Waterford 1-23
Wexford 1-19
Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s big weekend petered out on Sunday with the second GAA All-Ireland hurling quarter-final going much the same way as the first. Waterford were favourites coming in to face a Wexford team whose rise to a prominence of sorts this year still hadn’t suggested they were quite ready for the last four.
Waterford are practised at that and they duly reached a third successive semi-final. They will wait to see whether Monday morning’s draw pairs them with Cork, who have beaten them already, or Galway, over whom they appear to have the psychological edge in championship matches.
They were ultimately too good for spirited opponents. Like Tipperary in the first quarter-final, they found scoring came that bit more easily than for their opponents.
A goal before half-time put comfortable distance between the teams. Eoin Moore mishit a ball to Shane Bennett, who popped a pass to Kevin Moran. As the ball ran along the ground, Wexford keeper Mark Fanning had to come out to try and block, but the Waterford captain slipped a shot artfully past him to put his side five clear, 1-12 to 0-10, at the break.
Moran and fellow veteran Michael Walsh yet again rose to the big occasion and their industry and warrior experience were vital factors. Walsh even slung over an early point to file with the goal against Kilkenny two weeks ago. Moran finished with 1-3.
There is, however, a cloud too dark for silver linings in the prospect of Tadhg de Búrca missing the semi-final. The immaculate sweeper was red-carded late in the match, apparently for interfering with Harry Kehoe’s head-guard, and an anxious wait beckons, as was evident from the tribute paid him by manager Derek McGrath.
Wexford resistance
Wexford resisted as best they could. Lee Chin didn’t have his best shooting day and appeared to encounter difficulty establishing his co-ordinates in the new stadium, sending a couple of frees wide and dropping a couple of other shots short. Still, David Fitzgerald’s team were lively in the first half and their manager lamented that they couldn’t do more with a superior possession count.
As he equally acknowledged, his team were overeager at times, and conceding frees to Pauric Mahony is – often quite literally – a losing game.
It was a cagey affair at times. Shaun Murphy and de Búrca went about their sweeping in diligent fashion and neither side was delivering the sort of guided missiles that might pressurise either defence. Instead, hopefully walloped ball drifted harmlessly down to be greeted by the sweeper and sent back on its way in the other direction.
Wexford never led at any stage of the match and were on level terms for the last time in the fourth minute, but to their credit they chased hard throughout.
There were some nice scores, and Jack Guiney dispatched most of his frees, but they never appeared to have the attacking game to exert serious pressure and they rarely threatened a goal until the end, when Jack O’Connor – son of 1996 All-Ireland winner John – raised a late green flag after Guiney’s attempt to plant a free was blocked on the line by Waterford.
Chin’s pass to Diarmuid O’Keeffe in the 25th minute pared the margin back to one, 0-8 to 0-9, but Waterford simply pulled away again with a free by Mahony, followed by points from Austin Gleeson and his namesake Conor.
Succession of wides
If Waterford were buoyed by the goal before the break, it didn’t show in the early stages of the second half. A succession of wides encouraged Wexford back into the game, and they fired off three points to neutralise the goal: Rory O’Connor – a brother of Jack and an energetic presence at centrefield throughout – and Chin were primarily involved, and the margin shrank again to two.
The outcome was never threatened, however. Once Mahony rediscovered his range from frees, and the bench produced a scoring impact – replacements Maurice Shanahan and Brian O’Halloran scored a brace of points each – the match became for Wexford like a bus they had nearly caught at a couple of traffic lights but that now was heading on to open road.
There wasn’t the same sense of elation that had surged through the county after the defeat of Kilkenny for the first time in 58 years in the previous round, and that’s understandable. It’s also fair to point out that at this stage a year ago, after a horrendous defeat at the hands of Tipperary in the Munster final, Waterford negotiated a far more subdued Wexford in fairly lacklustre fashion.
It didn’t stop them from giving their best displays of the season in the All-Ireland semi-final and replay against Kilkenny. It’s also fair to say, though, that they will need the same sort of improvement as well as hoping that de Búrca can be sprung from the jaws of suspension.
Wexford can reflect on a good year – in fact it would have been considered a dream year back in January – but equally need to strengthen their panel and use the return to Division One to sharpen up against the best teams.
The All-Ireland semi-final draw takes place on Monday's Morning Ireland, and the stage will be set for the endgame to an entertaining championship.
WATERFORD: 1. Stephen O'Keeffe; 4. Noel Connors, 3. Barry Coughlan, 5. Tadhg de Búrca; 9. Conor Gleeson (0-1), 2. Shane Fives, 7. Philip Mahony; 8. Jamie Barron, 10. Kevin Moran (1-3); 15. Darragh Fives (0-1), 6. Austin Gleeson (0-3, one free), 11. Pauric Mahony (0-9, all frees); 14. Michael Walsh (0-1), 13. Shane Bennett, 12. Jake Dillon (0-1).
Subs: 21. Maurice Shanhan (0-2) for Dillon (45 mins), 20. Brian O’Halloran (0-2) for Shane Bennett (46 mins), 24. Stephen Bennett for Walsh (54 mins), 23. Colin Dunford for Barron (62 mins), 19. Tommy Ryan for Stephen Bennett (47 mins).
WEXFORD: 1. Mark Fanning; 2. Willie Devereux, 4. James Breen, 3. Liam Ryan (0-1); 17. Eoin Moore (0-1), 6. Matthew O'Hanlon (joint-capt), 7. Diarmuid O'Keeffe (0-2); 22. Rory O'Connor (0-1), 11. Lee Chin (joint-capt; 0-3, two frees); 15. Paul Morris (0-1), 19. David Redmond, 14. Conor McDonald (0-1); 8. Shaun Murphy, 12. Jack Guiney (0-6, all frees), 20. Podge Doran.
Subs: 9. Aidan Nolan (0-1) for Redmond (29 mins), 10. Jack O’Connor (1-2) for Morris (41 mins), 13. Harry Kehoe for McDonald (59 mins), 21. Shane Tompkins for Doran (64 mins)
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Tipperary).
