De La Salle 2-12
Mount Sion 1-19
Mount Sion are through to the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship Final for the first time since 2014 after seeing off a dogged De La Salle in the second of this season’s semi-finals.
Goals from Eddie Meaney and Reuben Halloran had the Monastery Men biting their nails, but Martin O’Neill (1-3) and Austin Gleeson (0-6) stood up and were counted as they came out on the right side of a thriller.
Mount Sion were deservedly ahead at half time, having started the game with real attacking intent.
Jamie Gleeson was instrumental in the first period, and he played a big role in the first score as his brilliant catch and pass set up Jack Meaney to knock over the day’s opening score.
Stephen Roche has been an example to all for the Sion in this championship and he soon opened his account as Sion had two scores on the board with just 45 seconds played - while also withholding the advantage of the elements.
Reuben Halloran’s close range free got De La Salle up and running, before that man Gleeson again got in behind Lee Wall to kickstart his personal tally.
They were soon 0-4 to 0-1 ahead with their fourth different scorer from play after just six minutes - Owen Whelan knocking over off the short grip following a good run.
De La Salle’s first from play came courtesy of Thomas Douglas - as he knocked over from a loose touch by Luke O’Brien. County teammates Jack Fagan and Austin Gleeson began to track one another, as they both looked to nullify the opposing aerial threat.
A close range free from Halloran made it 4-3 before the excellent Alan Kirwan capitalised on a loose ball to clatter between the posts.
Brian Cunningham and PJ Fanning were partaking in an interesting battle and Cunningham hit a sweet strike over the shoulder to reduce the gap to a solitary point.
De La Salle would’ve been two ahead soon after were it not for an outstanding stop from veteran goalkeeper Ian O’Regan who dove like a salmon to tip Jack Fagan’s rasping effort around the posts.
Halloran knocked over the requisite 65 and the match was level at five apiece midway through the first half.
An incredible point over the shoulder reminded us of Austin Gleeson’s ability as Mount Sion moved back into pole position.
The game hit a bit of a lull in truth soon afterward as we went almost ten minutes without a score as both teams were somewhat cautious in their approach as they sought to grasp a measure of one another.
The scoreboard was once again affected by Owen Whelan who knocked over his second score thanks to some fine work again by Jamie Gleeson.
Eddie Barrett found the radar for De La Salle’s first score in 15 minutes, before Brian Cunningham was bundled over in behind by Luke O’Brien but referee Thomas Walsh waved away the De La Salle appeals.
Jamie Gleeson was provider again to Alan Kirwan on the cusp of the interval, and Kirwan knocked over another after a fine pass from Mikey Daykin to send his side in 0-9 to 0-6 ahead at the break and few could argue that they weren’t value for that advantage.
The first score of the second half was the game’s first green flag - and it all came from some excellent defending by Stephen Roche.
He dispossessed Cunningham in midfield before finding Kirwan and he reversed the sliotar out to Martin O’Neill who ripped the far right corner from close range to move the Monastery Men six ahead on 33 minutes.
Cunningham made amends instantly with his second score, but De La Salle had Kevin Moran to thank for staying in the game - his outstanding hook denying Jamie Gleeson a glorious opportunity having been played in over the top by Kirwan.
There was an outstanding level of intensity as Jack Fagan ran sixty yards to dispossess Austin Gleeson, the ball was recycled and Thomas Douglas won a free which Halloran knocked over. That felt like it could be a turning point and so it proved at the time.
Stephen O’Neill found Martin O’Neill for a fantastic point not long after, but in the next move - a superb pass by Cormac McCann played Eddie Meaney into acres and he lashed across O’Regan into the far corner to make it a two point game.
Remarkably, all of Mount Sion’s tally up to 40 minutes came from play but that soon changed as Austin Gleeson knocked over their first free from close range.
McCann got in behind Ben Flanagan to score before Jake Dillon thundered over an inspirational effort and you would have been brave to call which way it was going as the sideboard read 1-11 to 1-10 in favour of Mount Sion.
The sides went blow for blow, Gleeson and Roche knocking over successive scores for Sion before Tom Moran and a stunner from Jack Fagan restored parity for the Salle.
Crucially, Mount Sion went on to hit the next four points which proved vital come the final whistle.
A short free from Roche allowed Austin Gleeson to find the range in space before Martin O’Neill turned provider for Evan Curran to get in on the act. O’Neill and Gleeson were the stars of the second period - a great point from O’Neill preceded by Austin skipping past Shane McNulty to score made it 1-17 to 1-12 with just five minutes to play.
However, De La Salle hadn’t read the script and you would write them off at your peril. They cascaded forward and Eddie Meaney played a superb ball across the face of goal which was turned in by Reuben Halloran on 58 minutes to reduce arrears to two once again.
Cometh the hour, cometh the men though - as Gleeson and O’Neill both pointed when pressure was on to book their side’s place in a battle with Ballygunner.
If it’s anything like this one, it promises to be a pulsating encounter.
De La Salle: Shaun O’Brien; Lee Wall, Adam Farrell, Jake Dillon; Eoin Madigan, Shane McNulty, Tom Moran; Eddie Barrett, Kevin Moran; Jack Fagan, Cormac McCann, Thomas Douglas; Brian Cunningham, Reuben Halloran, Eddie Meaney
Subs: Sean Carton for Brian Cunningham (34); Darren Kenneally for Eoin Madigan (46)
Scorers: Reuben Halloran (1-4; 0-3f; 0-1 ‘65); Eddie Meaney (1-0); Brian Cunningham (0-2); Thomas Douglas, Eddie Barrett, Cormac McCann, Jake Dillon, Tom Moran, Jack Fagan (0-1 each)
Mount Sion: Ian O’Regan; Mikey Daykin, Luke O’Brien, PJ Fanning; Martin F O’Neill, Stephen O’Neill, Ben Flanagan; Stephen Roche, Evan Curran; Martin O’Neill, Owen Whelan, Alan Kirwan; Jack Meaney, Austin Gleeson, Jamie Gleeson
Subs: Peter Penkert for PJ Fanning (40); Dylan Butler for Jack Meaney (42); John Kennedy for Alan Kirwan (59)
Scorers: Austin Gleeson (0-6; 0-2f); Martin O’Neill (1-3); Alan Kirwan (0-3); Owen Whelan and Stephen Roche (0-2 each); Jack Meaney, Jamie Gleeson and Evan Curran (0-1 each)
Referee: Thomas Walsh (Modeligo)
