for C Casey Scorers: R Clifford 0-5f, P O’Connor 0-3, T Murphy 0-2, L McLoughlin 0-1

Referee: T Ryan (Tipperary)

McGrath Cup Semi-Final

McGrath Cup Semi-Final

Clare 1-10 Waterford 0-10

Waterford’s bid for a place in the McGrath Cup final against Kerry came a cropper against a resurgent Clare team in Ardmore last Sunday. In a game that was moved from Brickey Rangers’ Bushy Park, Clare proved too strong for a somewhat experimental Waterford team which included several fringe players.

Clare manager, Micheál McDermott has revamped his squad over the winter and has controversially used the GAA’s parental rule to bring in players that are based in other counties. It was one of those players, David O’Connor who plays for St Brigids in Dublin who came off the bench to score the game’s all important goal in the 43^rd minute.

Having started so badly against Tipperary in the quarter-final, Waterford got off to a better start in this game and Portlaw’s Michael Donnelly put Waterford in front with two early frees which helped to settle the home side’s nerves.

Waterford’s superiority was short-lived, with newcomer Niall Browne looking impressive Clare quickly got back into the game with the Kildare native kicking their opening score.

Despite playing second fiddle around the middle of the field, where Browne was having a huge influence on the game, Waterford did manage to keep their noses in front for the majority of the half, but just about as Alan Clohessy was in fine form for the Banner men.

The hero of the Tipperary game, Kevin Power continued his rich vein of form with another good point and Patrick Hurney forced to step up to the plate due to the absence of his brother Gary, also had his scoring boots on, allowing John Owens men to lead 0-6 to 0-5 at the interval.

Both managers decided to alter things at the break, with the introduction of O’Connor proving to be the game’s key move. It must be noted that the introduction of Mick Ahern at midfield for Waterford did dramatically improve the fortunes of Waterford in this sector.

Clare were soon back on level terms when Clohessy scored his third point of the game and a few minutes later, we had the game’s crucial score. An excellent team movement involving Clohessy and Rory Donnelly resulted in O’Connor firing past Tom Wall.

From then on, Waterford were chasing the game and although substitute, Sean Fleming impressed with two points, Clare, with David Tubridy on the mark kept their noses in front to secure a place in Saturday’s final against Kerry.

This is not a game that will live long in the memory and will be remembered with some disappointment by John Owens. With Kerry, Cork and Limerick all on the other side of the draw, he will have seen this as a major opportunity to reach a major final and test his side against one of the best teams in the country.

However, there were some positives for Owens to take from the game, most notably the performances of Tomás O’Gorman, Shane Briggs, Mick Ahern, Patrick Hurney and Sean Fleming.

Waterford: T Wall; J Hurney, T O'Gorman, K Connery; E Walsh, S Briggs, J Phelan; B Phelan, T Prendergast; M Donnelly (0-3), K Power (0-1), B Wall; JJ Hutchinson, P Hurney (0-3), P Whyte (0-1). Subs: S Fleming (0-2) for Hutchinson; M Ahern for Power; M O'Gorman for Prendergast Scorers: P Hurney 0-3, M Donnelly 0-3, S Fleming 0-2, K Power 0-1, P Whyte 0-1

Clare: Joe Hayes; L Healy, B Duggan, M McMahon; Graham Kelly, Gordon Kelly, John Hayes; C Ryan, C O'Connor; D Daly, D Tubridy, N Browne; R Donnelly, T Ryan, A Clohessy. Subs: G Fannin for Graham Kelly; D O'Connor for C Ryan; D O'Brien for T Ryan; D O'Neill for Browne Scorers: D O’Connor 1-0, D Tubridy 0-3, A Clohessy 0-3, C O’Connor 0-1, N Browne 0-1, R Donnelly 0-1, G Fannin 0-1

Referee: D O'Mahoney (Tipperary)

