Checkmate for Waterford as Derek McGrath gets it right

Waterford 3-21 Laois 0-12: A patient approach worked best for Waterford as Derek McGrath and Seamus Plunkett turned Fraher Field into a chessboard on Saturday night.

Laois did their homework and devised a strategy with seven defenders. Waterford hung back and kept Austin Gleeson as their sweeper. McGrath anticipated such a scenario. It took more than 50 minutes for the favourites to make their move, but once Charles Dwyer walked for two yellows, they swooped in.

“It was a very tactical approach from Laois,” McGrath admitted.

“We knew it was coming and we had two choices: either go full-court press, seven on seven and push our man up on him but we chose not to.

“We chose to make it a game of chess. It’s a difficult scenario because they have it down to a tee and they are good at it. We chose to keep our own men back and be patient. I would argue that the winning of the game was the three points just before half-time.

“That little bit of a gap that we got, we went in 0-11 to 0-8 up and that was the key period. We just felt that any type of ball that went into our full-back line, there was a tendency to give away soft frees and that was keeping them in it. Once Cha Dwyer went off, things opened up.”

The breakthrough goal by Shane Bennett lifted a weight off their shoulders and the 1,200 supporters could relax. Waterford failed to register at the Gaelic Grounds last week and only netted seven times in 10 competitive games across 2014.

The All-Ireland minor medallist was foiled twice before Jake Dillon picked him out and he disrupted the top corner of the rigging.

“It was a great pass from Jake and a nice bit of vision. Everyone says that we need to get goals but I certainly don’t say it because what I find is that sometimes when you over-say things, they become an obsession.

“It’s like telling a fella not to be nervous before a game and invariably he gets nervous. It was probably due to the space created from the sweeper not being there.

“We would be very happy with our pre-season. Our fitness levels are such that the game that we are playing and being deep, it is supported by being able to get forward very quick from deep positions.”

After grabbing a late equaliser against Limerick, McGrath’s young side backed up that encouraging start. Pauric Mahony was to the fore once more, bagging 1-14. During that second half breakaway, he contributed 1-7, 1-4 from play. “You are seeing a leader stand up and it’s great to see,” McGrath commented.

Tadhg de Búrca and Austin Gleeson burst out from the half-back line. The defensive unit limited Laois to three points from play. Bennett and Brian O’Halloran occupied the Laois backs while the industrious Michael Walsh distributed possession around.

Laois irritated the hosts initially. The sides were level seven times in the opening 35 minutes as a consequence, point for point for 22 minutes.

With the inside lines congested, shots flew in from out the field and the two teams accumulated 15 wides between them. Free-taking experts Pauric Mahony (seven points) and Zane Keenan (five) traded scores. A spurt of three unanswered points, two by Mahony and a lengthy Austin Gleeson single, sent Waterford 0-11 to 0-8 clear.

Although Keenan retrieved a point at the start of the second half, Mahony was responsible for the next four. Wing-forward Dwyer received his marching orders on 49 minutes and Laois could no longer offer extra defensive protection. After playing the waiting game, Waterford were suddenly in a hurry. Three minutes later, Bennett walloped the sliotar past Enda Rowland. Mahony was in the right spot to whip home on 59 minutes when he was played in by Michael Walsh before substitute Thomas Connors added a third eight minutes from the end.

The visitors’ woes were compounded by a suspected collarbone injury for Stephen Maher. Laois boss Seamus Plunkett acknowledged that their challenge fizzled out in the second half but defended their approach.

“We set up the way we did and that’s our offensive game,” he said.

“We shoot from distance and last weekend we scored 15 points from play, most from the middle third. That’s the way we set up. You have to be cognisant of the other team. That’s the way the game’s gone, very tactical.”

Scorers for Waterford: P Mahony 1-14 (9f), S Bennett 1-1, T Connors 1-0, A Gleeson 0-2, B O’Halloran, M Walsh, D Breathnach, S O’Sullivan 0-1.

Scorers for Laois: Z Keenan 0-9 (9f), P Purcell, W Hyland, R King 0-1.

WATERFORD: S O’Keeffe; S Fives, B Coughlan, N Connors; Philip Mahony, T de Búrca, A Gleeson; J Barron, K Moran; M Kearney, Pauric Mahony, M Walsh; S Bennett, T Devine, B O’Halloran.

Subs: J Dillon for Kearney (half-time), S O’Sullivan for Devine (45), P Prendergast for Fives (50), D Breathnach for Bennett (60), T Connors for Pauric Mahony (62).

LAOIS: E Rowland; JA Delaney, C Healy, B Stapleton; J Fitzpatrick, M Whelan, D Palmer; P Purcell, Z Keenan; C Dwyer, J Campion, W Hyland; R King, T Fitzgerald, S Maher.

Subs: C Stapleton for Maher (27), PJ Scully for Campion, B Conroy for King (both half-time), C Dunne for C Stapleton (52), J Purcell for Fitzgerald (63).

Referee: D Kirwan (Cork)