Gutsy Galway bury Waterford title hopes

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.

Galway ended with a victory margin of six points, but it could easily have been doubled. Both Waterford goals, scored by Eoin Kelly, were of the gift variety, and the most telling indictment of the overall effectiveness of a leaderless attack was that only the first of those goals and a late point from Seamas Prendergast were registered by forwards.

The defeat has well and truly buried any lingering hopes they harboured of regaining a title they won two seasons ago and their remaining group games against Limerick and Cork will now be all about avoiding relegation.