If Deise hearts thought they could hardly bear the wait to see if Tadhg De Burca would be available for the All-Ireland semi-final against Cork, some must have been cursing Austin Gleeson on Sunday evening.
Expletives will have been uttered despite Gleeson's 15-minute tour de force against Cork where he scored 1-2 and set up Waterford's second goal with a brilliant piece of pilfery and a glorious pass to locate Jamie Barron who had the freedom of Croker's Hill 16 end.
Gleeson's first half tug of Luke Meade's helmet was made all the worse considering two Waterford players have missed championship action this summer for the same offence.
Tadhg De Burca was unavailable for Sunday's game after interfering with Harry Kehoe's helmet during the All-Ireland quarter-final win against Wexford. Shane Bennett did the same to Damien Cahalane during the Munster semi-final against Cork and subsequently missed the first round of the qualifiers.
The Irish Examiner's John Fogarty does have some good news for any Waterford tickers under stress this week as they contemplate playing Galway without the reigning Hurler of the Year.
It's said that there are 'strong indications' the Mount Sion man has avoided sanction and should be available for September 3rd at Croke Park. Fogarty reports that the CCCC sought clarification from referee James Owens regarding the incident involving Gleeson and Meade. The Wexford man apparently responded that he was 'satisfied with how he officiated the game'.
Official word on whether or not Gleeson will be available for the All-Ireland final should come later today.
