Waterford 3-12 UCC 1-09
Goals from Maurice O’Gorman, Gavin Nugent and Joey Veale have helped Waterford to their first McGrath Cup title in 34 years tonight.
2-06 to 1-07 ahead at half-time, with O’Gorman and Veale finding the back of the UCC net, Tom McGlinchey’s charges drove on in the second half.
UCC only managed two points in the closing 35 minutes, with David Harrington and Conor Horgan on target, as Waterford claimed a nine-point win.
On a calm night at Fraher Field, both sides served up a cracking encounter in front of 907 spectators.
Waterford were eager early on, and although Shane Aherne missed an early free, they quickly found their gear.
A third minute Veale goal got Waterford off to the perfect start, after Liam Lawlor placed Patrick Hurney, who found Veale inside, and the Kilrossanty clubman made no mistake.
UCC hit back to take the lead with a quartet of unanswered points, with Horgan, Adrian Spillane, David Harrington and Conor Davis on target.
Waterford regained the lead through scores from Shane Aherne and Michael Curry.
UCC finished the opening quarter strongly, and although Tom Hickey’s initial goal shot was expertly blocked by Waterford keeper Stephen Enright - Conor Horgan made no mistake from the follow-up.
1-04 to 1-02 ahead, UCC were eager to drive on, but despite plenty of scoring chances, the students didn’t have it all their own way.
UCC began to exert a firm foothold at midfield, but struggled to make this dominance count on the scoreboard.
The students massed four wides between the 18th and 24th minutes, and just managed one point during this spell.
UCC had initially coped well defensively, but half-back Maurice O’Gorman poked the ball to the net, to hand the hosts a 2-04 to 1-05 lead with 10 minutes to go before half-time.
Billy Morgan's charges were eager for scores before the break, but Tom Hickey and David Harrington were well marshalled by a stern Deise defence.
Hickey ensured a 2-6 to 1-7 scoreline in the 35th minute with his second score, but failed to narrow the gap further before the interval, after a further effort dipped into the hands of Enright.
UCC cut the gap to the minimum on the restart through Harrington, but Waterford always seemed to have that extra swagger.
Nugent completed their hat-trick in the 50th minute, after good combined play with Michael Curry, to ensure a 3-07 to 1-08 lead and Waterford never looked back.
The hosts proved too hot to handle for UCC in the closing quarter, with the students outscored by four points to one in the final 17 minutes.
After the game Waterford captain Thomas O'Gorman received the McGrath Cup from Munster Council Chairman Robert Frost.
Waterford: S Enright; D Crowley; N Walsh, T O’Gorman; T Ó hUallacháin, M O’Gorman, R Ó Ceallaigh; S Aherne, T Prendergast; M Curry, M O’Halloran, P Hurney; L Lawlor, G Nugent, J Veale. Subs: C Phelan for N Walsh (21); D Gray for Veale (51); J Curry for Hurney (60); B Power for Crowley (65); O Keevers for Prendergast (66); M Ferncombe for M Curry (69)
Scorers: S Aherne (3f) 0-04; M O’Gorman, G Nugent, J Veale 1-00 each; M Curry, P Hurney 0-02 each; C Phelan, L Lawlor 0-01, D Gray each.
UCC (Cork unless stated): P McCarthy (Kerry); J Davis, K Fulignati, K Histon; K O’Sullivan (Kerry), S White, E Dennehy; A O’Donovan, A Spillane (Kerry); F O’Connor, K Davis, S Keane (Kerry); T Hickey (Kerry), D Harrington, C Horgan. Subs: F Courtney (Kerry) for Hickey (HT); K Hayes-Curtin for Davis (42); C Hyde for White (43); P Scanlon for O’Donovan (43); P Loram (Tipperary) for Harrington (50); S Power (Tipperary) for Keane (60)
Scorers: C Horgan (2f) 1-02; D Harrington 0-03; T Hickey (1f) 0-02; K Davis, A Spillane 0-01 each.
Referee: Seamus Mulvihill (Kerry)
