While Waterford have had a difficult period at inter-county level over the last couple of years, their club game has continued has continued to be hugely competitive despite dominance of one team within the county.
Ballygunner have won each of the last nine county titles at senior level, also picking up three Munster titles and an All-Ireland during that run. Dethroning them will be no easy task, with two of their main challengers faced off in the competition yesterday.
Mount Sion (2022) and Roanmore (2021) were the two clubs who were most recently defeated by Ballygunner in county finals, with both clubs having had ambitions of reaching that stage once again this season.
Their quarter-final showdown at the SETU Arena turned out to be a thrilling affair, with Roanmore ultimately emerging victorious on a 1-18 to 0-17 scoreline. They were massively helped by the performance by former Waterford man Gavin O'Brien, who ended the contest with a personal tally of 0-15.
Despite coming out on the losing side, it was another inter-county player that provided arguably the most memorable moment of the game.
Waterford star Austin Gleeson scores monster free in club game
While he has not been at his best in recent times, Austin Gleeson remains one of the most talented players in the country. He showed that during yesterday's game, even though his Mount Sion side would ultimately come out on the wrong side of the result.
The Waterford man provided a memorable moment in the contest, scoring an incredible free from well inside his own half. Just before that, he had been involved in an exchange with a linesman, telling them to 'f**k off' after they told him to move the dead ball back even further towards his own goal.
You can watch footage of the incident below.
Linesman asks Austin Gleeson to move the sliotar back 5m to the edge of his own box, he tells him to “F**k off”, and knocks it over the bar. Worth the admission fee alone 😂
— Jordan Norris (@jordannorris98) August 27, 2023
“Linesman asks Austin Gleeson to move the sliotar back 5m to the edge of his own box, he tells him to “F**k off”, and knocks it over the bar. Worth the admission fee alone 😂” ✍🏻 Jordan Norris Twitter
🎥 Clubber TV pic.twitter.com/FwrJv7cLh3— OurGame.ie (@OurGameHQ) August 28, 2023
While such language towards officials should be condemned, the free that followed displayed the talent that Austin Gleeson has at his disposal.
Davy Fitzgerald will certainly be aiming to get the best out of him moving forward in an attempt to reverse the fortunes of Waterford, starting in the 2024 season.
With his club now out of the championship, the player's focus will no doubt soon turn towards his inter-county duties.
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