Stradbally aiming to rewrite history books

DESPITE the low ebb of Waterford's football fortunes over the years, the level of interest in Sunday's senior final - a repeat of last year's drawn and replayed decider between Stradbally and the Nire - has generated huge interest.

Stradbally go in as champions, but that's not the whole story. Far from it, and should they manage to hold off what is certain to be a vibrant Nire challenge and retain their crown then they will have repeated the glorious exploits of another great Stradbally team of the 1940s who won five championships on the trot.

Only Dungarvan and Clashmore in the more distant past have managed a similar feat and now Stradbally, so unlucky to be beaten by Kilmurray/Ibrickane of Clare in a Munster final replay 11 months ago, stand on the threshold of a similar achievement.