Player ratings from Waterford’s incredible comeback victory over Kilkenny at Croke Park in the All-Ireland SHC semi-final.
Waterford came from nine points down to beat Kilkenny at Croke Park in a stunning All-Ireland SHC semi-final performance.
Shane Stapleton gives his player ratings (see Kilkenny video below).
Kilkenny
Eoin Murphy — 8
Steady in the goals, and couldn’t be faulted for either goal
Conor Delaney — 8
Did a great job on Dessie Hutchinson, limiting the speed merchant to just two points and a few assists (from play and by frees won). Has really stepped up.
Huw Lawlor — 7
Paired up with Austin Gleeson for much of the match, and it was only in the second half that the Mount Sion man came to the fore. Still, the defender won a couple of nice 50-50s late on.
Tommy Walsh — 7
Steady and did what was asked of him.
Padraig Walsh — 6
Very quiet showing from the Tullaroan star.
Cillian Buckley — 7
Lorded it in the first half, but not quite as prominent after the break as Jack Fagan and Co took over.
Paddy Deegan — 7
Popped a nice point and worked hard on his return to the team.
Conor Browne — 7
Steady influence but, like most of his teammates, the game got away from him.
Conor Fogarty — 7
Did very little wrong in the first half and stayed involved in the second. Still, got turned over once or twice, and hit a poor wide in the 46th minute which might have interrupted Waterford’s flow.
John Donnelly — 8
Among the best of the Kilkenny forwards, Donnelly hit 0-2 and was involved in six other scoring chances. A bright spark.
TJ Reid — 8
Reid was the most influential forward in the Kilkenny ranks, and was lethal with that goal chance in the first half. Snapped lots of ball, created chances, and knocked over most of his frees.
Martin Keoghan — 7
It’s difficult to know why he was taken off. Keoghan scored 1-1 in the first half and created two more chances.
Billy Ryan — 6
The sole Kilkenny forward to not score. Disappointing showing from a good prospect.
Richie Hogan — 7
Scored 0-2 and both goals came from his inside work.
Eoin Cody — 7
Cody knocked over a couple of points but was largely subdued.
Subs
Walter Walsh for Keoghan (39) — 6
Colin Fennelly for Ryan (49) — 6
Niall Brassil for Hogan (56) — 6
Ger Aylward for Cody (57) — 6
Waterford
Stephen O’Keeffe — 7
Mixed the good with the bad. Might well have come out off his line to stop the first goal, but made some key saves.
Ian Kenny — 7
Had some good moments and some nervy moments in the first half. Grew into the game and will be very pleased.
Conor Prunty — 7
Had a shaky performance on Aron Shanagher in the quarter-final, and struggled with Hogan here. Like most of his teammates, Prunty stood up when it counted.
Shane McNulty — 8
McNulty is a player who has become a trusted soldier at the back. Battled well all game, hit a nice point, and never dwelled on any setbacks.
Calum Lyons — 8
Had some shaky moments on TJ Reid in the first half, and yet he came through the game as one of the team’s best performers. Among the best young talents in hurling.
Tadhg de Burca — 7
Largely kept quiet for the first half, but cometh the hour, cometh the man. Lovely score late on proving to be a punctuation point.
Kevin Moran — 7
The old warrior just keeps on going.
Jamie Barron — 9
The little genius is back to his 2017 best. Could have had a goal, and perhaps even a few more scores, but he was everywhere.
Jake Dillon — 5
Couldn’t quite get to the pitch of the game and was taken off early.
Jack Fagan — 8
Fagan had a woeful start to the game when hitting a couple of bad wides, but recovered to have a monstrous second half. Sensational in the air.
Kieran Bennett — 5
Not his day. Will need to make sure he gets into the game in future.
Stephen Bennett — 9
What a wonderful performance from a player who has all the skill in the world. He looks to be at a new level of athleticism this year, and his goal kick-started the revival.
Dessie Hutchinson — 8
Well-marshalled by Conor Delaney, and yet there would have been no victory without the influence of Hutchinson. He takes minding, is always trying to link up with teammates, and won some key frees.
Austin Gleeson — 9
Much like Fagan, this was two sides of the coin from Gleeson. Quiet before the break, with three poor wides frustrating his manager, and yet his 0-4 and brutish tackling after the interval were key.
Jack Prendergast — 7
Marked for a lot of the game by his college housemate Tommy Walsh, Prendergast gave a good performance and knocked over 0-2.
Subs
Neil Montgomery for Dillon (18) — 7
Darragh Lyons for Kieran Bennett (49) — 8
Iarlaith Daly for Moran (61) — 7
Conor Gleeson for Prendergast (61) — 7
