Waterford record a major win in minor final against Clare
An inspirational Waterford soared to a first All-Ireland minor hurling title in 12 years as they overpowered Clare by 11-18 to 0-11 in front of 16,411 fans at FBD Semple Stadium.
With only an injury-time burst separating the sides in Dungarvan two months previously, this time Waterford led from start to finish to record their biggest victory of the campaign when needed most.
Such determination was epitomised by top scorer Cormac Spain, who despite getting injured in the opening minutes, managed to not only last the entire hour but score an impressive 11-point tally in the process to top up his side's advantage throughout.
Shane Power, Gearoid O'Shea, and a miserly full-back unit of Darragh Keane, Conor Lynch and Darragh Murphy also excelled to frustrate their opponents.
James O'Connor's side couldn't have asked for a better start when an opening-minute delivery was collected by Dylan Murphy, who offloaded to Pierce Quann to find the net.
Accentuated by points for Spain and Power, the Deise found themselves five points clear after only three minutes, a lead they would maintain thanks to a timely block from Keane on a Liam Murphy shot down the other end.
Spain went down twice for treatment on his leg but still dominated on the scoreboard, raiding for six second-quarter points, including seeing a point-blank shot tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Leon Talty to power a wind-assisted Waterford to a 1-12 to 0-05 interval cushion.
Clare did rally on the resumption with the first three points through substitute John Barry and Ian O'Brien to lower the arrears to seven by the 35th minute.
However, that would be as close as the 2023 champions got to Waterford, who fittingly got back on track thanks to talisman Spain.
Dylan Murphy had a goal attempt denied by Evan Crimmins, while Talty again repelled a Spain effort.
However, a four-point unanswered blitz entering the final 10 minutes – three from the stick of Spain – put the result beyond any doubt as Waterford ended their hurling famine with only a fourth minor crown.
Waterford: James Comerford; Darragh Keane, Conor Lynch, Darragh Murphy; Bradley Penkert, Hugo Quann, Tommy Kennedy (0-01); Éanna McHugh (0-01), Gearoid O'Shea; (0-02) Shane Power (0-03), Jack Power, Pierce Quann (1-00); Jamie Shanahan, Dylan Murphy, Cormac Spain (0-11, 0-07f)
Clare: Leon Talty; Niall Doyle, Jack O'Halloran, Zak Phelan; Evan Crimmins, Dara Kennedy, Colm Daly; Graham Ball (0-01, 0-01f), Evan Cleary; Ian O'Brien (0-01), Rory Ralph, James O'Donnell; Ben Talty (0-01), Paul Rodgers (0-02, 1f, 1'65), Liam Murphy (0-02)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
32 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Kerry's Jack O'Connor: ‘A few pundits down our way let themselves down'
Jack O'Connor lives for this stuff. A Kerry team coming to Croke Park as underdogs. A Kerry public doubting, questioning, whispering in corners. The sun in the sky and the ball in the air and a point to prove. And prove. And prove again. This is Jack's bailiwick. He's won four All-Irelands in three different stints as Kerry manager. He's been involved in Kerry teams at various levels since 1992 and has overseen incredible success and glory days. And still he never seems more at home than when he has a pebble in his shoe and his nose out of joint. Kerry didn't so much beat Armagh here as ransack their souls. It's grand being All-Ireland champions until someone gets a run on you. That's when you find out who you are and what you have. Kerry kicked 14 points on the bounce in a quarter of an hour and Armagh's defence of Sam Maguire lay in ashes. Who predicted it? Not many. And if they did, they weren't talking about it landing with such a thump and a bang. Ethan Rafferty has spent the summer getting bigged up as the ultimate kick-out ninja, able to change his mind at will and still land the ball on a sprinkler head. Kerry won 11 out of 14 of his kick-outs in that spell and sped off into the distance with them. READ MORE And so Jack came in to talk to the media afterwards, in the mood to kick some ass and take some names. The GAA press people warned us to put the camera phones away, apparently because 'Jack doesn't like being filmed.' If it made him speak freer, so much the better. He definitely didn't spare the rod anyway. 