Waterford are good enough to retain Division 1A spot for 2015 National League campaign.

The importance of this Sunday’s National Hurling League relegation play off between Waterford and Tipperary cannot be emphasised enough.

In recent years the team dropping out of Division 1A into Division 1B has become a bit of a yo-yo with the team moving back to the top division at the first attempt, but sooner rather than later that is not going to happen. Defeat for Waterford this Sunday could well prove to be a disaster.

Let me say from the outset, I have every confidence in the players at the disposal of the Waterford selectors. We are all aware that they are some very good players in the group and good players do not become bad players over night. I firmly believe that Waterford has what it takes to beat Dublin, but will it happen.

For Waterford to drop down does not mean that the county will automatically come back up to Division 1A at the end of the 2015 league just as Cork have done this year and Dublin last year.

There are some very good teams in Division 1B. Limerick for example was in last years All-Ireland semi final and they are playing in the division now a few years. Former Wexford manager Liam Griffin also from what he had to say recently in the National Press must feel that the ‘Yellow-bellies’ are good enough to play in Division 1A but under the present structures, they are unable to finish in a position to do so. Laois are a side that have put it up to most in the league this year, and have reached the quarter finals on merit. They may not have the household names that other counties have but they have what appears to be a side that want to go places.

Antrim and Offaly are in a relegation battle this weekend. One of these sides will retain their place in the division for 2015 while the looser will play the winners of the Division 2A league final between Carlow and Kerry and with due respect to these two, which over of Offaly or Antrim were to loose this weekend would be the favourites going into that play off game to see who would play in Division 1B next year.

It’s hard to know where Waterford is right now when it comes to the senior hurling inter county scene.

Depending on who you listen to Waterford were unlucky to loose to Tipperary in the first round of games in the league. Maybe we were. Tipperary scored a very lucky goal direct from a long range free to win the game. There first goal was in the eyes of some handed to them as both the ball and the man was not watched by a number of Waterford backs. On the night however, Waterford never even looked like creating half a goal chance and throughout the league up to now, this is Waterford’s biggest downfall.

In Waterford’s two home games just as in the case of 13 of the 15 games played to this weekend, victory went to the home side. In both games while Waterford put up a good tally of points on the scoreboard which at times can in a way compensate for the lack of goals, again Waterford failed to create many chances.

The first half of the game against Clare in Ennis is best forgotten. Waterford was like a dog left in the traps at the start of a derby race at Shelbourne Park or any other such venue. The All-Ireland Champions had the game sown up by the break. And while Waterford played much better in the second half, a person could well ask how hard did Clare actually try in the second half, as they hit just four scores in the second thirty-five plus minutes.

What happened against Kilkenny was amazing. At the break despite now playing as good as we know they can in the first half, Waterford were well in contention, but in the second half, were blown away by a superior team much in the same way Clare had done in the first half of the game a week earlier. This was a very hard result for many to stomach. Some that have watched Waterford over a long number of years have said it was the most embarrassing result in many years, maybe the most embarrassing result ever, surpassing the defeat in the 2008 All-Ireland Final.

It’s well documented that Waterford remained in the dressing rooms for a long time after the defeat to Kilkenny last weekend. No doubt behind closed doors a lot of words were said, a bit like after the 2011 defeat to Tipperary in the Munster Final when the sides met after the game. On that occasion, Waterford’s next game was against Galway in an All-Ireland quarter final, a game where Waterford played their best hurling since the designation of Justin McCarthy and something tells me that we could well see Waterford this weekend come out a much different team to the one that we have seen in recent games.

Good players do not become bad players over night and Waterford has some of the best players in the game right now in their panel and also some of the best up and coming players as well.

Waterford’s problems stem from the tactics used. There were times in recent games when the Waterford tactics resembled what you would see on a rugby field, whereby you have to have players behind the ball. At times we may have one or two players at max inside the oppositions half of the field. Can a team win where you have one or two players trying to keeping an eye on six players who are holding their positions?

You have some that say taking a player from your opponents half of the field and playing him in your own half of the field opens up space for your forwards. Maybe it does, but playing extra players in your own half of the field often means that you could have too many cooks in your own half and we know what too many cooks can do.

I have to repeat what I said earlier. I have every confidence in the Waterford players, and I believe that they are good enough to beat Dublin this weekend, but it could mean having to play six back and six forwards with the two centre field players used as a link between the two.

For the game however, we may have to see some changes in the personnel starting the game.

Nine goals have gone past Waterford in the last two games. This is bound to have absorbed some confidence from the players used in these games. Maybe however, with a change in the tactics, this could well change and then the same players could be successfully be used from the start.

Stephen Daniels is some weeks off we are told from been available for selection. Darragh Fives some are saying could come in for a place in the start but I was told by a club player recently that the Tourin Man may not be available for selection until championship time, while Liam Lawlor if his injuries worries have cleared up could also come in from the start as could Barry Coughlan.

In attack Jake Dillon is reported to be set to miss this weekend’s game again, and it’s reported that Maurice Shanahan may not be fit to start. If the De La Salle and Lismore club men are not available for the full seventy minutes it will be a blow to Waterford but we have some adequate replacement.

Austin Gleeson impressed last weekend on his debut and capped his performance off with an excellent score from a second half side-line cut.

Seamus Prendergast was in the games up to last weekend was one of our best players and it was a surprise that he did not start against Kilkenny. He caused Dublin plenty of hassle last time out and he would be expected to start from the start this weekend.

Could we see maybe Shane O’Sullivan move into the forwards with maybe Stephen Molumphy going out to the middle of the field to replace him? Could we also see Ray Barry start this weekend? In the games that he had played up to last weekend he impressed immensely and when he came on for Maurice Shanahan he again made a telling contribution. And maybe could we see Jamie Barron used in the corner forward positions where he is best suited as he would be a goal treat with his pace if good ball was played into him.  

As pointed out already, in 13 of the 15 games played in Division 1A this year victory has gone to the home side. With five more games to be played this weekend, it’s unlikely that we will be saying that victory has gone to 18 of the 20 teams that played at home. Hopefully however we can say that Waterford were one of the 16 or 17 teams that won with what advantage playing at a home venue offers.