On either side of Thursday's Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup semi-final between SETU Waterford and the University of Limerick there will be players to watch for Deise hurling supporters.
In UL's impressive 4-19 to 0-10 victory over UCD in the quarter-finals, Abbeyside's Mikey Kiely scored a hat-trick while Clonea's James Power added 1-2.
"You forget how young he is," says Waterford great Kevin Moran regarding Kiely, who won an Eletric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup title with UL last year.
"My last year [in the Waterford panel] would have been his first year. He's after developing into a serious athlete. He's a big strong guy and I remember him from the days with Liam a few years ago and he's incredibly quick. You'd be looking at GPS afterwards and he was right up there. He's a very, very quick guy for someone so big and strong. He's mobile and his hurling is fairly good so, most definitely, I think the future is bright.
"He's leading the line for UL quite well. He's been unfortunate not to get in with Waterford yet but it looks like Davy has him earmarked for that full-forward position. Yeah, he's going to be top-notch. He's a very level-headed fella and a quite intelligent fella. Hopefully he can keep the form going. The lads in SETU will have a difficult time containing him.
19 February 2022; Mikey Kiely of University of Limerick in action against Jack Fitzpatrick of NUI Galway during the Electric Ireland HE GAA Fitzgibbon Cup Final match between NUI Galway and University of Limerick at IT Carlow in Carlow. Photo by Matt Browne/Sportsfile
"Similar to what Stephen Bennett was like when he was playing with UL. He's trained with him over the years and he's just a goal-hungry machine. When I was in with Mikey (Bevans) and Liam Cahill, they were always pushing that, to try to get the best out of Stevie and Mikey to continue to go for goals and it looks like he's taken that on board.
"He seems to be going for the green flag anytime he gets that ball in his hand and why not because he's so powerful. He's strong, a good runner, and his close control of the ball is quite good so you don't actually see him getting hooked or blocked too often which is always a sign of a top player. He's one for the present because he's performing at that level. He's doing very well."
One of SETU Waterford's star players in their run to the Fitzgibbon Cup last-four has been Reuben Halloran. Moran, a clubmate of Halloran's at De La Salle, has enjoyed a close up view of his development.
"Reuben has always been a really good lad," says Moran.
"He's a very, very friendly fella, very good in the school, and from a good background. He has a good support system there.
"From a club point of view, we always knew he was going to be a top senior club player with us. He actually got a very serious injury last year. He had a massive operation. I think he tore his hamstring off the tendon of his pelvis, something like that. He played club hurling with us last summer. His leg was right, but he was probably rusty.
"He lives up beside our club grounds, so he's always up there practicing frees, and in the gym. I think he's developed over the last six months, particularly. He might not be there yet, but he's up to that physical level, he seems to have got very strong - I've definitely noticed that.
Pictured is former Waterford hurler and Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup winner with WIT, Kevin Moran, as he looks ahead to the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup semi-finals and final taking place this week. Photo credit ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
"I think he'll get better. He's a very levelheaded fella. He's ambitious. We're all just hoping that he continues doing what he's doing. He came on there against Laois the other night, and he looked quite good. Hopefully he does it for the college over the next couple of days as well. He's getting, better and better each year, a very, very skilful player.
"One thing is what position he'll play. He's good on the ball out the field. He could play corner-forward, and he's deceivingly quick as well. He's a key man now for the college.
"Davy (Fitzgerald) looks to be fond of him as well. He's huge for De La Salle GAA club going forward if we're trying to get to the next level."
Moran adds that SETU Waterford "has become more important than ever" for hurling in the county.
3 January 2023; Reuben Halloran of Waterford, right, protests to referee John O'Halloran during the Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League Group 1 match between Waterford and Tipperary Mallow GAA Sports Complex in Cork. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile
"The number of students coming out of second level and going to third level is the highest it ever has been," says Moran.
'Waterford's a stronghold for Fitzgibbon hurling'
"I think it's important to keep players close to home and being able to play with their clubs and things like that. If they're playing with SETU Waterford it's great. It adds to the local interest, I think there's better crowds at matches, and it's developing players for senior club level first of all and then taken afterwards into Waterford set-ups.
"There's a good crew of them there in with Davy and that was something that Waterford didn't have a lot of going back through the years. Maybe in the 90s and noughties it was quite low the number of Waterford players playing Fitzgibbon hurling and I think it's drastically improved which is testament to the second level schools getting them to continue their education into third level.
"And then obviously what they've done in Waterford with that college, instead of losing good young lads to the likes of UCC and UCD and UL, we have the availability of that campus at home and it's such a stronghold when it comes to Fitzgibbon hurling that it's an added little incentive for them to stay within Waterford."
This year, through its #FirstClassRivals campaign, Electric Ireland celebrated the unexpected alliances formed between county rivals as they come together in pursuit of some of the most coveted titles across Camogie and GAA.
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