It’s the qualifiers for Waterford but who can we play and when.

If Waterford are to play in Croke Park this year (the men), they will have to do it the hard way after they suffered defeats in both the Munster senior hurling and football championships last weekend.

In hurling along with Waterford six other counties will enter the qualifiers draw next Monday.

Three pairings will be drawn out in a preliminary round. The three winners from these games plays the team from the seven that gets a bye will be paired together in a first round draw at a later date.

Waterford are the only side from Munster that will enter the competition at this stage, the other six have or will take part in the Leinster Hurling Championship.

Westmeath, Antrim, London and Carlow have already qualified for the qualifiers and they will be joined this weekend by the loser’s from the games involving Offaly against Kilkenny and Wexford against Dublin.

The three preliminary round games will take place on June 22 with the three winners plus the side that gets a bye in the preliminary round will be out again a week later.

The second round of the qualifiers will see the four teams that are beaten in the Munster and Leinster Championships paired against each other and the third round will bee the winners from the first and second round of the championship play each other, with the two winners from these games playing an All-Ireland quarter final against the sides beaten in the Munster and Leinster Finals.

When it comes to the All-Ireland semi finals, as in previous years, the sides that win the Munster and Leinster Championships will be kept apart.

In football, for Waterford, things will be much tougher.

The draws for the first round of the qualifiers will be made on June 17 and will involve the teams that did not reach their provincial semi finals. In the case of the Munster teams, Tipperary who was beaten by Kerry and Limerick who were beaten by Cork will be involved in the first round of the qualifiers.

Games in round two of the football qualifiers will be drawn on July 1, with games played on July 6 and 13.

Waterford will enter the competition at this stage along with the other teams beaten in the provincial semi finals.

The games that will the looser of the Ulster semi final between Cavan and Fermanagh against Antrim or Monaghan will be fixed for July 13 along with the games involving both the two teams beaten in the Leinster semi finals. The other games will be played a week earlier.

Standing to be corrected on this, since the qualifiers came into place, Waterford had only four home games and has played away in the last five games they played in the qualifiers. Maybe 2013 might be the year when Waterford is drawn at home.

The draw for the third round of the qualifiers will take place on July 15 with games due to take place the following weekend with the fourth round of games in the qualifiers down to be played soon afterwards.

The All-Ireland Quarter finals which involve the four Provincial winners and the four teams that comes through from the qualifiers.

Waterford’s record in the football qualifiers

2012    Lost to Wicklow (away) after Extra time.

2011    Beat London (Away), Lost to Limerick (Away)

2010    Lost to Offaly (Away)

2009    Lost to Meath (Away)

2008    Did not qualify

2007    Did not qualify

2006    Lost to Longford (home)

2005    Lost to Louth (Away)

2004    Lost to Longford (Away)

2003    Lost to Armagh (Home). – Armagh were the reigning All-Ireland champions.

2002    Lost to Roscommon (Away)

2001    Lost to Carlow (Home)

Tommy Murphy Cup Record (Played for between 2004 and 2008)

2008    Lost to Wicklow (Away)

2007    Beat Carlow (Home), Lost to Wicklow (away)

2006    Lost to Tipperary (Home)

2005    Lost to Longford (Away)

2004    Did not enter.

Waterford’s record in Hurling qualifiers.

1998    Beaten in Munster Final, Beat Galway in quarter finals, lost to Kilkenny in semi finals

1999    Did not qualify

2000    Did not qualify

2001    Did not Qualify

2002    Munster Champions – did not qualify for qualifiers

2003    Lost to Wexford

2004    Munster Champions – did not qualify for qualifiers

2005    Beat Offaly & Down, Lost to Clare in Group 2. Lost quarter final against Cork

2006    Beat Galway, Laois & Westmeath in Group 1. Beat Tipp in Quarter finals, Lost semi final against Cork.

2007    Munster Champions – did not qualify for qualifiers

2008    Beat Antrim and Offaly. Beat Wexford in Quarter final & Tipperary in Semi Finals. Lost to Kilkenny in All-Ireland Final.

2009    Did not qualify for qualifiers. Beat Galway in quarter finals, lost semi final against Kilkenny.

2010    Munster Champions – did not qualify for qualifiers – Lost All-Ireland semi finals against Tipperary.

2011    Did not qualify for qualifiers. Beat Galway in Quarter Finals, lost to Kilkenny in semi finals

2012    Did not qualify for qualifiers. Lost quarter finals against Cork.