By Dermot Keyes at Walsh Park
Waterford 0-20 Galway 0-12
Waterford advanced to a League semi-final meeting with Tipperary following a comprehensive win over a Galway side who once again head into the Championship with more than a few questions hanging over them.
Derek McGrath’s young charges, having already secured promotion from Division 1B, out-thought, out-fought and out-muscled a Galway side who ought to have been fresh following an overnight stay in Clonmel.
With the aid of a strong wind, Waterford built up a commanding 0-14 to 0-05 lead by the break, primarily due to the free-taking precision of Pauric Mahony and despite an early second-half flurry of points by Galway, the hosts reasserted themselves to win at a canter.
Deise skipper Kevin Moran opened the scoring after 40 seconds following Barry Coughlan’s fine clearance, and the hosts doubled their lead less than a minute later through Brian O’Halloran.
Joe Canning, who chipped in with four of Galway’s five first half points, opened his account via a fifth minute free, only for Austin Gleeson to cancel that score with near immediacy following a fine Pauric Mahony pass.
After seven minutes, Johnny Coen upended the industrious O’Halloran, leading to another Mahony conversion, and the Ballygunner clubman repeated the feat just a minute later to send Waterford four points clear.
Canning’s second free of the afternoon reduced the Tribesmen’s arrears in the ninth minute and his surprising miss from a free 90 seconds later drew audible gasps from the 3,550-strong Walsh Park crowd.
On the quarter hour, Mahony struck again from a placed ball and his accuracy proved unerring 90 seconds later, after Brian O’Halloran drew a free from Galway full-back Paul Killeen.
Jake Dillon, such a dynamic presence for Waterford this spring, picked out O’Halloran with a cross-field pass, and the Clashmore attacker struck well from wide on the left flank, 13 metres from goal.
Andy Smith struck Galway’s first point from play in the 19th minute following fine support play from who else but Canning, who, at times, mounted a one-man resistance for the visitors.
A further brace of Mahony frees in the 21st and 22nd minutes was brilliantly added to by Moran in the 24th minute, when the skipper stuck a marvellous point from inside his own 65-metre line.
Canning and Mahony exchanged frees in the 25th and 29th minutes before Dillon pointed superbly after a great take under Shane Fives’ deep, downfield ball.
But the score of the match was delivered after 32 minutes via a 50-metre sideline cut from Austin Gleeson, who judged the wind perfectly, fading the ball brilliantly between Colm Callanan’s uprights.
A minute from the break, Canning’s fourth free ensured Galway still had a sniff at a second half resurgence given the strength of the gale.
After the interval, Galway hit the ground running, and reduced the margin to just four points by the 44th minute thanks to braces from Canning and Mannion, along with Andy Smith’s second point of the afternoon.
But Waterford knuckled down thereafter, giving Galway’s forwards little time to settle on the ball, primarily thanks to the efforts of Moran, Tadhg de Búrca, Jamie Barron and Philip Mahony.
With Pauric Mahony remaining laser-guided over the placed ball, along with timely white-flag raising interventions from Michael Walsh, the resurgent Maurice Shanahan and fellow substitute Tom Devine, Waterford eased their way to victory.
And Deise stopper Ian O’Regan’s fine double-save in the 66th minute, denying both Joseph Cooney and Andy Smith, ruled out a grandstand finish from Galway.
Waterford’s swarming defence has seen off Wexford and Galway over successive weekends, yet they’ve still struck 42 points in both victories.
Tipperary, in such good form themselves at present, may well force Derek McGrath to turn over a fresh page in a well-thumbed playbook.
Waterford: I O’Regan; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; T de Búrca, A Gleeson (0-02; 0-01 Sl), Philip Mahony; J Barron, K Moran (0-02); J Dillon (0-01), Pauric Mahony (0-10; 0-09f), M Walsh (0-01); B O’Halloran (0-02), S Bennett, C Dunford.
Subs: M Shanahan (0-01) for S Bennett (47), T Devine (0-01) for B O’Halloran (61), S O’Sullivan for C Dunford (64), G O’Brien for J Dillon (68), M O’Neill for Pauric Mahony (68).
Galway: C Callanan; J Coen, P Killeen, J Hanbury; D Collins, P Mannion, G McInerney; A Smith (0-02), I Tannian; J Cooney, J Canning (0-08; 0-06f, 0-01 65), J Glynn; J Regan, C Mannion (0-02), J Flynn.
Subs: G Lally for P Killeen (HT), N Healy for J Regan (HT), A Harte for J Flynn (54).
Referee: Brian Gavin (Offaly)