'I don't think too many people outside the camp saw that performance there,' he said. 'But we were very, very determined. There was ferocious determination in the camp that we weren't going to let the season fizzle out after the Meath game. It may have been difficult for Armagh not to listen to the outside noise where we were being written off and they were being written up.' Kerry man of the match Seán O'Shea celebrates a point with David Clifford. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Was it fuelled by hurt, Jack? 'Look, one of the great motivators in life is trying to prove people wrong. We were being portrayed as a one-man team. I saw somebody writing this morning that said the only Kerry player worthy of being called a Kerry player was David Clifford. Now, David is a great player but David will tell you that there was a fair supporting cast there today. 'We think we have a lot of good footballers but I think sometimes we're being judged on different criteria to other teams. For example, Dublin got beaten by Meath in the Leinster Championship and I didn't see any ex-Dublin players coming out slating the team or slating the management like we had down south in our county. There's a sense of commitment to the team and a sense of loyalty to the team. Unfortunately a few pundits down our way let themselves down in that regard.' Jack was on a roll now, a righteous mixture of hurt and defiance. He didn't spell out who he was talking about but you didn't need an AI search bot to make a decent guess. The only-player-worthy line was from Joe Brolly in the Sindo. The few-pundits-down-our-way is a bit broader to parse but one of them is fairly certain to be Darragh Ó Sé in The Irish Times. Even if one man's slating is another's genuine reflection on the mood of the county , all nuance is torpedoed at a time like this. When your team turns expectations on their head, those are the spoils of victory. A scutching of the All-Ireland champions makes things very simple. You Da Man. Everyone else can sit and listen for a minute. Armagh's Barry McCambridge and Andrew Murnin look to stop Brian Ó Beaglaoich of Kerry. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 'I'm not giving out from my own point of view,' O'Connor went on. 'I'm just saying. I just gave the example. I never hear Dublin players slating the team. They're loyal to the group. They're loyal to the county. They give their support. 'What's to be gained by slating people? It's the easiest thing in the world. I'm in the business of building people up. I'm not in the business of knocking people. I spent all my life coaching underage, schools, minors, under-21s, seniors – every level. I'm in the business of building people, not knocking people. 'I ask people that are knocking the group and knocking people that are involved in the group – look in the mirror and ask what have you contributed? What have you contributed to Kerry football off the field? You know what I mean? It's very easy to knock people. That's how you help Kerry football. Not knocking people.' And with that, he was up and away, his jaw set and his walk full of purpose. Five minutes later, the word came through that they have Tyrone in the semi-final. Jack is a veteran of that bailiwick too. He won't be shy about Kerry's ability to prosper in it. Not after this.
Irish Times
32 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Pádraig Harrington wins US Senior Open for second time
Pádraig Harrington has won the US Senior Open at Broadmoor Golf Club in Colorado. The Irishman finished with a final round of 67 in the Champions Tour Major on 11 under, a shot ahead of Stewart Cink on 10 under as both exchanged lead on the final day. Spaniard Miguel Angel Jimenez was third on nine under. Cink came hard at Harrington on the front nine with four birdies in a row from the second to fifth holes. But a bogey on the 15th proved costly for the American as Harrington responded to a bogey at the 10th with a birdie at the 11th and seven straight pars to win his second US Senior Open and his second senior Major overall. It is his 10th win on the Champions Tour. Philip Reid's report to follow...
