Ballygunner blitz Sars to keep three-in-a-row Munster bid on track
Two minutes into injury-time at the end of this Munster club quarter-final, the lady operating the public address system informed the crowd of 2,596 that “all exit gates were now open”.
This information was not required. A chunk of the attendance had already located their nearest departure route and headed for home. They didn’t need to hang around for the outcome. That had long been determined.
For the third autumn in a row, the eight-week gap between Ballygunner’s latest Waterford win and their opening provincial bout proved no issue at all.
This 17-point hammering extended their unbeaten run in Munster to seven games. It gives a firm pulse to their three-in-a-row provincial bid. The team bus that will bring them to Limerick in a fortnight had no dent or scrape left on it here. Their engine, even on heavy sod, continues to hum.
For Sars, this 17-point hammering represented the club’s fifth consecutive defeat on the provincial stage.
The hammering means a seventh consecutive defeat for the Cork representatives in Munster. Glen Rovers’ 2016 semi-final win over Patrickswell continues to stand as the last victory by a Cork team.
James Sweeney of Sarsfields is tackled by Ronan Power of Ballygunner during the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship quarter-final match between Ballygunner and Sarsfields at Walsh Park in Waterford. Photo by Eóin Noonan/SportsfileBallygunner’s breeze-backed opening half had them returning to the dressing-room 1-12 to 0-6 in front.
Their first priority turning around for the second period was to ensure Sars made no early inroads and derived a bit of belief from such. It was a task they executed mercilessly.
Dessie Hutchinson, Patrick Fitzgerald, and a pair of Pauric Mahony frees saw the reigning Munster champions outscore the Cork winners by 0-4 to 0-1 in the seven minutes after half-time. An interval gap of nine stretched out to 12.
Sars, despite the elements behind them, managed only three second half points. They endured second half scoreless spells of eight, 10, and 14 minutes.
Patrick Fitzgerald was the pick of Ballygunner’s many second half contributors. He threw over three excellent points and was fouled for a Mahony free.
Their second goal had the assist from Dessie and the finish from Kevin Mahony. The 56th minute green flag moved their advantage out to 16.
Sars’ reintroduction to Munster fare after nine years away was to face Ballygunner and the elements in the opening half.
As if Ballygunner alone wasn’t enough of a Rubik's cube for Johnny Crowley's charges, throwing the breeze on top of them too was unnecessarily harsh.
Come half-time, the Cork champions were close to having their last rites delivered.
Ballygunner’s approach to the breeze at their back was to go route one often. A simple approach. An effective one too.
It was this lumping of long ball in on top of Hutchinson and Fitzgerald that delivered the quarter-final’s opening goal.
After Cathal McCarthy opened the Sars account on 11 minutes, Stephen O’Keeffe’s ensuing restart landed below on the opposition 20-metre line. Hutchinson, as he did for so much of the opening period, snatched up the break, offloaded to Peter Hogan and he buried.
Hogan’s goal added to the early four-in-a-row from Pauric Mahony (0-3, two frees) and Hutchinson had the Waterford maestros now six in front. Five was as small as the gap stood over the ensuing 50-plus minutes of one-sided action.
Ballygunner’s Kevin Mahony and Conor O'Sullivan of Sarsfields. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Ryan ByrneSars, who utilised Conor O’Sullivan as a seventh and sweeping defender, were for the most part composed in playing short restarts through the lines. Their difficulty was the final product. And winning clean possession within range of Stephen O’Keeffe’s posts to make sure the final product stuck.
They finished the first half with six white flags and five wides. Only two of those white flags came from play, the rest were placed balls dissected by Myers.
In the closing light of the first half, the aforementioned McCarthy and Myers struck back-to-back wides. In play following Myers’ missed 65, Dessie clipped his third point at the far end.
It was a metaphor for the half just gone and would prove a metaphor for the half still to come: scores just came so much easier to the Waterford champions. They didn’t need to expend half as much energy or thought into engineering white flags.
Mikey Mahony’s 29th minute contribution meant all six Ballygunner forwards were on the scoresheet.
The repeated refrain from the Sars management was “touch-tight”. Among the many boxes that the Cork champions failed to tick, that was one of the more basic ones.
Scorers for Ballygunner: Pauric Mahony (0-7, 0-6 frees); P Fitzgerald (0-5); D Hutchinson (0-4); K Mahony (1-1); P Hogan (1-0); C Sheahan, M Mahony, B O’Keeffe (0-1 each).
Scorers for Sarsfields: A Myers (0-6, 0-3 frees, 0-1 ‘65); Cathal McCarthy, D Hogan, C Darcy (0-1 each).
Ballygunner: S O’Keeffe; Philip Mahony, B Coughlan, I Kenny; S O’Sullivan, T Foley, R Power; C Sheahan, P Leavey; P Hogan, Pauric Mahony, M Mahony; K Mahony, D Hutchinson, P Fitzgerald.
Subs: H Ruddle for Philip Mahony, B O’Keeffe for Leavey (both 55); C Power for Pauric Mahony, S Harney for Kenny (both 56); A O’Neill for P Fitzgerald (58).
Sarsfields: D McCarthy; P Leopold, C Leahy, Cathal McCarthy; L Elliott, E Murphy, B Murphy; D Kearney, Colm McCarthy; J O’Connor, L Hackett, A Myers; D Hogan, C Darcy, C O’Sullivan.
Subs: B Nodwell for Hackett (HT); L Healy for Leopold (37); J Sweeney for Colm McCarthy (40); S O’Regan for D Kearney (45); D Long for Hogan (56).
Referee: C Doyle (Tipperary).
