All-Ireland GAA Hurling Championship Quarter-Final – Waterford 2-23 Galway 2-13

Waterford atone in style to claim semi-final place

From the GAA.ie web site

GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Quarter-Final

Waterford 2-23 Galway 2-13

On a redemptive day for Waterford hurling, Davy Fitzgerald’s side reached the semi-finals of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship with a 10-point defeat of Galway at Semple Stadium, Thurles. Just two weeks after suffering the humiliation of a seven-goal loss in the Munster final, Waterford completely outplayed Galway with a performance full of passion and desire to reach the last four of the Championship, where they will play Kilkenny. “We got two weeks to make up for it and get back. We worked very hard and we didn’t do ourselves justice in the semi-final,” said an emotional Waterford boss Fitzgerald afterwards. “I think today we went out and showed what we are really about. I am just delighted for the boys. It’s nothing to do with me; it’s the boys who went out on the field and did the business. They played with heart and courage and hats off to them.”

The Déise scored goals in the first and the very last minutes of the game, Shane Walsh hitting the back of the net at the start of the game and substitute Tommy Ryan completing the rout with a 73rd minute effort. Waterford led 1-9 to 1-7 at the break and then hit five points without reply on the resumption of play to take complete control of the game. Although Aidan Harte did grab a goal back for Galway in added time, the Déise were never in any danger of losing this game. Waterford needed a good start after the dispiriting mauling they suffered in the Munster final – and they got exactly that when Shane Walsh stunned Galway by snaffling the first goal of the game in the opening minute. The Déise were awarded a 21-yard free and Eoin Kelly, as is his wont, went straight for goal, and when his shot was blocked Walsh was on hand to tap home the rebound. Further scores from Kevin Moran and a Pauric Mahony free ensured Waterford hammered home their early superiority to lead by 1-2 to 0-0 after just five minutes.

Andy Smith finally got Galway off the mark in the sixth minute and John McIntyre’s men got a foothold in the game, as Ger Farragher, Iarla Tannian and Joe Canning all found the target from play. Galway were ahead by the 18th minute, when they were awarded a penalty after Tannian was fouled in the square, having been pulled back by Liam Lawlor when he was bearing down on goal. Canning stepped up to take the penalty and his low strike gave the Déise defence no chance. After a poor start to the game, Galway were suddenly ahead, 1-5 to 1-4, but Fitzgerald’s side reasserted their grip on the game with points from Mullane and Shane Walsh, who was causing all sorts of problems for the Galway defence.

When Canning levelled things up on 22 minutes with his second from play, the game, for some reason, went through a 10-minute spell without a score, as Galway squandered possession and Waterford began to rack up wides, looking over-anxious to make up for the Munster final defeat two weeks ago. Moran ended that dull spell with a point from play, before Shane Walsh and a Mahony free in added time gave Waterford a tidy advantage at the break, 1-9 to 1-7. That gap had increased to six by the 42nd minute, as Waterford hit five points in succession on the resumption of play. Three Mahony frees were added to by efforts from play from Eoin Kelly and Shane Walsh.

Canning got Galway off the mark in the second half in the 45th minute, but the Tribesmen were struggling badly in every area of the field and the Portuman man was not getting any sort of decent service in the full-forward line. Galway manager John McIntyre brought Cyril Donnellan and Kevin Hynes on in order to shake things up, but Canning aside, Galway appeared to have already resigned themselves to yet another defeat at the quarter-final stage of the All-Ireland Championship.

As close as they came to a comeback in the second half was when they closed the gap to six points thanks to a Barry Daly point from play with six minutes left. However, any thoughts of a comeback were quickly smothered when Stephen Molumphy scores two points in succession from play and Shane Walsh brought his tally to 1-4. Daly, a second half sub, then forced Waterford goalkeeper Clinton Hennessy into an incredible, flying save, before his goal was breached for a second time, when Harte let fly from distance a minute into added time. However, Waterford’s afternoon would end on the high note it deserved, as Tommy Ryan left a clear 10 points between the sides with a well-taken goal seconds after he had been brought on in place of John Mullane.

Galway Scorers: A Smith 0-1, J Regan 0-1, T Regan 0-1 (0-1 ’65) G Farragher 0-2, I Tannian 0-1, J Canning 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-3f), B Daly 0-1, A Harte 1-0.

Waterford Scorers: S Walsh 1-4, K Moran 0-3, P Mahony 0-7 (0-7f), S Molumphy 0-3, J Mullane 0-3, E Kelly 0-1, S O’Sullivan 0-1, S Prendergast 0-1, T Ryan 1-0.

