The Big Match is with thanks to George Corbett Cupra
“When I started playing hurling at three or four years of age, the only thing you really wanted was a county medal with your own club.”
For Austin Gleeson, now 30, that dream still burns as brightly as ever. Despite two All-Ireland medals with Waterford at underage level, All-Stars, and a coveted Hurler of the Year award, the ultimate prize has always been closer to home – lifting a county title with Mount Sion.
It is a prize that has proved elusive. Gleeson’s first county final appearance came in 2014, but he admits he thought there would be plenty more. Eleven years on, this is just his third.
“This is the one medal I haven’t got my hands on,” he says. “It would mean everything.”
The road back to this year’s final has been anything but smooth. Mount Sion rode their luck against Clonea in the quarter-finals, with Gleeson openly acknowledging their opponents “probably should have beaten us.” Then came last weekend’s dramatic late success against rivals Roanmore – but what carried them through, he insists, was sheer grit.
“The resilience we showed after going down to 14 men was absolutely incredible. We just never gave up.”
In the semi-final, Gleeson embodied that determination, pushing up from centre-back into the forwards in the dying moments. Two huge high catches swung the game.
“All I tried to do was muster my way in and win them,” he explained. “One of them I just hit and hoped, and luckily it went over. For the other, I knew I was about to be blown for steps so I popped it out, and thankfully Adam Regan did the rest.”
Now the stage is set. For Gleeson and Mount Sion, the county final is more than another fixture—it is a chance to turn years of frustration into fulfilment. Not since 2006 have Sion got their hands on the News & Star Cup.
“I thought I’d be back here plenty of times,” he reflects. “But this is only the third. All we want to do now is go out, perform again, and finally get over the line.”
Standing in the way of Mount Sion are a Ballygunner team chasing more history – victory on Sunday would win them an unprecedented 12th successive Waterford Senior Hurling Championship crown.
They also may have rode their luck against De La Salle, but they’re still 65 games unbeaten – the perennial standard setters.
Manager Jason Ryan says they handle the pressure of wearing the black and red shirt.
“There’s a certain amount of pressure every time you go out and play for Ballygunner due to the amount of games they’ve won and how many years and so on and so on. The lads handle that well.”
Can Mount Sion cause the upset or does the juggernaut keep purring? Join Kieran O’Connor and Andy Moloney LIVE from 2.15pm this Sunday to find out.
The Big Match is with thanks to George Corbett Cupra
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