THERE IS THE Ballygunner goal you remember vividly from Croke Park in February 2022, and the one that may not be recalled as clearly.
The Harry Ruddle thunderbolt delivered the Waterford club’s All-Ireland breakthrough, a moment of such stunning drama that it instantly attached a level of fame to the scorer.
The clock had just drifted past the 63 minute mark when Ruddle found the net, yet if it wasn’t for the strike 15 minutes previously, Ballygunner would not have plotted a route back into the game.
Four points down against a powerhouse like Ballyhale Shamrocks is a daunting scenario, but Ballygunner sourced inspiration through Dessie Hutchinson when he grabbed a long delivery from Philip Mahony and cracked home a left-hand strike under severe pressure from his marker Darren Mullen.
It paved the way for Ballygunner’s comeback and helped secured Hutchinson the man-of-the-match award amidst the celebratory scenes his team-mates were wrapped up in.
Four years on they are back in the All-Ireland final and Hutchinson’s importance to the cause is more pronounced than ever.
“Dessie, he’s not the biggest man in the world, but he’s a very good hand on him,” says former Ballygunner player and club stalwart Andy Moloney.
“That goal that he scored that time, the way he manoeuvred Darren Mullen out of the way to catch that ball and nearly in the same motion, then get the shot off for the goal, was just brilliant. Even against St Martin’s and Éire Óg (this season), he caught some great ball for a corner forward.
Dessie Hutchinson scores a goal for Ballygunner against Ballyhale. Ken Sutton / INPHO
Ken Sutton / INPHO / INPHO
“The primary possession is everything. When Dessie has the ball in his hand, he’s next on impossible to try and get it off him again.”
From whatever angle you look at Hutchinson’s season, the numbers jump off the page.
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The 2-2 to help Ballygunner survive in the Waterford semi-final against De La Salle, with both goals struck late in a frenetic finale. The 1-6 posted from play in the county final against Mount Sion, a 0-5 return against Limerick’s Na Piarsaigh, and the 2-1 tally against Cork’s Sarsfields.
The big game temperament surfaced then with 0-7 apiece in the Munster final against Clare’s Éire Óg Ennis and in the All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford’s St Martin’s.
Speaking after the provincial decider, Ballygunner boss Jason Ryan touched on what was propelling Hutchinson to greater heights.
“He’s a real driving force. His desire and the way trains, people on the outside wouldn’t realise how hard he actually works.”
For the player himself, the club has been a welcome sanctuary after a difficult season at county level. He captained Waterford for the 2025 campaign but found himself omitted from the starting side by the time they contested their last round-robin game against Cork.
“It really did (hurt),” admitted Hutchinson after pocketing a Munster medal.
Dessie Hutchinson scores a point for Ballygunner against Éire Óg. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“But it also probably gave me a bit of an edge to go and perform at the club this year. The minute you walk in the door up in Ballygunner, you just feel so calm again because you’re around people that just care so much about you and you care about them.”
Moloney traces Hutchinson’s marquee hurling days back further.
He captained the Ballygunner team that contested the 2005 Munster club final against Newtownshandrum. Hutchinson, a day shy of his 9th birthday, had a role that afternoon in Thurles.
“Dessie was our mascot that day, so that’ll tell you how long ago it was.
“I’d have played football and hurling with (his brothers) Wayne and JJ. When I was finishing up they would have been coming on. I played for four or five years with Wayne.
“The GAA is in the blood with the Hutchinsons. Every one of them excelled at both hurling and football.
“Dessie as a young kid was a very natural player. When you’d be going to matches, you’d be in the stand and I remember watching him pucking around with his father at matches at half-time.
“You could see straight away, like for the size of him, the skill level was phenomenal. He always had a hurley in his hand.”
Andy Moloney in action for Ballygunner in 2006. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Another sport was competing for his interest. His soccer talent got him noticed and prompted a move to Brighton.
Jayson Molumby was amongst his contemporaries there. In September 2017, the pair were on the south coast of England and handed starting spots in the Brighton team for a League Cup game against Bournemouth. Hutchinson was 20 then, Molumby just 18, both attempting to climb the rungs of the English soccer ladder.
But just over 12 months after that, Hutchinson was home and back on the GAA trail.
“The lads would even say that, even when he was over in Brighton, he’d be pucking a ball off the wall in his spare time,” says Moloney.
