Waterford captain Conor Murray shot 2-2 from play in the second half as Rathgormack defeated Gaultier 3-7 to 0-6 and reached their fourth Waterford SFC final in a row at a rainy Walsh Park.
Stephen Curry also found the net for Kenny Hassett's men while Jason Curry slotted five dead balls. The green and red outworked their opponents all over the field. The winning margin would have been greater only for two point blank saves from Gaultier number one David Whitty.
JJ Hutchinson scored all six points for the losing team. The skipper finished the championship with 2-26 in four outings. Gaultier ended the game with fourteen men as Barry Couglan was dismissed on two yellow cards.
Jason Curry nailed two early frees as Gaultier lost Gary Cullinane to a black card in the fifth minute. JJ Hutchinson brought the sides level with two beauties off his right boot.
On 15 minutes, Curry won a turnover on Patrick Fitzgerald and drove a kick pass into Conor Murray. He slipped the ball inside to Stephen Curry who dummied to shoot left but finished to the right corner of the net instead. A minute later, Jason Curry was denied by David Whitty. Curry's third free of the half gave Rathgormack a 1-3 to 0-2 lead at the break.
Whitty saved from Stephen Curry at the start of the second period as the rain bucketed down. Jason Curry converted the subsequent 45. Murray added two right footed points from play. JJ Hutchinson ploughed a lone furrow up front for Gaultier as younger brother Dessie, Patrick Fitzgerald and Mark Fitzgerald were all held scoreless.
Two late Murray goals sealed victory fo Rathgormack. On 56 minutes, he took a pass from Jason Curry and found the bottom corner. Two minutes later, Stephen Curry intercepted a short kickout and supplied Murray who rippled the cobwebs once again.
Scorers for Rathgormack: C Murray 2-2, J Curry 0-5 (4fs, 1 45), S Curry 1-0.
Scorers for Gaultier: JJ Hutchinson 0-6 (3fs).
Rathgormack: P Hunt; C Crowch, C Walsh, L Connolly; W Hahessy, M Power, G Power; D Hennebry, M Curry; J Power, J Curry, B Power; R Elliffe, S Curry, C Murray.
Subs: R Flynn for G Power (46), J Gleeson for Flynn (53).
Gaultier: D Whitty; A Jones, B Coughlan, N Byrne; G Flynn, G Cullinane, D Lynch; D Jones, C Maguire; N McSweeney, M Fitzgerald, B O'Keeffe; P Fitzgerald, JJ Hutchinson, D Hutchinson.
Subs: C O'Neill for N McSweeney (28), S Cullinane for G Cullinane (Blood, 39-47), S Cullinane for B O'Keeffe (54), E McSweeney for D Jones (59), D O'Keeffe for G Cullinane (62).
Referee: T Tobin
