Roanmore and Abbeyside meet in what could be one of the closest quarter-finals of the 2026 JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford Club Senior Hurling Championship this Sunday.

The third quarter-final of the weekend takes place at 2pm in Azzurri Walsh Park on Sunday, August 16, with both sides having plenty of reasons to believe they can progress to the last four.

Roanmore have enjoyed an excellent championship campaign so far, finishing the group stages unbeaten with four victories and one draw.

That draw came against Fourmilewater in round four, with the sides finishing level at 1-16 apiece.

Roanmore made a statement in the opening round with a comprehensive victory over Ballygunner B before following that up with wins over Mount Sion and Lismore.

They finished their group campaign with another impressive victory over Dungarvan.

Throughout the championship, Roanmore have impressed with their organisation, their ability to work the ball out from defence and their willingness to attack at pace.

There has been quality throughout the team, with Jack Chester providing an assured presence in goal, while Alex Ferguson, Conor Ryan and Charlie Chester have impressed across the half-back line.

Billy Nolan has been colossal at centre-back, with Gavin O’Brien again producing consistently strong performances.

Sean Burke has also stepped up in midfield, while Brian Nolan, Shane Mackie and Ethan Flynn provide further options.

Further forward, Lee Hearn, Rory Furlong and Sean Roach have all contributed, while Roanmore possess valuable options from the bench in the likes of Paul O’Sullivan and Callum Carroll.

The experienced Frank McGrath, a former Waterford player, is another valuable option for a team with genuine ambitions of reaching the latter stages of the championship.

Roanmore’s attacking threat has been particularly impressive, with six goals scored during the group stages.

Abbeyside, however, will provide a serious test.

The Ballinacourty-based side finished their group campaign with three wins and two defeats, with their losses coming against Ballygunner and De La Salle.

Their defeat to Ballygunner may actually provide plenty of encouragement heading into this quarter-final.

Abbeyside pushed the reigning champions extremely hard despite playing with 14 men for much of the contest, eventually losing by just four points.

They also recorded impressive victories over Clonmore, Ferrybank and Passage to book their place in the knockout stages.

The concern for Abbeyside will be their defensive record.

They have scored six goals and 107 points during the championship but have conceded nine goals and 92 points.

Against a Roanmore side who have shown a real appetite for attacking and scoring goals at crucial moments, that could prove significant.

There is plenty of quality in the Abbeyside ranks, however, with Robert Prunty, Brian Looby, Conor Prunty, Willie Beresford, Rian Walsh, Michael O’Halloran, Michael Kiley, Charlie Treacy, Neil Montgomery and Eoin Kiley all capable of making an impact.

Eoin Kiley has been particularly impressive, while Sean Callaghan has arguably been Abbeyside’s standout player of the championship so far.

His performances from midfield have been one of the major positives of their campaign and could attract plenty of attention from the Waterford management setup looking ahead.

This has all the makings of one of the tightest quarter-finals of the weekend.

Abbeyside have already shown that they can compete with the very best, while Roanmore’s unbeaten record and impressive attacking displays make them difficult to overlook.

Ultimately, Roanmore may just have enough experience and consistency to edge what should be a fascinating contest, but Abbeyside will have every chance if they can tighten up defensively and keep the Roanmore attack under control.

A place in the semi-finals is at stake, and very little may separate these two sides come the final whistle.

Roanmore face Abbeyside in the third quarter-final of the 2026 JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford Club Senior Hurling Championship on Sunday, August 16, with the throw-in at 2 pm in Azzurri Walsh Park.

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