Liam McCarthy To Come Back To Waterford

With some time I have a feeling that 2017 will be Waterford’s year. Liam McCarthy i feel will be in Waterford on Monday evening barring the need for a replay, something that cannot be discounted when Waterford and Galway do battle on Sunday afternoon in this years All-Ireland Final, and even if the game does go to a replay, I feel that the most famous hurling cup in the country will eventually cross Rice Bridge onto the quay in Waterford and hopefully on the same evening it will cross the Devonshire Bridge in Dungarvan into Grattan Square, a location that Waterford teams have always received a massive welcome in the past.

During the week I got one or two private messages on my thomaskeane1973 Facebook page asking me was I as confident as i was all along and I have to say, I am.

While I am confident that Waterford will win this weekend in Croke Park, I must say that I would be even more confident if Derek McGrath and his selectors had Conor Gleeson to pick from, but he don’t, and in the recent past Waterford have been short the services of other key players and they have proven that they have the backup to bring in a player that can fill any roll that needs filling.

Why am I so confident? Let me try and explain.

I think everyone knows when it comes to selecting a team I am someone that would prefer to see six backs mark six forwards and six forwards to mark six backs, but we know that this is something that will not happen with Waterford, and the system of an extra defender or a sweeper, call it what you want is working for Waterford, why change now, but if Waterford did, it would not be a surprise.

The defensive unit that Waterford played in recent games is working and is able to play the ball out of defence with intelligence into the forwards and while we might be a man short in attack, scores are coming, and some are actually coming from defence so that has to be a plus for Waterford.

Much of the hard graft done by Waterford is done in the last twenty minutes or so of a game when Derek McGrath and his management team begin to empty their bench, and when this happens when the likes of Brian O’Halloran, Maurice Shanahan, Colin Dunford, Thomas Ryan, Patrick Curran and Stephen Bennett come onto the field, not only are they players who can pick off scores when the opposition defence is slowing down, they are players with pace and it could well be argued that they are players who actually strengthen the side and its often that Waterford end the game with a stronger side than they started with, which is again a plus as the opposition legs begin to tire.

The Waterford defence are solid and as pointed out some of them are able to pick off crucial scores at important points in the game.

A few years ago at this time of the year people spoke about an aging Waterford team, but you can no longer say this, as many of the panel are in their prime years or are approaching what should be their best years. But Waterford have experience as well and the experience of Michael Walsh and Kevin Moran is going to be vital and none more so when the players are in the dressing rooms and heading to the ground as they have gone through what it is like to play in an All-Ireland Final from back in 2008.

Jamie Barron and Austin Gleeson were selected as All-Stars last year and they look as if they will do so again this year. The Mount Sion man might have had a disappointing game in the Munster Championship defeat to Cork but since then he has been a model of consistency, while the Fourmilewater man is outstanding all year and he will go into this weekend’s game after scoring two goals in the win over Cork in the semi finals.

To see the pair win All-Stars this year would be no surprise, and while the Mount Sion man might not win the Hurler of the Year which he won last year, for me such is the way that Jamie Barron is playing if he was to win this year’s award, i for one would not be surprised.

Waterford last time out used the absence of Tadgh de Búrca as motivation to go on and beat a fancied Cork side, and will surly do the same this time out with Conor Gleeson missing.

The young Fourmilewater man is a fine player and is very under rated by many, including here in Waterford. His loss is going to bigger than what many might envisage, and could be a bigger loss than what Tadgh De Búrca was against Cork or even if Austin Gleeson was forced to sit out this game as well. But have no doubts, Derek McGrath will have someone more than ready to come in and fill the role the young Fourmilewater man fills.

But while Conor Gleeson will be disappointed to miss out on this game, he might well be celebrating at the end of the year, as not only do i believe he will have a an All-Ireland Medal in his collection, he could also be in serious contention for an All-Star and the Young Hurler of the Year award but first might have to fight off Mark Colman from Cork for these awards.

Waterford never gave Cork an inch in their semi final win and it was only in the last ten minutes when with a numerical advantage were Waterford able to pull away.

Against Galway we can expect Waterford to not concede an inch to a side that are looking to win all they can this year, already having won the Walsh Cup, National League and Leinster Championship.

Much has been said of Galway’s height and physic advantage over Waterford, but remember the old saying that the bigger you are, the harder you fall at times.

I have no doubt that this year’s All-Ireland Final will be hard won, but as I have said with some time, I firmly believe that Waterford will be crowned All-Ireland Champions in 2017.