Evergreen 39-year-old Tony Browne is one of Michael Ryan’s three changes to the Waterford team for Sunday’s Munster final.

Waterford hurler Pauric Mahony has made a quicker than expected recovery from groin surgery and is in line to play some part in Sunday week's Munster SHC final against Tipperary.

Waterford hurling boss Michael Ryan last night dismissed suggestions that his team would be distracted by the ongoing controversy over the Munster SHC final venue.

A superb Munster senior hurling championship semi-final in balmy Semple Stadium yesterday, with drama right at the death as Waterford’s championship debutant Stephen O’Keeffe saved a rifled 20m free from Clare custodian Patrick Kelly in the final act of the game to deny the Banner men a victory they had been favoured to achieve.

Waterford manager Michael Ryan has included four Championship debutants in his team to play Clare in Sunday's Munster SHC semi-final in Thurles.

The opening round of group games in the Waterford SHC dominate the GAA scene in the Déise this weekend, with four of the six scheduled ties set to go ahead in doubleheader programmes at Dungarvan’s Fraher Field.

Waterford hurling selector Nicky Cashin has stepped down for “personal reasons”, with Déise legend Ken McGrath widely tipped to join manager Michael Ryan’s backroom team as a replacement.

The bumper Cork crowd in Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday night might have come to see a local hero return to the big show, but they saw a new star announce himself in the home side’s Allianz Hurling League Divison 1A win over Waterford.

Two questions exercised the minds of Cork fans leading up to this game.

THIS Waterford SHC final was as one-sided as the score suggests as Ballygunner captured their 12th senior title with ease at sun-drenched Walsh Park yesterday.

Basics will be the key to Déise hopes

WATERFORD star Eoin McGrath has been ruled out for up to six weeks with ankle ligament damage. However, that blow has been softened by the news that brother Ken and fellow veteran Tony Browne are due back in training with the county senior hurling panel tonight.

SHANE MCGRATH insists Tipperary are better equipped to retain their All-Ireland hurling crown than the team that captured the title in 2001.

WATERFORD boss Davy Fitzgerald will be able to call on forward Thomas Ryan for the All-Ireland semi-final showdown against Tipperary, at Croke Park on Sunday week.

EOIN Kelly has emerged as a serious doubt for Waterford hurlers ahead of tomorrow’s Munster final.

FAVOURITES Cork will have Tom Kenny back in action at midfield, alongside Cathal Naughton, for Sunday’s GAA Munster hurling final against Waterford in Thurles.

THE MUNSTER Council of the GAA issued a strongly-worded statement last night disassociating itself from suggestions that a decision made “behind closed doors without the knowledge of the Waterford GAA Executive” was at the root of the controversial proposal to play this year’s Munster hurling final in Cork.

Dan and Maurice Shanahan will start their first Munster SHC match together when the pair feature for Waterford in the Bank Holiday Monday semi-final against Clare at Semple Stadium (throw-in 3pm).

WATERFORD manager Davy Fitzgerald has sprang more than one surprise in naming Waterford’s starting 15 to face Clare in Monday’s Munster senior hurling championship semi-final at Thurles.

THE 2010 Waterford senior hurling championship kicks off tomorrow with eight teams in group stage action.

DAVID CUNNINGHAM, Glen Rovers, takes over the full back slot left vacant by the injury to Eoin Cadogan for Cork’s last game in the preliminary rounds of the Allianz NHL against Galway at Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

NOEL HICKEY makes his long-awaited comeback from injury for Kilkenny tomorrow afternoon after he was named at full-back for their NHL Division 1 clash against Limerick.

YESTERDAY’S encounter in Fraher Field, Dungarvan, came with more angles than a bagful of squares: Justin McCarthy, formerly of Waterford, back in the Déise with Limerick.

Galway 4-15 Waterford 1-15

A number three can hurl a lot of ball, make vital interceptions, thunder out of defence, but cannot afford any mistake in front of goal. The full-back can win lots of ball but all the full forward needs is one.

I MET a man in Charleville on Saturday, a Cork man, bitterly bemoaning all the predictions from the soothsayers that he had been hearing and reading for the last week, about the outcome of this match.

1. KILKENNY’S victories in major championship games over the past number of years have been based on scoring goals.

CROKE PARK yesterday was a marvellous place to be, two hugely entertaining hurling games and a fine football game between Meath and Mayo.

WATERFORD selector Peter Queally paid tribute yesterday to referee Diarmuid Kirwan’s use of the advantage rule in the dramatic conclusion to Sunday’s All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final.

THIS Munster final was decided in the five minutes after half time. In that spell, Waterford dominated the play and Tipperary looked in trouble.

Stephen Molumphy has been named at centre-forward in the Waterford team to face Tipperary in Sunday's Munster SHC final (Semple Stadium, throw-in 4pm), although doubts remain over the Ballyduff Upper clubman's fitness.

WATERFORD last night received a major boost for Sunday’s Munster SHC final against Tipperary at Semple Stadium when co-captain Stephen Molumphy was named to lead the attack in a sector notable again for the exclusion of 2007 Hurler of The Year Dan Shanahan.

TONY BROWNE is named at midfield on the Waterford team for tomorrow’s Munster SHC semi-final replay against Limerick at Semple Stadium, the veteran Mount Sion clubman’s first championship start since last year’s All-Ireland final.

WATERFORD’S SHC ambitions received a major blow yesterday with the news long-serving star Ken McGrath, pictured, will miss up to six weeks following a knee operation.

IT may be a little premature for alarm bells in the Déise camp, but the shortcomings of this Division One NHL display before a 4,500 attendance at Fraher Field, Dungarvan, yesterday must be a cause of serious concern for the Waterford players and management.

TEN of the Cork team that started in last August’s semi-final defeat to Kilkenny, were named in the starting 15 last night for Cork’s NHL Division One trip to Clare on Sunday.

Waterford 1-20 Tipperary 1-18

Aidan Kearney and Kevin Moran have been drafted into the Waterford team for Sunday's GAA Hurling All-Ireland senior championship semi-final against Tipperary at Croke Park (throw-in 3.30pm).

Recently-appointed Waterford boss Davy Fitzgerald has named his team for his championship debut as an inter-county manager tomorrow, when the Deise take on Antrim at Walsh Park (throw-in 2pm).

“VERY happy,” declared Cork manager Gerald McCarthy following last night’s senior hurling challenge win over Waterford, “especially in the circumstances in which we found ourselves.

Brian Cody and Richie Bennis have been appointed as managers of the Vodafone All-Star Hurling panels of 2006 and 2007 for the exhibition game at New York's Gaelic Park this coming Saturday.

An injury-time penalty goal from Andrew Thompson saw Shannon edge out Belfast Harlequins in a thrilling AIB Cup second round clash at Deramore Park this afternoon.