Well Done Waterford!

All-Ireland MHC Semi-Final:

Waterford 2-12; Kilkenny 0-16

Congratulations to Waterford minor hurlers on their two-point victory over Kilkenny in yesterdays All-Ireland minor hurling semi-final played at Croke Park. For more than ten years many people have worked hard at developing hurling at juvenile level in Waterford. During that period Waterford teams have been successful in inter-county competitions at under fourteen and under sixteen level. In post primary school competitions Waterford schools have achieved success at Munster and All-Ireland level; now their minors are one game away from winning the All-Ireland title for the first time since 1948. The winning team then contained players who went on to play leading roles with successful Waterford senior teams in the fifties and early sixties.

In respect to yesterday's team, I liked the way they used a certain amount of first-time striking: this is an essential element to the success of the hurling game which has disappeared for many years. There is a problem with the type of refereeing we have nowadays: if a player pulls first time on the ball and unfortunately makes contact with an opponent, he could get a red card. A transgression which is obviously accidental should not warrant a card of any colour. Another thing I have noticed at the present time is that when a player falls without having contact from an opponent he gets a free. Finally, players should keep the spare arm away from an opponent in both hurling and football—there are other methods to harass and prevent him from playing the ball.