Waterford - Player Ratings v Wexford

Stephen O’Keeffe – 8 Another good performance from the teenager and another memorable save to deny Rory Jacob as well. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this lad could go on to become one of the all-time greats.

Darragh Fives – 8 This lad seems to get better and better with every game. He started off the year hoping to get a run in the Waterford Crystal Cup but at this stage he is in possession of the jersey and it is getting difficult to see who can take it off him.

Shane Fives – 8 For the second week in a row, he looked very comfortable at the edge of the square. Near the end when we were under pressure, he came out with a lot of ball and used it very well. It is early days but, he looks promising.

Noel Connors – 6 He was in big trouble on Rory Jacob in the first half and the Wexford man could have had 1-2 bagged by half-time. He did settle down in the second half and looked more like the All-star that he is.

Wayne Hutchinson – 9 A very impressive full debut from the Ballygunner man. He looked comfortable under the high ball, won a lot of low ball, came out of a few rucks with possession. He was also unlucky not to get a score.

Michael Walsh – 9 Man of the match for the second week in a row. He seemed to be targeted for some special treatment by the Wexford attack but he stood up to it well. Made one spectacular catch in the first half before being decked by a Wexford forward!

Jamie Nagle – 8 This was looking like a typical neat and tidy Nagle appearance until the last 15 minutes when he was the best player on the pitch. He had a succession of Wexford attackers in his pocket and almost grabbed a trademark long-range point.

Shane O’Sullivan – 7 He is rapidly becoming one of the key players on this Waterford team and one of its unsung heroes. He gets through a massive amount of work and takes a multitude of belts over the course of a game.

Philip Mahony – 7 He almost gets through as much work as his uncle beside him. He looked a little too keen at time yesterday, and gave away a couple of frees as a result. It could be argued that he would be more at home in the half-back line but he could well win a jersey in this position.

Shane Casey – 6 Shane tried hard throughout but besides his effort that led to Prendergast’s goal he never looked like scoring. He has looked sharper than in other years but needs to get on the scoresheet more in order to get a regular place in the team.

Richie Foley – 6 This was without a doubt Richie’s worst display of the year, coming on the back if his best display ever against Dublin. He missed two easy frees, failed to score anything from a 21 yard free and a penalty. To his credit, he didn’t hide and was still showing for the ball deep in stoppage time.

Pauric Mahony – 8 This lad has an old head on young shoulders. He has a hurling brain that defies his tender years. He scored an excellent point and got a scolding form his manager when he offloaded to Shane O’Sullivan when his own score was there for the taking. It says a lot about the trust Davy has in him that he finished the game in the key position of centre-forward.

Tomás Ryan – 7 This was a much better showing than his display against Dublin a week ago. He showed better for the ball, scored two points and was unlucky not to get a goal or two when the ball just failed to run for him. If he starts to win his own ball, he will be very dangerous.

Seamus Prendergast – 7 A mixed bag again from the Ardmore man. There was a ton of ball sent in to him and he probably won less than half of it. From the ball that he did win, he caused havoc as there is only one way of stopping him – illegally.

Stephen Molumphy – 5 This was probably the worst display yet in a Waterford jersey from the captain. However, he is not a corner-forward and never will be. He needs to be brought out the field quickly before his morale is damaged.

Subs:

Maurice Shanahan – 8 The introduction of Shanahan proved to be the winning of the game for Waterford. He notched three points after his arrival and took over the free-taking duties to good effect. He is sure to start next week and let’s hope this is the beginning of a good run of form for the Lismore man.

Shane Walsh and Stephen Power – Not on long enough to be rated.