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Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All Ireland Minor Championship Final – Waterford 1-21 Galway 0-16
Waterford defeated Galway by 1-21 to 0-16 in the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All Ireland Minor Championship Final on Sunday September 8th at Croke Park.
65-year wait ends as dynamic Déise minors deliver
Galway 0-16 Waterford 1-21
By Brendan O’Brien for the Irish Examiner newspaper
For a decade or so, Waterford’s celebrated seniors were denied the ultimate prize by hurling’s Big Three, so it was only fitting that their minors should crown this most revolutionary of hurling summers with an All-Ireland title. A first national success at the grade since 1948, this eight-point win is the first in any shape or form for the Déise since their U21s succeeded 21 years ago, and fair to say what was rare was oh-so-beautiful.
No All-Ireland success is greeted with indifference but the manner in which Waterford’s players bowled each other over like skittles at the full-time whistle said everything about just how overdue this was. That they did it the hard way can have only added to the outpouring. Their Munster opener defeat against Tipperary was separated by 150 days from this victory and the intervening period dealt them a provincial final replay loss to Limerick to boot. Yet the end result is a first All-Ireland title for a side with two championship defeats to its credit and, whatever your views on that, there is no doubt their earlier brushes with adversity stood to them here.
Waterford were much the superior side on the basis of the full 70 minutes but they found themselves manning the barricades in a third quarter where they conceded half a dozen points and scored just one of their own. It was a purple patch that allowed Galway retain parity for the first time since the first minute and the manner in which the lead was lost in that spell could have only multiplied the sense of dread that surely enveloped the Waterford supporters. In the space of four minutes, Sean Power’s side conceded three points on the back of a) a clearance that rebounded off a teammates’ face, b) a contentious free for an accidental clash of heads and c) the loss of possession from a short puck-out.
It was Keystone Cops stuff but only for that short, if damaging, window, and their reaction spoke volumes in that they limited Galway to just one more white flag while they rattled off 1-6 themselves. It was a statement of some intent for a county unaccustomed to the trappings of such occasions but one perfectly in keeping with a side that so many had fancied for such honours long before the season started. Waterford came to Dublin yesterday with a centre-back in Austin Gleeson who has been described as the new Ken McGrath and Paul Curran who more than lived up to the hype that had him tagged as another Paul Flynn.
Curran came up with 1-7, Bennett with four points but, as Mattie Murphy said, it was the next seven or eight players on Waterford’s roster who haven’t made quite so many headlines who made the difference. Micheal Harney and Shane Bennett were outstanding either side of Gleeson at half-back, Michael Kearney and Colm Roche pitched in with seven points and the result was what the Galway manager said was akin to a white tide. Eventually it washed over Galway but that was in spite of the considerable efforts of full-back Darragh O’Donoghue and Shane Cooney, who manned the gates of their defensive positions with some authority at number six.
Galway had their spearheads up front too. Ronan O’Meara claimed a quartet of points from the half-forward line while captain Darragh Dolan shrugged of the attentions of Gleeson for long enough to tick off three of his own. That said, no man was more valuable to the Connacht cause than goalkeeper Cathal Tuohy, who made three superb saves after 19, 25 and 33 minutes without which Galway would have faded from relevance long before they did. The pity for Galway is that they were unwilling architects of their own demise when, with 13 minutes to go and only four points still separating them, O’Donoghue took a short puck-out from Tuohy and dallied a tad too long.
Curran’s alacrity in spotting the defender’s tardiness was considerable and, in the blink of an eye, he had the full-back dispossessed and the ball in the back of the Galway net. Cue delirium.
Scorers for Galway: B Molloy (0-5, four frees), R O’Meara (0-4), D Dolan (0-3), S Cooney (f), A Morrissey, B Burke, C Whelan (0-1 each).
Scorers for Waterford: P Curran (1-7, four frees), M Kearney, Stephen Bennett (0-4 each), C Roche (0-3), DJ Foran, A Gleeson (free); T Devine (0-1 each).
GALWAY: C Tuohy; M O Conghaile, D O Donoghue, M Coneely; R Doyle, S Cooney, E Burke; S Linnane, J Hastings; C Shaughnessy, D Dolan, R O’Meara; C Whelan, B Molloy, A Morrissey.
Subs for Galway: V Doyle for R Doyle (27), B Burke for Whelan (37), R Bellew for Hastings (53), S Burke for E Burke (58).
WATERFORD: G Power; W Hahessy, K Daly, C Leamy; M Harney, A Gleeson, Shane Bennett; M O’Brien, T Devine; Stephen Bennett, DJ Foran, M Kearney; A Farrell, P Curran, C Roche.