Senior Hurling Fixtures 2011

Snowcream
Senior Hurling Championship 2011
Group One				Group Two
De La Salle				Ballygunner
Lismore				Passage
Ballyduff Upper				Mt Sion
Fourmilewater				Tallow
Stradbally				Dungarvan
Abbeyside				Roanmore
Round 1 - Week End 23rd / 24th April
Stradbally	V	De La Salle		Dungarvan	V	Ballygunner
Lismore	V	Fourmilewater		Passage	V	Tallow
Ballyduff Upper	V	Abbeyside		Mt Sion	V	Roanmore
Round 2 - Week End 30th April / 1st May
De La Salle	V	Abbeyside		Ballygunner	V	Roanmore
Stradbally	V	Fourmilewater		Dungarvan	V	Tallow
Ballyduff Upper	V	Lismore		Mt Sion	V	Passage
Round 3 - Week End 18th / 19th June
De La Salle	V	Lismore		Ballygunner	V	Passage
Stradbally	V	Abbeyside		Dungarvan	V	Roanmore
Ballyduff Upper	V	Fourmilewater		Mt Sion	V	Tallow
Round 4 - Week End 16th / 17th July
Fourmilewater	V	De La Salle		Tallow	V	Ballygunner
Abbeyside	V	Lismore		Roanmore	V	Passage
Ballyduff Upper	V	Stradbally		Mt Sion	V	Dungarvan
Round 5 - Week End 20th / 21st August
De La Salle	V	Ballyduff Upper		Ballygunner	V	Mt Sion
Lismore	V	Stradbally		Passage	V	Dungarvan
Fourmilewater	V	Abbeyside		Tallow	V	Roanmore
Quarter Finals - 17th September
County Senior Hurling Semi-Finals  -   25th September
County Senior Final  -   Sunday 9th October
Munster Club v Tipperary Champions - Away - 30th October

The Park Hotel
COUNTY SENIOR  HURLING LEAGUE 2011
Group 1				Group 2
De La Salle				Lismore
Passage				Ballygunner
Ballyduff Upper				Mt. Sion
Tallow				Fourmilewater
Stradbally				Dungarvan
Roanmore				Abbeyside
First named team plays at home
Round 1 -Sunday 10th April - 7pm
Tallow	V	De La Salle		Lismore	V	Abbeyside
Passage	V	Roanmore		Fourmilewater	V	Dungarvan
Stradbally	V	Ballyduff Upper		Mt. Sion	V	Ballygunner
Round 2 - Sunday 17th April - 7pm
De La Salle	V	Roanmore		Fourmilewater	V	Lismore
Tallow	V	Stradbally		Ballygunner	V	Abbeyside
Ballyduff Upper	V	Passage		Mt. Sion	V	Dungarvan
Round 3 - Wednesday 25th May - 7.30pm
De La Salle	V	Ballyduff Upper		Lismore	V	Mt. Sion
Passage	V	Stradbally		Dungarvan	V	Ballygunner
Roanmore	V	Tallow		Abbeyside	V	Fourmilewater
Round 4 - Saturday 4th June 7.30pm
De La Salle	V	Passage		Dungarvan	V	Lismore
Stradbally	V	Roanmore		Ballygunner	V	Fourmilewater
Ballyduff Upper	V	Tallow		Abbeyside	V	Mt. Sion
Round 5 - Sunday 3rd July 7pm
Stradbally	V	De La Salle		Lismore	V	Ballygunner
Tallow	V	Passage		Dungarvan	V	Abbeyside
Roanmore	V	Ballyduff Upper		Fourmilewater	V	Mt. Sion
Semi Finals - Saturday 9th July 7.30pm - Neutral Venue
Final - Sunday 31st July - Time & Venue - TBA
Top two teams in each group qualify for semi-finals  - Extra time in semi-finals & Final
In League Section:
-  Two points for a win - one for a draw
-   Teams scoring three or more goals earn a bonus point

Sargent Cup 2011 - Senior Hurling
	One Group
1	Abbeyside
2	Roanmore
3	Ballyduff Upper
4	Ballygunner
5	De La Salle
6	Dungarvan
7	Fourmilewater
8	Lismore
9	Mt. Sion
10	Passage
11	Stradbally
12	Tallow
				First Round
	Four Byes			Four Games				Quarter Finals	Semi Finals
A	Ballygunner	V	E	Ballyduff Upper	V	Dungarvan		(1 )  A  v  E	1  v  2
B	Abbeyside	V	F	Lismore	V	Roanmore		(2)  B  v  F
C	Mount Sion	V	G	Stradbally	V	Fourmilewater		(3)  C  v  G	3  v  4
D	De La Salle	V	H	Passage	V	Tallow		(4)  D  v  H
Fixture Dates  - Extra Time required in all games in all rounds if required
Round One - Four Games -  Wednesday - 18th May - 7.00pm - First Named team plays at home
Quarter Finals - Sunday 22nd May - 2.30pm Team with bye has home advantage
Semi Final - Sunday 29th May
Final - in Cappoquin - Monday 6th June