Clinical Déise dig out victory

THE mantle of favouritism is one Waterford footballers are unaccustomed to holding entering championship clashes, but they managed to cope with that pressure effectively at a sweltering Fraher Field, Dungarvan yesterday.

They did not replicate the superiority they enjoyed in the league meeting between the sides six weeks previously but Waterford’s professionalism and assurance still proved adequate to sweep them to victory over Clare in this Munster SFC quarter-final.

In truth, this clash was never likely to be as lopsided as its NFL Division 4 predecessor. The manner in which Clare manager Micheal McDermott reconfigured his line-up with multiple personnel changes meant Waterford were facing a vastly different team.