“At the start of 2019, he had just come back from the UK and actually joined in in the training sessions above and he was absolutely flying it.
“Looking back if they sprung him from the bench against Ballyhale in Thurles in that All-Ireland semi-final, he would have been a huge asset.
“At that time we still had Brian O’Sullivan playing in the forwards, obviously Pauric, Peter Hogan as well. Brian and Dessie, like they were very similar players, but obviously when Brian gave up then and Dessie came in and cemented his place the following year. Dessie just fitted in seamlessly.”
By November 2019, Hutchinson was central to Ballygunner’s hopes but on a rain-lashed afternoon in Páirc Uí Rinn, they were edged out by a point by Tipperary’s Borris-Ileigh.
Hutchinson flighted over three points that day and after Covid delayed the next Munster club hurling final taking place until January 2022. The wait did not deter Hutchinson, he was in red-hot scoring form in bagging 1-5 from play as they blitzed Limerick’s Kilmallock.
Dessie Hutchinson in action against Kilmallock in 2022. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
He maintained those high standards with 0-4 from play in the 2022 Munster final against Clare’s Ballyea, 1-1 in the 2023 final against Clare’s Clonlara, and 1-2 in defeat in the 2024 provincial showdown with Cork’s Sarsfields.
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He enters tomorrow’s game against Loughrea on a red-hot streak of scoring from, having amassed 5-28 in his last six championship games, recording 5-21 from play.
In that period, Hutchinson has scored 33 times from 48 shots (a 69% conversion rate), as noted by analyst and former Limerick boss TJ Ryan on the Irish Examiner GAA podcast this week.
With his blend of nimble movement, sharp touch and effortless striking off either side, Hutchinson has been in electric form.
“I think it just shows how committed he is to training, to working on his skills, does a lot of work in the gym, as do all the rest of the boys and it shows on the field,” says Moloney.
“The GAA is in Dessie’s blood and and he’s the kind of fella that just enjoys playing. He’s at his best when he’s happy, He plays it like a lad that’s kind of at it for the first time and looking forward to the next game.”
Four years ago, Hutchinson’s influence was key in deciding the outcome of the contest in Croke Park.
Another All-Ireland club final is set to be shaped by him tomorrow.
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'The GAA is in Dessie's blood' - Ballygunner's attacking leader chasing All-Ireland glory
THERE IS THE Ballygunner goal you remember vividly from Croke Park in February 2022, and the one that may not be recalled as clearly.
The Harry Ruddle thunderbolt delivered the Waterford club’s All-Ireland breakthrough, a moment of such stunning drama that it instantly attached a level of fame to the scorer.
The clock had just drifted past the 63 minute mark when Ruddle found the net, yet if it wasn’t for the strike 15 minutes previously, Ballygunner would not have plotted a route back into the game.
Four points down against a powerhouse like Ballyhale Shamrocks is a daunting scenario, but Ballygunner sourced inspiration through Dessie Hutchinson when he grabbed a long delivery from Philip Mahony and cracked home a left-hand strike under severe pressure from his marker Darren Mullen.
It paved the way for Ballygunner’s comeback and helped secured Hutchinson the man-of-the-match award amidst the celebratory scenes his team-mates were wrapped up in.
Four years on they are back in the All-Ireland final and Hutchinson’s importance to the cause is more pronounced than ever.
“Dessie, he’s not the biggest man in the world, but he’s a very good hand on him,” says former Ballygunner player and club stalwart Andy Moloney.
“That goal that he scored that time, the way he manoeuvred Darren Mullen out of the way to catch that ball and nearly in the same motion, then get the shot off for the goal, was just brilliant. Even against St Martin’s and Éire Óg (this season), he caught some great ball for a corner forward.
“The primary possession is everything. When Dessie has the ball in his hand, he’s next on impossible to try and get it off him again.”
From whatever angle you look at Hutchinson’s season, the numbers jump off the page.
The 2-2 to help Ballygunner survive in the Waterford semi-final against De La Salle, with both goals struck late in a frenetic finale. The 1-6 posted from play in the county final against Mount Sion, a 0-5 return against Limerick’s Na Piarsaigh, and the 2-1 tally against Cork’s Sarsfields.
