1. Another stunning Waterford U21 display
Waterford’s coronation as All-Ireland U21 hurling champions took place in Thurles tonight and the nature of this latest display means their status as title holders can scarcely be disputed. Sean Power’s side had 16 points to spare over Galway and it was in keeping with a season where they have blitzed opponents.
On home soil at Walsh Park in Munster, they saw off Clare and Tipperary by 18 and 10 points respectively. Then last month in the All-Ireland semi-final Waterford were victors against Antrim by 29 points in Semple Stadium and back at the same venue tonight they recorded another victory by a double-digit margin.
There’s been massive expectations surrounding this Waterford U21 squad all year but they have risen to the challenge magnificently in each outing.
2. Waterford’s powerful start results in another one-sided final
The U21 hurling grade relentlessly serves up engaging fare but there has been a theme of lopsided deciders recently. Limerick were victors by 16 points against Wexford twelve months ago, while in 2013 Clare comfortably breezed past Antrim by 22 points. The sense before tonight’s clash was that Waterford’s sheer class would see them overwhelm Galway and their opening quarter display ensured this would not be a tight contest.
Waterford raised three green flags in that first quarter courtesy of DJ Foran, Patrick Curran and Stephen Bennett. Those strikes demonstrated the level of attacking talent they possessed that saw them rip the Galway defence apart.
There were clear parallels between Waterford’s devastating opening display and that which Tipperary produced en route to their 2010 U21 final destruction of Galway. This contest was killed off early on.
3. Galway battle but endure a tough night
Memories of that harrowing 2010 U21 experience must have come flooding back for Galway hurling fans tonight. They trailed by nine points in the 15th minute and 13 points by the interval. It looked a damage limitation exercise for Galway in the second-half as they were colliding with a superior force.
Galway battled manfully though as they tried to salvage something from the match. While Waterford clearly edged the battle in the physical stakes, Galway notched a series of stylish points after the break from Sean Linnane, Conor Whelan, Brian Molloy and Eanna Burke.
Waterford’s late scoring spree confirmed the end result but at least Tony Ward saw his side produce some fight in the second-half.
4. Bennett and Curran catch fire
When Waterford claimed the All-Ireland minor final win in 2013, Stephen Bennett and Patrick Curran wreaked havoc in attack with a combined total of 1-11 in Croke Park. Three years on, Galway again found out to their cost just how deadly the Ballysaggart and Dungarvan players are in front of goal.
Bennett struck two sublime goals while also creating another and Curran’s end total of 1-9 demonstrated his sharpshooting skills from play and placed balls. This is Bennett’s last game at U21 level while Curran is still eligible for the grade next year. Tonight proved they have the capacity to be future mainstays in the Waterford senior forward line.
5. Victory rounds off a progressive 2016 for Waterford
Four weeks ago, Waterford played their part in an epic Semple Stadium showdown. That was of little consolation as they felt the searing pain of defeat in that senior semi-final replay against Kilkenny. Tonight provided a marked contrast for the Waterford fans at the Thurles venue, as a thrilling U21 performance left them in full voice.
It caps off a year of great progression for Waterford hurling. The senior side reached the league final, Munster final and took Kilkenny to the wire. This U21 success will infuse hurling circles in the county with enthusiasm. There’s big senior hurdles to overcome but Waterford must be positive with the prospects they possess.
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