Mahony, who turns 29 next week, made the surprise decision after a year in which a broken shinbone ended his Championship prematurely, before recovering to co-captain Ballygunner to a sixth Waterford SHC in a row.

There's two senior provincial finals and three All-Ireland ladies finals in store this weekend.

Sunday afternoon Ballygunner host Patrickswell in the Munster Club SHC semi-final in Walsh Park (throw-in 1.30pm).

There was a time for Ballygunner when playing Clare opposition in Munster competition was always one match too far, but those days of serial defeat to the best of the Banner have been well and truly ended these past three years.

Ballygunner made it six Waterford senior hurling titles in a row yesterday, with this Waterford SHC title, showing all their experience in seeing off a spirited De La Salle side.

Ballygunner made it six in a row with this Waterford SHC title, showing all their experience in seeing off a spirited De La Salle side.

Ballygunner booked their place in the Waterford SHC semi-final with an easy win over Dungarvan.

Michael Walsh’s appearance in the All-Ireland semi-final of 2017 was, including replays, his 12th on that stage.

Waterford stalwart Michael “Brick” Walsh is expected to make his 75th Championship appearance as a starter in Sunday’s do-or-die Munster SHC clash with Limerick.

Philip Mahony’s Munster championship is over after it was confirmed the Waterford defender broke his tibia in Sunday’s Round 2 defeat to Tipperary.

Jason Forde hit 1-9 as Tipperary shook off a sluggish mid-game spell to leave 14-man Waterford on the brink of a Munster Championship exit.

John Meyler has reacted to Cork’s defeat to Tipperary by making four changes for tomorrow’s Munster SHC Round 2 in the LIT Gaelic Grounds.

Castlelyons’ Niall O’Leary is the new face in the named Cork team to take on Tipperary in Sunday’s Munster SHC Round 1 clash as John Meyler goes with 13 of the team that were defeated by Limerick in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.

We are a week into Munster Championship Lent. The 40 days and 40 nights before the start of the Munster SHC on May 12 commenced last Tuesday.

Following in the footsteps of the ultra-dominant Kilkenny teams of this decade and last, Limerick secured national league silverware seven months after claiming Liam MacCarthy.

Waterford made it to Sunday's Allianz Hurling League final the hard way.

Waterford 1-18 Galway 0-19

Waterford cruised to a win in this NHL quarter-final, with the 2,753 in attendance rewarded with an entertaining first half that gave way to a second-half stroll for the home side.

A 74th minute strike from Shane Bennett decided a game of two halves in stormy weather at Walsh Park this afternoon.

A cold night in Thurles twisted decisively with one goal, Eoin Cody’s calm second-half finish for Ballyhale Shamrocks proving the difference in their All-Ireland club semi-final clash with Ballygunner.

Ballyhale Shamrocks made it to the All-Ireland senior club hurling final after this clash in Semple Stadium, Thurles with Ballygunner of Waterford.

Every year, the confirmed Fitzgibbon Cup panels read more and more like a who’s who of the inter-county game. Hurling is as much a student’s game these days as a young man’s one. So among our ones to watch in this year’s competition (which begins Sunday) there will be familiar names but to a man, they have points to prove.

Red and black were the colours on the trophy yesterday as Ballygunner made it a first Munster club senior hurling title since 2001, an emotional victory for the Waterford men. They had lost to yesterday’s opponents, Na Piarsaigh of Limerick, twice at this stage in the previous three years, and their determination to break that series of defeats was clear in Semple Stadium.

Ballygunner were crowned Munster hurling club champions in Semple Stadium, the Waterford side collecting a historic first title since 2001.

The game was over and a damp dusk drawing in but the people walking around Walsh Park were in no hurry to leave.

It was all around to Derek McGrath’s house last Tuesday evening. From 5pm to 12pm, the players, management and backroom team reminisced, drank and sang on the day after the host signed off as Waterford manager.

Former Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins is an early favourite to succeed Derek McGrath as Waterford manager.

Limerick 2-26 Waterford 1-16

Managers always want to see their best-laid plans reflected on the field, but yesterday at Páirc Uí Rinn performance could take a back seat. In a relegation battle, it is only the result that matters, says Donal O’Grady.

Meanwhile, Tipperary hurling manager Michael Ryan has handed a first league start to corner-forward Cian Darcy.

The honours went to Waterford in this Allianz Hurling League Division 1A clash at Walsh Park yesterday, but it is important to note Clare were already guaranteed a quarter-final (pitted against Limerick).

Cork must beat Tipperary in Thurles next Sunday to have a chance of avoiding a relegation play-off after this third consecutive defeat.

After this game in Walsh Park Waterford manager Derek McGrath, who’d just seen his side beaten well by Kilkenny, was asked if the Cats had done a Waterford on Waterford.

Back-to-back All-Star Jamie Barron has admitted a large part of his reason for pursuing a teaching job is to aid his inter-county hurling career.

There’s a little history between Ballygunner and Na Piarsaigh. Given the pool of clubs jostling to get out of the Munster club SHC, that’s hardly surprising, but Paul Flynn is worried that the backstory may be more beneficial to the Limerick champions than to his club mates in black and red.

Ballygunner 0-29 Mount Sion 0-9 (Waterford SHC quarter-final): A 20-point blowout against the old enemy confirmed Ballygunner’s standing as the team to beat in this year’s Waterford senior hurling championship in Fraher Field on Saturday night.

Paul Keane discusses the upcoming All-Ireland Final between Galway and Waterford with TJ Reid.

Austin Gleeson is free to play for Waterford in the All-Ireland Hurling final against Galway.

In 2011, for the second year in a row, former inter-county referee and Irish Examiner columnist John Bannon put forward a motion to GAA Congress via his club Legan Sarsfields to take referees out of the process of issuing proposed retrospective suspensions, writes John Fogarty.