Mostly Hurling:If there was an award for the most improved team of the championship so far Waterford would be the recipients, writes JOHN ALLEN

ON SUNDAY last we saw the best game in this year’s championship. Waterford had a huge psychological barrier to overcome before throw-in. They can be very proud of the huge commitment they showed from beginning to end. They took a gamble, in my opinion, in not playing a sweeper, given Kilkenny’s ability to kill off their opponents early.

But credit to Davy Fitzgerald and his management team for having the team believing in themselves and playing accordingly. We have seen many great performances from this Waterford team this century, but this was probably the best, annexing their wonderful 2004 Munster final victory over Cork. The stakes were much higher last weekend.

But does it augur well for the future? Probably not in the short term in that this team has too many players with too many hurling miles on the clock. It now looks like greats like Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, Dan Shanahan and of course the recently retired Paul Flynn will end their careers without winning an All-Ireland senior medal.

I’m not retiring these other greats, but I just think that the team as a whole might now be on the slide and that last Sunday’s performance could be the pinnacle in terms of the team’s development.

Waterford haven’t been great throughout the year, except for the last 10 minutes against Tipperary in the Munster final, the final quarter against Galway and in patches against Limerick. But they were excellent against Kilkenny. That display last Sunday would probably have beaten Tipperary given the Premier’s inability to be clinical when they are in the ascendancy. The win against Galway brought the team on quite a bit.

Overall, if there was an award for the most improved team of the championship so far Waterford would be the recipients. Not bad for a team that has lost Paul Flynn and has had to do without Ken McGrath and the Dan Shanahan of old. Veteran Tony Browne had an exceptional year by any standards though.

But Waterford has reasons to be hopeful for the future. Brick Walsh, Stephen Molumphy, Kevin Moran, Shane O’Sullivan, Shane Walsh proved that they are a match for the best this season.

The under-21 team, if they scored more in their periods of dominance in the Munster final against Clare, could have won that final. Noel Connors, Shane Casey and Maurice Shanahan are after sampling top-class hurling this summer and will benefit greatly from the experience.

The minors are Munster champions and hopefully will supply a few players to the senior set-up over the next few years. So all-in-all the future might turn out much brighter than expected if the younger players stay committed to the cause over the next few years.

Joe Canning might be the prince in waiting, but after his performance last Sunday Henry Shefflin is definitely the king in situ. What a performance by an artist on the field and a gentleman off of it.

This wonderful Kilkenny team is now just a step away from further greatness. We’ll have a better idea on Sunday evening if their opponents have a realistic chance of stopping that dream from becoming a reality.

This Sunday’s game is much more difficult to predict. The Shannonsiders have a better chance against Tipperary than any of the other top teams. Limerick’s aggressive style does not suit their opponents at all. Nearly all Limerick-Tipperary matches over the past few years have been ding-dong battles with very little between the sides at the end. Tipperary are favourites, but mightn’t wear that mantle very well. The Limerick backs as a unit are solid and won’t be easily beaten, but this is potentially the best forward line they’ll have met this year so they will have to be at their very best.

At the other end of the field, they will have to improve considerably if they hope to win. They will have to get a much better scoring return from the forwards. Too many of them are not contributing enough scores. Their half-forward line also needs to win more puck-outs. But Limerick have potential in their full-forward line if Andrew O’Shaughnessy and Paudie McNamara get enough quick ball in. They have a very accurate free-taker in Gavin O’Mahony – who has switched to midfielder, with the talented Séamus Hickey moving to wing back – and have a scoring forward in James Ryan.

So, in my opinion, Limerick have a real chance to spring a surprise in this game.

But what about Tipperary? Potentially, the second best team in the country, but without the killer instinct that Kilkenny possess.

They are in a particularly vulnerable position. They were in a very similar place facing into last year’s semi-final. They were strong favourites against Waterford, having won the league and having shown quite good form in their championship games. But they slipped up. This year their form hasn’t been as convincing but there are still carrying the favourites anchor.

The ideal scenario for Tipperary on Sunday is that they scrape through with an average performance and go into the final as underdogs because, on a given day, when all the lights are with them, they could produce a championship winning performance.

If the Tipp forwards keep the tempo of the game as high as possible they should have a very definite advantage in this area. Their propensity to showboat when in control has to stop if they want to close out games.

But their forward unit has the potential to produce a complete performance soon. They should give their loyal followers a sign on Sunday of great things to come in early September. If they manage to squeeze out a few longer periods of dominance, they should just about make it.