Ballymacarbry selector Michael Ryan believes that they will have to pull out all the stops to dethrone reigning Munster and All Ireland champions Mourneabbey this afternoon. For the third year in a row, they face each other in the provincial final.
"They won the All Ireland last year, they have half dozen of the Cork players, they have a very formidable forward line anyway but to add Noelle Healy to it is going to improve them even more. I would certainly say that we're better this year than we were last year. I think Michael O'Sullivan the manager has done a great job. The team have trained really, really hard and prepared well. We're certainly better than we were last year. Whether that's good enough or not, remains to be seen. We should relish this challenge and take it on and fight for every ball. We fully realise that to win we'll have to produce the performance of our lives but we're capable of doing that."
The 38 in a row Waterford winners have lost ten Munster A finals since their last success in 2000, all to Cork opposition. This Mourneabbey machine is one of the biggest obstacles Ballymac have faced since Ryan first got involved in the early eighties. "It reminds me very much of the first team that won it back in 1985. We had been beaten in a couple of finals and semi finals. It didn't come easy to us, we had to work really hard for it. There came a day when it all came together and it all clicked. Hopefully that day for us will be Sunday."
Throw in is at 3 o'clock in Bansha.