RTÉ News
40 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Winger Paidi Farrell's brace of helps Ireland to opening victory over Georgia at World Rugby Under-20 Championships
Old Wesley clubman Paidi Farrell scored two tries as the Ireland got off to a winning start at the World Rugby U-20 Championship courtesy of a 35-28 win over Georgia. Farrell scored a try in each half with Henry Walker, Mahon Ronan and Charlie Molony also scoring a try each in a five try bonus point win. Tom Wood, son of former Munster, Ireland and Lions captain Keith Wood, also kicked ten points from the tee. Ireland came into this game off the back of a poor Six Nations where they won just once out of five games, but have gotten off to a perfect start in a tough pool that also features tournament hosts Italy and last year's finalists New Zealand. Despite the 6pm kick-off time in Calvisano, there were water breaks needed as the temperature hit 34 degrees. That energy sapping feeling translated onto the pitch, more so in the first half, as Ireland pulled clear in the third quarter to avoid any late drama. Neil Doak's men scored from their first possession as Farrell, who did not feature in the Six Nations, got Ireland's opening try of the championship. Munster academy duo Michael Foy and Eoghan Smyth linked up in midfield to take Ireland within striking distance of the line. Tom Wood's cross field kick found it's way to Farrell and Ireland were off the mark. The Ballina-Killaloe product Wood would extend Ireland's lead to eight a few minutes later following an impressive scrum penalty won by the Irish front-row, although this was one area the Georgian's would dominate across the game. Georgia crossed for the first of their scores right on the quarter hour through lock Gagi Margvelashvili. The Racing 92 man powered over from close range as Ireland failed to deal with the Georgian power through contact. The sides would trade tries from here, with Ireland scoring next. Tom Wood's magnificent 50/22 meant Ireland had a close to the Georgian line, and after a powerful rolling maul from all eight Irish forwards, Ulster hooker Henry Walker dotted down for his third try of the year. Georgia responded through scrum-half Giorgi Spanderashvili, who scored two quick finish tries, but the middle period of the game was dominated by Ireland. Wood landed a penalty before half-time to give Ireland a four point lead at the break, before they went up a gear. Paidi Farrell started the second half like he did the first with a run-in try in the right corner, combining with Eoghan Smyth again. Spanderashvili reduced the Margin before tries from the impressive second-row Mahon Ronan and fellow Leinster man Charlie Moloney gave Ireland a 14 point cushion heading into the final quarter. Ronan was busy throughout the contest and powered over from close range for Ireland's all important fourth try, ad bonus point score, having made an initial barnstorming carry a few phases prior. Molony's score on the hour mark put Ireland out of sight. The UCD outside back glided past the Georgian defensive line to dot down, not needing the support line of Luke Murphy in the two v one. Georgia scored late on through Shota Kheladze to give them two bonus points, but the boys in green were never tested in the closing stages. Ireland are back in action on Friday night as they face Italy in Viadana, hoping to go one better than the Six Nations clash between the two sides back in March. Ireland u-20 scorers: Tries: Paidi Farrell (2), Henry Walker, Mahon Ronan, Charlie Molony Cons: Tom Wood (2) Pens: Tom Wood (2) Georgia u-20 scorers: Tries: Giorgi Spanderashvili (2), Gagui Margvelashvili, Shota Kheladze Cons: Luka Takaishvili (4) Ireland u-20: Charlie Molony, Paidi Farrell, Ciarán Mangan, Eoghan Smyth, Derry Moloney, Tom Wood, Clark Logan; Billy Bohan, Henry Walker, Alex Mullan, Mahon Ronan, Billy Corrigan, Michael Foy, Éanna McCarthy (capt), Luke Murphy Replacements: Tom McAllister (for McCarthy, 34-44) (for Mullan, 49), Mikey Yarr (for Walker, 45-48 & 59), Alex Usanov (for Bohan, 45), Bobby Power (for McCarthy, 55), Conor Kennelly (for Corrigan, 55), Will Wooton (for Logan, 56'), Daniel Green (for Paidi Farrell, 63), Sam Wisniewski (for Smyth, 65). Georgia u-20: Luka Takaishvili, Luka Keshelava, Data Akhvlediani, Nugzari Kevkhishvili, Tarieli Burtikashvili, Gigi Sirbiladze, Giorgi Spanderashvili; Bachuki Baratashvili, Mikheil Khakhubia, Mate Gurtskaia, Temur Tsulukidze, Gagui Margvelashvili, Luka Narsia, Andro Dvali, Mikheili Shioshvili. Replacements: Archil Nozadze (for Narsia, 34-44) (for Baratashvili, 56), Davit Baramia (for Tsulukidze, 46), Shota Kheladze (for Khakhubia, 51), Giorgi Meskhidze (for Gurtskaia, 51), Nikolozi Chkhortolia (for Margvelashvili, 56), Nika Abesadze (for Narsia, 62), Temuri Dzodzuashvili (for Spanderashvili, 64), Sandro Meskhidze (for Akhvlediani, 68).
