The curtain came down on an unprecedented annus mirabilis for Waterford hurling at windswept and rainsoaked Semple Stadium on Sunday last…

Two Munster club championships (involving different clubs) and a senior intercounty Munster title in the space of twelve months is the kind of scenario which, a short time ago, was the stuff of deluded fantasising down by the Suirside. Clare, of course, have already gone through this rags to riches transition in the last seven years, as Offaly had done before them in the 1980s. It is good to see the democratisation of the great old game continuing, and with a bit of luck we will see it embracing Antrim, Laois and Dublin in the not-too-distant future.

Last Sunday’s Mount Sion victory was a very significant step in the current development of Waterford hurling. While Ballygunner finally got the Clare monkey off their backs when defeating St Josephs Doora-Barefield in the first round of last year’s Munster championship, the lustre of victory was tarnished somewhat by the fact that the Claremen were reaching exhaustion after several years on the road at the highest level, and by the fact that the Waterford champions had the benefit of home advantage on that occasion. In the All-Ireland semi-final this year, Clare had once more asserted their authority over the Déise when it really mattered.

Mount Sion therefore went into last Sunday’s game with the apprehension of an entire county weighing them down. Not that they would have been short of self-doubt themselves in any case: two years ago they were psyched out and blown away by the very same team that now stood in the way of back-to-back titles for Waterford. Both the fact that they prevailed and the manner in which they prevailed, in the most difficult of circumstances, was a magnificent achievement. The horrendous playing conditions were, of course, the same for both teams but, if anything, should have favoured the physically stronger Sixmilebridge outfit. But to have your inspirational centre back sidelined after only a few minutes and then see a newly-crowned All-Star reduced to the status of a passenger with scarcely one third of the game gone was surely piling misfortune on adversity.

Prior to the throw-in last Sunday, the big topic of discussion among the frozen fanatics huddling in the new stand was whether it would be better to play with, or against, the gale force wind and driving rain. Ten minutes after the throw-in, Mount Sion certainly appeared to have made a bad call, as they struggled to get the hang of the unfamiliar playing conditions. Eventually the scores began to come with some regularity, although Davy Fitzgerald’s typical heroics denied the Waterford men the goals one felt would be necessary to survive the expected second half onslaught.

At the interval, the Mount Sion supporters appeared to be very downhearted by the slender nature of their lead, although An Moltóir was of the view that they were playing well after a slow start and if they could keep it up they would be in with a chance. They got the best possible restart with an early score, and then the Bridge began the inexorable process of whittling down the Sion lead. When Rusty Chaplin’s mishit shot dropped over the bar to bring the sides level, it looked all over for the Déise champions. It was then that Mount Sion displayed qualities one does not normally associate with Waterford teams on the brink of oblivion. They played some superb hurling in that last ten minutes, using the handpass, the first time pull and the cross-field ball to great effect to deny the Claremen vital possession and force desperation into their play.

In the circumstances, Ken McGrath’s lead point, driven across the wind from the left touchline, surpassed his first-half peaches from under the two stands – especially as, only minutes before, he had missed a much simpler chance from in front of the posts. Then he dashed fifty yards to receive Eoin Kelly’s pinpoint pass to strike the ensurance point. This contribution of Kelly’s – who could scarcely hold his hurley with his broken finger – was almost akin to that of Seanie McMahon, with his dislocated shoulder, in the epic closing stages of Clare’s breakthrough win over Cork in the 1995 championship.

Not only do Sixmilebridge wear the same strip as the Clare county team, they play like them also. In other words, there is loads of application and an ability to suffocate the opposition by hunting in packs, but ultimately they lack a cutting edge in attack. Not that Mount Sion are bristling with sharpshooters, but in Ken McGrath and Mícheál White they have two players who always look likely to score when in possession. This was possibly White’s best performance on a hurling field since he graduated from minor ranks. Apart from his first half hat-trick of points, he played an extremely effective second half with his first-time approach which simultaneously prevented him from being bottled up and repeatedly unsettled the Sixmilebridge rearguard. Reportedly omitted from Justin McCarthy’s preliminary panel for new year training, White must surely have hurled himself back into contention, although he again displayed elements of the brittle temperament which, more than anything else, has prevented him from realising his vast potential.

Sixmilebridge will undoubtedly feel hard done by some of referee Willie Barrett’s decisions in the second half. He missed Anthony Kirwan’s tug on Niall Gilligan’s jersey when the Bridge full forward kicked the ball wide in the second half (although to be fair, An Moltóir had to rerun the videotape to ascertain that a tug had been administered). And there were a couple of other incidents where Bridge forwards were stopped in their tracks in very dodgy fashion without penalty. However, the conditions were very difficult for refereeing and Barrett generally did a good job in the circumstances.

An Moltóir was not as surprised as some people appeared to be at Birr’s clearcut victory over Gowran. In fact, if it had been a fine day, the gap between the sides would probably have been even larger. The general standard of hurling in the Kilkenny county final was very poor, and Birr just looked much better equipped in every department bar DeeJay. Their semi-final clash with Athenry should be a real epic, with the winners hot favourites to go all the way. Mount Sion will nevertheless be fancying their own chances, but the tendency to complacency which they displayed in their Munster games against Adare and Mullinahone could cost them dear if they are not careful against Dunloy. The Antrim club threw away an All-Ireland title against Birr a few years ago and provide the backbone of the county team that so impressed in Croke Park last August. All in all, therefore, lots to look forward to in 2003.