Waterford give Ryan championship debut

WATERFORD give a Munster SFC debut to corner-forward Jason Ryan for Sunday’s first-round game against provincial champions Kerry at Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney.

Injuries, however, rule out two of the county’s best players, Karl O’Keeffe and Liam Ó Lionain, although both are named among the substitutes.

Returning to the team after a lengthy absence is Ger Power, who had given his allegiance to the county hurlers throughout the league campaign. However, he recently opted out of the hurling panel to rejoin the footballers and has been named in Sunday’s starting line-up at left half forward.

Another player who has withdrawn from the hurling panel, Wayne Hennessy of Ardmore, has been surprisingly left out of the side but is named among the substitutes, while former county hurler Brian Wall, out of favour with management, is named at right half back in a defence that includes Ballinacourty’s John Phelan and Eddie Rockett of Portlaw in the key central berths.

Arguably the county’s best footballer, Gary Hurney is named at full-forward, while three of his brothers, Laurence, John and Patrick, are included among the subs. Seven of the team played in last year’s first round championship game against Clare in Ennis and the side is only marginally changed from the one that ended the NFL campaign on a spectacular high with a magnificent away victory against a Cavan side that was poised to win promotion.

Manager John Kiely is mindful of the magnitude of the task that awaits them on Sunday. Pragmatic man that he is, he knows a Waterford victory would be about the biggest championship shock in the history of the GAA.

Bigger even than Waterford’s sensational win over the Kingdom in 1957 when a last minute point by Dungarvan’s Tom Cunningham gave Waterford a dramatic 2-5 to 0-10 victory.

The sole link with then and now is provided by the inclusion in the panel of first cousins Stephen and Mark Prendergast of Kilrossanty, grandsons of Mick Prendergast, who starred at right full back on the 1957 team.

Waterford’s only other victory over Kerry in the Munster SFC was in 1911 when the Decies prevailed 1-2 to 1-0 in Mallow. In all the counties have met 25 times in the senior championship with Kerry victorious on 22 occasions and Waterford twice with one game drawn.

WATERFORD (SFC v Kerry): T. Wall (Bonmahon); E. Walsh (Ballinameela), J. Phelan (Ballinacourty), S. Briggs (do); B. Wall (Nire), E. Rockett (Portlaw). P. Ogle (Tramore); A. Ahearne (Ballinameela), M. Ahern (Kill); A. Hubbard (Newtown), K. Power (Rathgormack), G. Power (Stradbally); S. Cunningham (do), G. Hurney (Ballinacourty), J. Ryan (De La Salle).

Subs: E. Cunningham (Stradbally). W. Hennessy (Ardmore), L. O Lionain (Ring), J. Hurney (Ballinacourty), L. Hurney (do), P. Hurney (do), S. Dempsey (Colligan Emmetts), A. Heffernan (Ferrybank), M. Power (Tramore), S. Prendergast (Kilrossanty), M. Prendergast (do), Killian O’Keeffe (Clashmore), Karl O’Keeffe (do), K. Connery (do), P. Power (Rathgormack).