Tony Browne

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Tony Browne
irish = Tónaí de Brún
fullname = Anthony Browne
placeofbirth = Waterford
countryofbirth = Ireland
bday=1
bmonth=7
byear= 1973
dyear=
dday=
dmonth=
feet = 5
inches = 11
nickname =
county = Waterford
province = Munster
club = Mount Sion
clposition = Half-back
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty = 7
clprovince= 1
clallireland =
counties = Waterford
icposition = Right wing-back
icyears = 1992-present
icapps(points) = 42 (3-36)
icprovince = 3
icallireland = 0
nhl = 1
allstars = 3
clupdate =
icupdate = Tony Browne (born 1 July, 1973) is an Irish sportsman. He plays hurling with his local club Mount Sion and has been a member of the Waterford senior inter-county team since 1992.

Playing career

Club

Browne plays his club hurling with the famous Mount Sion club in Waterford and has enjoyed much success. He won a minor county championship title with the club in 1991. Browne later joined the club's under-21 team with whom he won an under-21 county championship title in 1994. That same year he was also a member of the club's senior panel and colelcted his first senior county championship medal. Browne added another two county medals in 1998 and 2000, before winning three titles in-a-row in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He won his seventh county medal in 2006.

Inter-county

Browne first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with the Waterford minor team in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 1992 was a special year for Browne as he played a key role with the Waterford under-21 team. He won a Munster medal in that grade before later lining out in the All-Ireland final. Offaly provided the opposition on that occasion, however, the game ended in a draw. The replay saw Waterford take the title by 0-12 to 2-3 and Browne was awarded a coveted All-Ireland under-21 medal. Browne added a second Munster under-21 title to his collection in 1994, however, there would be no further All-Ireland success.

Browne's performances at underage levels brought him to the attention of the senior selectors and he made his senior debut in the 1992 championship. At the time Waterford hurling was at a low ebb. A defeat by Kerry in 1993 only added to their problems. The next few seasons saw Waterford being knocked out of the championship in the early stages, however, the arrival of Gerald McCarthy as manager made a difference to team morale. Browne lined out in his first Munster final in 1998, however, the game against Clare ended in a draw. The replay was one of the most ill-tempered Munster deciders in recent years. Clare made no mistake at the second time of asking and trounced Waterford by twelve points. The ‘back-door system’ allowed Waterford to have another crack at the All-Ireland title. A defeat of Galway set up an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Kilkenny. After a tense game ‘the Cats’ were the winners and Waterford’s championship campaign came to an end. In spite of this his performance in the championship earned him an All-Star award as well as the honour of being named 'Hurler of the Year.'

The next few years proved difficult for Waterford with early exits from the championship. It was 2002 before Browne lined out in his second Munster final. Tipperray, the reigning All-Ireland champions, were the opponents on that occasion and few people gave Flynn’s side a chance. At the final whistle it was a different story as Waterford were emphatic winners by 2-23 to 3-12. It was Waterford’s first Munster title since 1963 and it was Browne's first senior provincial medal. This victory set up an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Clare. While many people expected Waterford to advance easily to the All-Ireland final, Clare were the winners by three points and Waterford’s run came to an end again.

In 2003 Waterford set out to defend their Munster title and build on their success. Cork, however, had other ideas and defeated Flynn’s team in the provincial final. Waterford were later defeated by Wexford in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

2004 saw Waterford qualify for a third successive Munster final with Cork providing the opposition once again. Described as the game that had everything Waterford beat Cork by 3-16 to 1-21 to win one of the greatest games of hurling ever played. Browne played a key role in securing his second Munster medal and gave a great performance in the half-back line. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final saw Waterford take on a wounded Kilkenny. In spite of this ‘the Cats’ were the winners by 3-12 to 0-18.

2005 proved to be a difficult season for ‘the Déise’ as they were eliminated from the Munster championship at an early stage and were defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final. 2006 also saw Browne's side make an early exit from Munster, however, the team later qualified for the All-Ireland semi-final. Old rivals Cork provided the opposition on that occasion. After an exciting game Waterford were denied a draw at the death when Cork goalkeeper Donal Óg Cusack pulled down an almost certain point at the final whistle. Cork won the game by 1-16 to 1-15.

In 2007 Waterford threw down a mark of intent when they captured the National Hurling League title. It was Waterford’s first league title since 1963, with Browne collecting his first national title at senior level. Later in the championship Browne's side finally got the better of Cork. After another thrilling game between these great two rivals Waterford were the winners by 5-15 to 3-18. This victory allowed Flynn’s side to advance to the Munster final where they played Limerick. Waterford justified their favourites tag and won the game with relative ease courtesy of a hat trick of goals by Dan Shanahan. Waterford later saw off Cork again after an All-Ireland quarter-final replay to set up an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Limerick. Many expected the game to be a mere formality; however, Limerick savaged a tired Waterford team by 5-11 to 2-15. It was a major shock to Waterford and to the hurling public at large who expected Browne's side to canter home. There was speculation afterwards that some of the older members of the Waterford team, including Paul Flynn and Browne, would retire without ever lining out in an All-Ireland final.

In spite of all the retirement speculation Browne returned to Waterford in 2008, however, there was controversy from the start. After an embarrassing defeat by Clare in the opening round of the Munster championship ‘player power’ succeeded in forcing manger Justin McCarthy to resign. Waterford went through the qualifier route with Browne playing a key role along the way. After five All-Ireland semi-final defeats inside ten years Waterford finally broke their penultimate stage hoodoo after a two-point defeat of Tipperary. The All-Ireland final on 7 September will give Browne the chance to line out on hurling’s biggest day and will see Waterford take on Kilkenny in an historic occasion.

Teams