The Nire have booked their place in the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Waterford Senior Football Championship final after defeating Abbeyside-Ballinacourty by 0-12 to 0-5 at Fraher Field.

They will now face Rathgormack in a repeat of last year’s final, with the defending champions having edged out Gaultier by two points in the first semi-final at Azzurri Walsh Park.

The Nire and Abbeyside-Ballinacourty were level at 0-3 apiece at half-time after a closely contested opening period.

Aaron Ryan was instrumental for The Nire, scoring two first-half points, while Aaron Beresford, Sean Callaghan and Conor Gleeson were also on target.

The sides remained level early in the second half before The Nire began to pull away. Ryan added further scores, while Sean Walsh and a two-pointer from Dermot Ryan helped establish a commanding advantage.

Ryan’s late free extended The Nire’s lead to six points before he added another score in the closing stages to seal a seven-point victory.

The Nire will now turn their attention to a championship final showdown with Rathgormack as they look to reclaim the senior football title, while Rathgormack will be aiming to retain their crown following their victory over Gaultier.