Waterford the final Munster unknown ahead of match-up with bogey team Clare

The 42

26-04-2025

TEN OF THE 11 counties entered in the All-Ireland Championship were togged out last weekend and asked to produce the fruits of four-and-a-half months of training and meticulous planning.
The one remaining wildcard is Waterford, who enter the fray this weekend to welcome All-Ireland champions Clare to Walsh Park.
The sense of unknown around the Déise is heightened by the fact they didn't line out in the Hurling League top tier either, meaning there was no benchmark set against any Munster rivals this spring.
They didn't even hold a full deck to play with for any of the League campaign. Of their five players who carry All-Stars, only Jamie Barron was fit to play a full part.
They lost their opener to Carlow but as they slowly filtered back those experienced names, results returned to a more expected trajectory, ending with League silverware against Offaly.
Plus, there is a new management team in tow, although it is something of a continuity ticket with Peter Queally donning Davy Fitz's bainisteoir bib and Eoin Kelly of Tipperary continuing as his right-hand man. Dan Shanahan, who served under Derek McGrath, has also returned to the sideline.
Peter Queally protests a late 65 awarded to Clare at Cusack Park in 2024. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
This time three years ago, the Déise were considered the most likely contenders to topple Limerick's All-Ireland march. They haven't escaped their province since then.
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That final year under Liam Cahill began with victory over Tipperary but they lost their next six consecutive Munster games across his departure and Davy Fitzgerald's beginning until downing Tipp again in a dead-rubber contest.
They shocked Cork at the start of last year but couldn't pick up the second win they needed to progress.
Through that run, it was always Clare who applied the most destructive defeats.
In 2021, with Waterford coming off an All-Ireland final appearance, Clare brought them back down to earth by knocking them out of the Munster Championship at Semple Stadium. They thumped Waterford's running game with hard tackling and tracked every overlap. They opened up a nine-point lead and though they only won by four, it would've been so much more but for 22 wides.
It was only more comprehensive for their 2022 knockout at Cusack Park. A Tony Kelly-less Clare demolished their transitions from short puck-outs to rack up a lead of 19 by the end of the third quarter. It was trimmed to 12 for a finish. The Banner sprayed 20 wides that day. It proved Cahill's final outing at the helm.
For much of the term that followed, Fitzgerald claimed that defeat had inflicted 'emotional damage', which Cahill rejected.
That year, inaccuracy and indiscipline cost 14-man Waterford as they suffered another elimination at the hands of Brian Lohan's team in Thurles. The margin of defeat was, again, 12 points.
In 2024, they finally gave Clare a right rattle. Despite dropping as many as eight behind in Ennis, the Déise continuously pegged them back, only to fall to a last-gasp 65. In the final accounting, that lost point would've secured their progress and eliminated Cork with a round remaining.
Waterford's Kieran Bennett tackles Tony Kelly of Clare. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
With Clare carrying a hard-fought draw against Cork in their legs, Waterford will have them lined up for a fall. Whether they are sharp enough to do so is another thing.
The Liam MacCarthy holders are eternally battle-hardened and have proven their ability to dig out results even when underperforming.
They conjured up 3-5 from 11 open-play shots in the second half against Cork. It was a game they had no right to draw, yet they almost won. What's more, Clare have averaged 3-25 against the Déise these past years.
Waterford don't have the same track record. They took a high volume of shots in the League final yet laboured to break Offaly's momentum when they came with a remarkable 1-8 streak.
The Faithful troubled them with some direct supply into the forwards, which the likes of Peter Duggan and Aron Shanagher would thrive on. The Déise have rarely got to grips with Tony Kelly either. He could drift away from Tadhg de Búrca, who prefers to sit off.
Waterford will be boosted by getting to host Clare at Walsh Park for the first time since 2019, when the Banner held off a late revival to win by one.
Stephen Bennett did the most damage that day with 0-11 and they will turn to him again for the bulk of scores on Sunday. They need Dessie Hutchinson in form and some game time from Kevin Mahony, who impressed in Ennis last year, would be beneficial.
Until we see further evidence, they are the team with the most questions still to be answered. No better examination than the All-Ireland champions in their backyard.
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