Sport

Déise turn attention towards Cats after dumping Dubs out

Maurice Shanahan celebrates after firing home a Waterford goal early in the second half of Sunday's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Dublin at Semple Stadium&nbsp;<br />Picture: John McIlwaine&nbsp;
Maurice Shanahan celebrates after firing home a Waterford goal early in the second half of Sunday's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Dublin at Semple Stadium 
Picture: John McIlwaine 
Maurice Shanahan celebrates after firing home a Waterford goal early in the second half of Sunday's All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Dublin at Semple Stadium 
Picture: John McIlwaine 

All-Ireland SHC quarter-final: Dublin 1-19 Waterford 2-21  

WATERFORD boss Derek McGrath is relishing the prospect of an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with champions Kilkenny on August 9.

The Déise saw off the challenge of Dublin by five points at Semple Stadium on Sunday to book a place in the last four. And McGrath vowed: “We are going up to Croke Park and we are going to be as competitive as we can be against a force that seem to be able to cope with these five-week breaks better than anyone else.

“It is great to look forward to for the people of Waterford, a semi-final against Kilkenny, great for the people in the city and around that area, there will be a bit of banter in the coming weeks, a bit of nature. We can learn a lot from Kilkenny and their whole approach, the absolute savagery and ravenous nature when it comes to winning and their humility when they win.”

Waterford had second half goals from Shane Bennett and Maurice Shanahan to floor a Dublin team that finished with 14 men. Liam Rushe was sent off in stoppage time for a strike to the head on Shanahan as the clock ticked down.

For Waterford, it’s a first All-Ireland semi-final since 2011 and McGrath’s charges have renewed momentum after suffering their first defeat in League or Championship this year in the Munster final against Tipperary.

Shanahan was the scoring star against Dublin, with a brilliant haul of 1-12, including 1-2 from play. But when Waterford got on a roll in the second half, their brilliant former All-Ireland minor winner Austin Gleeson was superb. Gleeson scored 0-4, including one breathtaking second half sideline cut.

Skipper Kevin Moran and Colin Dunford finished with a brace of points each and Jake Dillon chipped in with a second half score.

For Dublin, this was a disappointing exit as they were right in contention in the first half before Waterford scorched clear after the break.

Bennett’s 37th minute goal was a huge blow, but a brilliant strike from the young Ballysaggart player. Bennett’s first touch was off as he tried to collect Shanahan’s precise diagonal ball, but his second was magnificent as he lashed home a vicious groundstroke. That score provided the platform for Waterford to push on and a magnificent Gleeson point in the 52nd minute had them seven clear – 1-19 to 0-15.

Mark Schutte gave Dublin a glimmer of hope with a goal at the Killinan End after he took a delivery from Ryan O’Dwyer. Schutte’s strike had enough to beat Stephen O’Keeffe, who got a stick to it but couldn’t keep it out. Dublin were four points down then and twice more before the finish, but Shanahan’s killer goal close to the finish killed the game off.

Bennett turned provider this time and Shanahan’s finish was precise and low into the bottom corner of Gary Maguire’s net. 

But just a point separated the teams at half-time, with Dublin ahead by 0-13 to 0-12. In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Danny Sutcliffe’s third point separated the sides and that score capped a bright spell for the Dubs before the break.

Down by two points, 0-10 to 0-12, the Sky Blues reeled off the last three points of the first half, Paul Ryan’s free followed by a Sutcliffe brace from play.

It was a half that was level eight times, in keeping with pre-match predictions that this one would be a tight affair. Both teams set themselves up as hard to break down, with Tadhg de Búrca sweeping for Waterford as Liam Rushe and Chris Crummey appeared to split the sweeper shift at the other end.

It was a half with no real goal chance, although Bennett may have been better advised to transfer a pass left to Shanahan rather than attempting a shot in the 29th minute. Maguire, who was fortunate that the sliotar didn’t squirt behind him and into his own net, shunted Bennett’s strike out for a 65. Maguire’s roll-lift on his endline appeared to have stayed in play but the umpires deemed otherwise and Shanahan converted the 65 for the seventh of his eight first half points.

Another Shanahan free put some daylight between the sides before Dublin, assisted by the breeze blowing towards the Town End, produced that late salvo to edge ahead at the break. Waterford also suffered a blow four minutes before the interval when former Allstar corner-back Noel Connors limped off, to be replaced by Steven Daniels.

“A very bad dead leg,” McGrath said. 

“He’ll do some recovery now in the Horse and Jockey and our physio team will assess him as the evening goes on but it doesn’t look good at this stage. It might take three or four days to fully assess it.”

Dublin boss Ger Cunningham admitted: “That first 10 minutes at the start of the second half was the crucial period of the game, I think they scored a goal and four or five points to our one or two points.”

Waterford: S O’Keeffe; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; D Fives, T De Búrca, P Mahony; A Gleeson (0-4, 0-1 sl), J Barron; K Moran (0-2), Shane Bennett, M Walsh; M Shanahan (1-12, 0-8 frees, 0-2 65s), J Dillon (0-1), C Dunford (0-2); Subs: S Daniels for Connors (31), P Curran for Dunford (55), T Devine for Dillon (69), Stephen Bennett for Shane Bennett (70+2), E Barrett for Gleeson (70+2).


Dublin: G Maguire; S Barrett, C O’Callaghan, P Schutte; C Crummey (0-1), L Rushe, J Boland; J McCaffrey, N McMorrow (0-1); P Ryan (0-5 f), D Sutcliffe (0-3), R O’Dwyer (0-2); D O’Callaghan (0-3), C Keaney, M Schutte (1-2); Subs: P Kelly for Barrett (47), C Boland for McMorrow (54), D Treacy (0-2, 1 65) for Ryan (64), E Dillon for Keaney (67), O O’Rourke for Sutcliffe (70+2). 


Referee: J Ryan (Tipperary)