The big game temperament surfaced then with 0-7 apiece in the Munster final against Clare’s Éire Óg Ennis and in the All-Ireland semi-final against Wexford’s St Martin’s.
Speaking after the provincial decider, Ballygunner boss Jason Ryan touched on what was propelling Hutchinson to greater heights.
“He’s a real driving force. His desire and the way trains, people on the outside wouldn’t realise how hard he actually works.”
For the player himself, the club has been a welcome sanctuary after a difficult season at county level. He captained Waterford for the 2025 campaign but found himself omitted from the starting side by the time they contested their last round-robin game against Cork.
“It really did (hurt),” admitted Hutchinson after pocketing a Munster medal.
“But it also probably gave me a bit of an edge to go and perform at the club this year. The minute you walk in the door up in Ballygunner, you just feel so calm again because you’re around people that just care so much about you and you care about them.”
Moloney traces Hutchinson’s marquee hurling days back further.
He captained the Ballygunner team that contested the 2005 Munster club final against Newtownshandrum. Hutchinson, a day shy of his 9th birthday, had a role that afternoon in Thurles.
“Dessie was our mascot that day, so that’ll tell you how long ago it was.
“I’d have played football and hurling with (his brothers) Wayne and JJ. When I was finishing up they would have been coming on. I played for four or five years with Wayne.
“The GAA is in the blood with the Hutchinsons. Every one of them excelled at both hurling and football.
“Dessie as a young kid was a very natural player. When you’d be going to matches, you’d be in the stand and I remember watching him pucking around with his father at matches at half-time.
“You could see straight away, like for the size of him, the skill level was phenomenal. He always had a hurley in his hand.”
Another sport was competing for his interest. His soccer talent got him noticed and prompted a move to Brighton.
Jayson Molumby was amongst his contemporaries there. In September 2017, the pair were on the south coast of England and handed starting spots in the Brighton team for a League Cup game against Bournemouth. Hutchinson was 20 then, Molumby just 18, both attempting to climb the rungs of the English soccer ladder.
But just over 12 months after that, Hutchinson was home and back on the GAA trail.
“The lads would even say that, even when he was over in Brighton, he’d be pucking a ball off the wall in his spare time,” says Moloney.
“At the start of 2019, he had just come back from the UK and actually joined in in the training sessions above and he was absolutely flying it.
“Looking back if they sprung him from the bench against Ballyhale in Thurles in that All-Ireland semi-final, he would have been a huge asset.
“At that time we still had Brian O’Sullivan playing in the forwards, obviously Pauric, Peter Hogan as well. Brian and Dessie, like they were very similar players, but obviously when Brian gave up then and Dessie came in and cemented his place the following year. Dessie just fitted in seamlessly.”
By November 2019, Hutchinson was central to Ballygunner’s hopes but on a rain-lashed afternoon in Páirc Uí Rinn, they were edged out by a point by Tipperary’s Borris-Ileigh.
Hutchinson flighted over three points that day and after Covid delayed the next Munster club hurling final taking place until January 2022. The wait did not deter Hutchinson, he was in red-hot scoring form in bagging 1-5 from play as they blitzed Limerick’s Kilmallock.
He maintained those high standards with 0-4 from play in the 2022 Munster final against Clare’s Ballyea, 1-1 in the 2023 final against Clare’s Clonlara, and 1-2 in defeat in the 2024 provincial showdown with Cork’s Sarsfields.
He enters tomorrow’s game against Loughrea on a red-hot streak of scoring from, having amassed 5-28 in his last six championship games, recording 5-21 from play.
In that period, Hutchinson has scored 33 times from 48 shots (a 69% conversion rate), as noted by analyst and former Limerick boss TJ Ryan on the Irish Examiner GAA podcast this week.
With his blend of nimble movement, sharp touch and effortless striking off either side, Hutchinson has been in electric form.
“I think it just shows how committed he is to training, to working on his skills, does a lot of work in the gym, as do all the rest of the boys and it shows on the field,” says Moloney.
“The GAA is in Dessie’s blood and and he’s the kind of fella that just enjoys playing. He’s at his best when he’s happy, He plays it like a lad that’s kind of at it for the first time and looking forward to the next game.”
Four years ago, Hutchinson’s influence was key in deciding the outcome of the contest in Croke Park.
Another All-Ireland club final is set to be shaped by him tomorrow.
*****
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