Subs for Waterford: C Curran for Foran (37), C Gleeson for Farrell (45), P O’Connor for O’Brien (57), S O’Neill for Hahessy, B Whelan for Shane Bennett (both 61).
Referee: C McAllister (Cork)
Waterford claim first Minor title since 1948
Report from the GAA.ie web site
Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship Final: Galway 0-16 Waterford 1-21
Waterford claimed their first All-Ireland minor title since 1948 with a clinical eight-point defeat of Galway at Croke Park on Sunday. The Déise, for whom Patrick Curran hit 1-7, dominated the game but looked in trouble when Galway battled back to level the game at 0-15 apiece on 47 minutes. However, Seán Power’s side produced a superb finish, hitting 1-4 without reply in a devastating seven-minute spell to secure a historic win.
Waterford, who lost twice in the Munster Championship, led by 0-12 to 0-9 at the break. That margin would have been greater but for two superb saves from Galway goalkeeper Cathal Tuohy. Just after the break, Tuohy made another fine stop to deny the excellent Stephen Bennett, and it started to look like it might not be the Déise’s day. With Ronan O’Meara and Brian Molloy to the fore, Galway came back into the game with a string of four unanswered points in the third quarter. When corner forward Molloy added a free and then nailed a super score from play, the Tribesmen were level and had all the momentum with 13 minutes left on the clock.
It was then that Waterford showed their character. Tom Devine, Austin Gleeson, Colm Roche and Michael Kearney pushed them ahead and then Curran pounced for a super goal with three minutes left. The big Dungarvan man intercepted a short puck-out, out-sprinted his marker and slammed a shot past the previously unbeatable Tuohy. Stephen Bennett then dropped over two more points from play and the Irish Press Cup was destined for the south-east, Waterford’s first All-Ireland title in any grade since they won the U21 All-Ireland in 1992.
Waterford Scorers: P Curran 1-7 (0-4f, 0-1 65), S Bennett 0-4, M Kearney 0-4, C Roche 0-3, DJ Foran 0-1, T Devine 0-1, A Gleeson 0-1 (0-1f).
Galway Scorers: B Molloy 0-5 (0-4f), D Dolan 0-3, A Morrissey 0-1 (0-1sl), C Whelan 0-1, R O’Meara 0-4, B Burke 0-1, S Cooney 0-1 (0-1f).
Galway: C Tuohy; M Ó Conghaile, D O’Donoghue, M Connelly; S Linnane, S Cooney, R Doyle; E Burke, D Dolan (c); C Whelan, R O’Meara, A Morrissey; B Molloy, J Hastings, C Shaughnessy. Subs: V Doyle for D O’Donoghue 20-21, V Doyle for R Doyle (27), E Brannigan for S Linnane (HT), B Burke for C Whelan (38), R Bellew for J Hastings (53), S Burke for E Burke (58).
Waterford: G Power; W Hahessey, K Daly (C), C Leamy; M Harney, A Gleeson, S Bennett; M O’Brien, T Devine; S Bennett, DJ Foran, M Kearney; A Farrell, P Curran, C Roche. Subs: C Curran for DJ Foran (38), C Gleeson for A Farrell (45), P O’Connor for C Roche (56), B Whelan for Shane Bennett, S O’Neill for W Hahessy (both 60).
Referee: C McAllister (Cork)
Fixture Details
08.09.2013 (Sun)
Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All Ireland Minor Championship Final
Gaillimh v Port Láirge
Páirc an Chrócaigh, 13.15
Referee: Cathal McAllister (Corcaigh)
Std By: Shane Hourigan (Luimneach)
Linesman: Eamonn Hassan (Doire)
Sideline: David Copps (Corcaigh)
Umpires – Dan Looney (Ballinacurra), Bernard Butler, Denis Crowley and Shane McAllister (all Midleton)
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final Team Guide: Waterford
Team News
The Waterford Minor Hurling team to play Galway on Sunday is as follows –
1. Gavin Power Dungarvan
2. William Hahessey Clonea
3. Kevin Daly Dungarvan CAPTAIN
4. Cian Leamy Ballyduff Upper
5. Michéal Harney Bonmahon
6. Austin Gleeson Mount Sion
7. Shane Bennett Ballysaggart
8. Mark O’Brien Ferrybank
9. Tom Devine Modeligo
10. Stephen Bennett Ballysaggart
11. DJ Foran Portlaw
12. Michael Kearney Ballyduff Upper
13. Adam Farrell De La Salle
14. Patrick Curran Dungarvan
15. Colm Roche Shamrocks
Galway: C Tuohy; M Ó Conghaile, D O’Donoghue, M Conneely; S Linnane, S Cooney, R Doyle; E Burke, D Dolan; C Whelan, R O’Meara, A Morrissey; B Molloy, B Burke, C Shaughnessy.