Waterford: C Hennessy; D Fives, L Lawlor, N, Connors; T Browne, N Walsh, K Moran; D O’Sullivan, S Molumphy; E Kelly, S O’Sullivan, P Mahony; J Mullane, S Walsh, S Prendergast. Subs: R Foley for E Kelly (65), S Casey for S Prendergast (70), D Prendergast for T Browne (71), T Ryan for J Mullane (72)

Galway: J Skehill; F Moore, S Kavanagh, D Collins; D Barry, T Óg Regan, A Cullinane; A Smith, D Burke; J Gantley, G Farraher, I Tannian; D Hayes, J Canning, J Regan. Subs: C Donnellan for J Gantley (40), K Hynes for D Barry (43), J Lee for A Cullinane (47), B Daly for A Smith (53), A Harte for D Burke (61)

Referee: C McAllister (Cork)

Attendance: 33,535

Match Preview

Waterford are bidding to reach the All-Ireland semi-final for a fourth successive year while Galway last reached the semi-final in 2005 where they beat Kilkenny. Waterford have never lost to Galway in the championship, having won all nine previous contests. They last met in the championship two years ago when Waterford won a quarter-final by a point, 1-16 to 0-18.

Paths to the Quarter-final

Galway

Galway 4-17 Westmeath 2-14

Dublin 0-19 Galway 2-7

Galway 4-25 Clare 0-20

Galway 2-23 Cork 1-14

Average For: 3-18; Average Against: 1-16

Top Galway Scorers

Joe Canning………..2-25

Damien Hayes…….2-10

Cyril Donnellan…..4-1

Waterford

Waterford 3-15 Limerick 3-14

Tipperary 7-19 Waterford 0-19

Average For: 1-19 Average Against: 5-17

Top Waterford Scorers

Pauric O’Mahony….0-20

John Mullane………..2-2

Shane Walsh………….1-2

Last Five Championship Clashes

2009 – Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18 (All-Ireland quarter-final)

2006 – Waterford 1-25 Galway 2-20 (All-Ireland qualifiers)

1998 – Waterford 1-20 Galway 1-10 (All-Ireland quarter-final)

1966 – Waterford 2-16 Galway 1-9 (Munster championship)

1960 – Waterford 9-8 Galway 4-8 (Munster championship)

Previous All-Ireland Quarter-final appearance

Waterford

2009: Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18

2008: Waterford 2-19 Wexford 3-15

2007: Waterford 2-17 Cork 0-20 (replay)

2007: Waterford 3-16 Cork 3-16 (draw)

2006: Waterford 1-22 Tipperary 3-13

2005: Cork 1-18 Waterford 1-13

1998: Waterford 1-20 Galway 1-10

Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2.

Galway

2010: Tipperary 3-17 Galway 3-16

2009: Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18

2007: Kilkenny 3-22 Galway 1-18

2006: Kilkenny 2-22 Galway 3-14

2005: Galway 2-20 Tipperary 2-18

2002: Clare 1-15 Galway 1-14

2001: Galway 4-23 Derry 1-11

2000: Galway 1-14 Tipperary 0-15

1999: Clare 3-18 Galway 2-14 (Replay)

1999: Clare 3-15 Galway 2-18 (Draw)

1998: Waterford 1-20 Galway 1-10

1997: Kilkenny 4-15 Galway 3-16

1996: Galway 4-22 New York 0-8

1994: Galway 2-21 Roscommon 2-6

1992: Galway 4-19 Carlow 3-9

1990: Galway 1-23 London 2-11

1988: Galway 4-30 London 2-8

1986: Galway 4-24 Kerry 1-3

1984: Galway 2-17 Westmeath 2-8

1983: Galway 3-22 Antrim 2-5

1982: Galway 6-19 Antrim 3-12

1981: Galway 6-23 Antrim 3-11

1980: Galway 5-15 Kildare 1-11

1979: Galway 1-23 Laois 3-10

1978: Galway 4-19 Antrim 3-10

1976: Galway 3-12 Kerry 3-9

1975: Galway 6-14 Westmeath 1-8

1974: Galway 3-13 London 0-6

1973: London 4-7 Galway 3-5

1972: Galway 7-16 Antrim 4-7

1971: Galway 7-24 Antrim 1-8

Played 31, Won 21, Lost 9, Drew 1.

Flashback…

2000 All-Ireland Quarter-final

Waterford 1-16 Galway 0-18

Waterford: Clinton Hennessy; Eoin Murphy, Aidan Kearney, Noel Connors; Tony Browne, Michael ‘Brick’ Walsh, Declan Prendergast; Jamie Nagle, Shane O’Sullivan; Kevin Moran (0-2), Stephen Molumphy, Seamus Prendergast (0-1); Shane Casey, John Mullane (0-1), Eoin Kelly (0-12).
Subs: Maurice Shanahan for Nagle; Shane Walsh (1-0) for Casey; Dan Shanahan for Moran.

Galway: Colm Callanan; Fergal Moore, Eugene McEntee, Ollie Canning; Damien Joyce, John Lee, Eoin Lynch; Ger Farragher (0-2), Kevin Hynes; Aonghus Callanan (0-2), Cyril Donnellan, Andy Smith (0-1); Damien Hayes (0-3), Joe Canning (0-9); Niall Healy.
Subs: Joe Gantley (0-1) for Healy; Kevin Hayes for Donnellan; Alan Kerins for Smith.