SH qualifier: Na Deise dump Cats AET

July 08, 2017

Waterford's Jake Dillon and Padraig Walsh of Kilkenny.
©INPHO/Cathal Noonan.

Waterford have recorded their first championship victory over Kilkenny since 1959 - 4-23 to 2-22 after extra time at Thurles.

The stunning Round Two Qualifier win - earned courtesy of goals in each period of extra time from Man of the Match Jamie Barron and substitute Maurice Shanahan - sends Derek McGrath's charges through to an All-Ireland quarter-final later this month.

With 33,181 watching on, Kilkenny looked dead and buried when trailing by 2-15 to 1-10 with less than twelve minutes of regulation time left but dug deep into their famed reserves of invincibility to reel off an unanswered 1-5 salvo - including a second TJ Reid goal - to force extra time. Reid finished the game with a superb 2-12 personal tally.

But, Reid's scoring exploits and that amazing fourth-quarter recovery aside, this is not a campaign that Brian Cody's charges will remember with any fondness as they played three games and lost two, against near neighbours. They didn't even get to play on a Sunday! Nor did they have an outing at Croke Park!

Reid's excellent penalty goal appeared to have thrown the Cats a lifeline towards the end of the opening half but Michael 'Brick' Walsh found their net in first-half injury time to give Na Deise a 1-10 to 1-5 half-time advantage.

Pauric Mahony registered the first two points of the game from frees before Kevin Moran cancelled out a Richie Hogan score and Mahony ('65') exchanged points with Reid. Two more Mahony frees had the winners six-two up after 17 minutes.

Austin Gleeson's incredible point and another from Jake Dillon saw the Suirsiders move five clear after Reid converted a Cats free and Eoin Murphy's point was cancelled out by Mahony's sixth before Reid netted his 33rd-minute penalty following a foul on Hogan, 1-4 to 0-9.

Gleeson and Kieran Kelly pointed at either end and it was Walsh who had the last say of the first half as he netted in the second minute of added time to give his team a five-point interval cushion.

Lester Ryan and Reid (2) reduced the Kilkenny arrears to just two points within seven minutes of the restart but back came Na Deise with points from Barron and reigning Hurler of the Year Gleeson (2) - 1-13 to 1-8 after 50 minutes.

Reid hammered over a sensational Kilkenny point from out the field but the winners replied with interest as Shane Bennett was on hand to plunder their second three-pointer in the 54th minute. A Moran point left eight between the teams with 15 minutes remaining, 2-14 to 1-9.

Lester Ryan sent a Kilkenny goal effort wide and Reid pulled back a pointed free with 13 minutes left, only for that man Gleeson to again reply for the winners - his fifth score of the night! Points from Ryan and Reid had the Black & Amber back within six with eight minutes left.

In true Cats fashion, Reid delivered their second goal in the 66th minute and points from Ger Aylward and Richie Leahy reduced their arrears to the minimum. Colin Fennelly equalised in the third minute of injury time, a score which determined that extra time would be needed. Shanahan had a chance to win it for Waterford but his late, late free went wide.

Unruffled by that stirring Kilkenny comeback, Waterford kicked on to lead by 3-19 to 2-18 at half time in extra time, Barron despatching their third three-pointer at the end of a great run in the 79th minute. Barrron and Lester Ryan traded the first two points of extra time and Reid fired the Cats ahead for the first and only time before Patrick Curran and Barron replied.

After Shanahan edged the winners back ahead from a free, Barron slipped the sliothar to the Kilkenny net for the third time as his side led by four with ten minutes left.

Shanahan brilliantly delivered the fourth Na Deise goal early in the second period of added time, in between a couple of converted Reid frees. Tommy Ryan and Shanahan added to the winners' tally, with Leahy and the outstanding Reid - from a deflected free - replying for the Black & Amber, who couldn't stage a second miraculous recovery on the same evening as the first. Not even the Cats can do that!

In the end, Na Deise brought the curtain down on 58 years of pain (nine defeats, one draw...) at the hands of their nearest and dearest neighbours as an amazing hurling championship got even better.

Waterford - S O'Keeffe; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; D Fives, T de Burca, Philip Mahony; C Gleeson, J Barron (1-3); K Moran (0-2), A Gleeson (0-5), J Dillon (0-1); Shane Bennett (1-0), M Walsh (1-0), Pauric Mahony (0-6, 5f, 1'65). Subs: P Curran (0-1) for J Dillon, Stephen Bennett for Shane Bennett, M Shanahan (1-3, 0-3f) for M Walsh, B O'Halloran for Pauric Mahony, T Ryan (0-2) for Stephen Bennett, C Dunford for P Curran, S McNulty for N Connors.

Kilkenny - E Murphy (0-1f); P Murphy, C Buckley, P Walsh; J Lyng, R Lennon, C Fogarty; P Deegan, M Fennelly; K Kelly (0-1), TJ Reid (2-12, 1-0pen, 0-10f, 0-1'65), W Walsh; R Hogan (0-1), C Fennelly (0-1), JJ Farrell. Subs: G Aylward (0-1) for JJ Farrell, L Ryan (0-3) for P Deegan, C Bolger for K Kelly, R Leahy (0-2) for R Hogan, L Blanchfield for M Fennelly, M Bergin for C Bolger, R Hogan for G Aylward.

Referee - J Owens.


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