Waterfords Shane Aherne wins possession against Tipperary's Peter Acheson when last the counties met, a Division Four National Football League draw in Clonmel in February 2014
year for football in Waterford. A
really good year.
Of course, 2014 ended on a high
with The Nire reaching a Munster
Senior Club Final – although defeat
was their lot against Austin Stack’s
at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, the progress of
a Deise club to the provincial decider
was a welcome development for the
big ball code.
That feelgood factor was maintained
into 2015 as, under a new
management team headed up by Tom
McGlinchey, Waterford got off to a
cracking start, claiming the McGrath
Cup for only the second time in
the competition’s 34-year history,
picking off Cork along the way.
An opening round win in Division
Four of the National Football
League against Wicklow added to
expectations, but a series of disappointing
results followed (including
three two-point defeats) meant
Waterford’s interest in the League
ended well before the fi nal round of
fi xtures.
But as May draws to a close, the
year may yet prove another positive
one for football in the county as
they gear up to challenge Tipperary,
a county which made claiming Sam
Maguire a publicly stated target by
2020.
Nobody expects Waterford to win
a Munster title. A fi rst round win
and a good showing against Kerry
in the Munster semi-fi nals followed
by, perhaps, two run outs in the
All-Ireland qualifi ers would more
than compensate for a disappointing
NFL campaign. As McGlinchey
himself put it: “It’s all about the
Championship.”
And so Tipperary await the Deise
in Thurles this Sunday, with the prize
a Munster semi-fi nal against the
mighty Kerry which will, in all likelihood,
mean a berth in the second
round of the Qualifi ers for Sunday’s
victor.
For the loser on Sunday, a place
in the fi rst round of the qualifi ers
awaits, which could mean a contest
against Division Four’s top two this
season, Longford and Offaly, both
of whom defeated Waterford in the
League. Worse still, a banana skin
lies potentially in wait in the guise
of an away match to London, who
haven’t lost to Waterford since 2012.
As Tom McGlinchey intimated in
his interview on the opposite page,
Waterford will not fear Tipperary
even on their own sacred sod in
Thurles.
Some in both counties might have
preferred the game to be played in
Clonmel where a much better atmosphere
could be created amongst an
attendance expected to be in the low
thousands, but the players will relish
the prospect of a run-out at Semple
Stadium.
Tipperary, also managed by a
Corkman in Peter Creedon, fi nished
third in NFL Division Three, gaining
eight points, three behind Fermanagh
and Armagh.
They have some excellent players
who have helped them to success in
recent years at minor and under-21
levels, but one suspects Waterford
will not be phased by the Premier’s
burgeoning football reputation.
Since the League, there have been
some notable changes have been
made to the Waterford panel.
The Stradbally pair of Shane
Ahearn and Tony Grey opted out of
the panel while regular goalkeeper
Stephen Enright, along with Conor
Phelan and Oran Keevers, are spending
the summer in the United States,
while Gavin Nugent has been sidelined
through injury.
Sean Barron will fi ght it out with
David Whitty for the number one
shirt while Conor Gleeson, who set
the Club Championship alight last
year, has been added to the panel and
makes for an invaluable addition.
Cillian O’Keeffe, Michael
O’Gorman, Craig Guiry and Conor
McGrath have all been
added to the panel and
don’t be surprised to
see more others added
to the panel between
now and Sunday’s
game.
While Tipperary will
be favourites, Waterford
ought to produce,
at the very least, a
good account of themselves
this Sunday and
I for one wouldn’t see a
Deise victory as constituting
a shock.
Meanwhile, the
Junior Football Championship
Quarter-
Final meeting between
Waterford and Tipperary
will act as Sunday
afternoon’s curtain
raiser, and is scheduled
to throw in at 1.30pm.
Tickets for Sunday’s
match at Semple
Stadium are priced at
€15 for adults. Students
and OAPs will receive
a €5 concession at designated
turnstiles prior
to entry, while Under-
16s are free and do not
require a ticket.
